Family Therapy

Just Therapy

Just Therapy is a reflective approach to therapy developed by workers at the Family Centre. A fundamental feature of Just Therapy is the attention paid to the broad cultural, gender, social, spiritual, economic and psychological contexts underlying the problems experienced by those with whom therapists work. It expresses the Family Centre philosophy and commitment to cultural, gender and socio-economic equity.

This philosophy underlies the Family Centre's commitment to the eradication of racism, sexism and poverty. In all it's therapy, field work activities and research, the Family Centre endeavours to expose the marginalisation of different sectors of the population and facilitate change to their advantage. Embodied in it's work is a commitment to the Treaty of Waitangi, Justice for the Pacific Nations' peoples, gender equity and the interdependence of economic and social policies.

Interest in Just Therapy has grown within the international therapeutic community and Family Centre workers are actively involved in conducting workshops, seminars and conference presentations internationally on all continents.

See Related Publications and International Work in 2008

Related Publications

These are the publications which relate to Just Therapy only. Please see the Publications page for other research.

Waldegrave, C (2009) “Cultural, Gender and Socio-economic Contexts in Therapeutic and Social Policy Work” Family Process, vol.48(1). New York. View pdf file (188kb)

Waldegrave, C and Waldegrave, K (2009) "Healthy Families, Young Minds and Developing Brains:Enabling All Children to Reach their Potentia", Families Commission Research Report No. 2/09 Wellington: Families Commisssion. View pdf file (748mb)

Waldegrave C, (2006) “Contrasting National Jurisdictional and Welfare Responses to Violence to Children”, Social Policy Journal of New Zealand, 27, (March). View pdf file (165 kb)

Waldegrave, C (2006) “Cultural, Gender and Socio-economic Contexts in Therapeutic and Social Policy Work” Proceedings of the National Family and Parenting Institute ‘Parent Child Conference 2006, London, United Kingdom. Link to paper

Bush A, Collings S, Tamasese K and Waldegrave C (2005) “Samoan and Psychiatrists’ Perspectives on the Self: Qualitative Comparison” Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, Vol 39, pp 621 -626

Tamasese K; Peteru C and Waldegrave C. (2005) “Ole Taeao Afua, The New Morning: A Qualitative Investigation into Samoan Perspectives on Mental Health and Culturally Appropriate Services.” Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. Vol. 39 (4) April, p.300. View pdf file (118kb)

Waldegrave C ( 2005) “ ‘Just Therapy’ with Families on Low Income” Child Welfare, (Child Welfare League of America) Vol 84 (2), March/April, pp265 – 276.

Waldegrave C, Tamasese K, Tuhaka F and Campbell W (2003) Just Therapy – a Journey: A Collection of Papers from the Just Therapy Team, New Zealand Dulwich Centre Publications, Adelaide

Waldegrave C (2001) “Terapia Justica” Sistemas Familiares Ano 17, 1, Marzo, Buenos Aires

Waldegrave C (2001) “Los Desafios de la Cultura a la Psicologia y al Pensamiento Postmoderno” De Familias y Terapias Ano 9, 14 y 15, Julio y Noviembre, Santiago

Waldegrave C (2001) “‘Just Therapy’ com Familias e Comunidades” Organizacao Grandesso M Terapia e Justica Social: Respostas Eticas a Questoes de dor em Terapia, Associacao Paulista de Terapia Familiar (APTF), Sao Paulo

Waldegrave C (2000) “Just therapy with families and communities” in Burford G, & Hudson J. Family Group Conferencing: New Directions in Community-Centered Child and Family Practice, Hawthorne, New York: Aldine de Gruyter

Tamasese K, Waldegrave C, Tuhaka F and Campbell C (1998) “Furthering conversations about partnerships of accountability: Talking about issues of leadership, ethics and care” Dulwich Centre Journal 4

Waldegrave C (1998) “The Challenges of Culture to Psychology and Post Modern Thinking” in Ed. McGoldrick, Re-visioning Family Therapy: Race, Culture, and Gender in Clinical Practice. Guilford Press, New York

Tamasese K, Peteru C and Waldegrave C (1997) Ole Taeao Afua, The New Morning: A Qualitative Investigation into Samoan Perspectives on Mental Health and Culturally Appropriate Services. The Family Centre, Lower Hutt, Wellington

Waldegrave C. & Tamasese K.(1994) "Some Central Ideas in the `Just Therapy' Approach" Reprinted in Eds Munford R and Nash M, Social Work in Action. Dunmore Press, Palmerston North

Waldegrave C. & Tamasese K.(1994) "Some Central Ideas in the 'Just Therapy' Approach" Reprinted in Human Systems: The Journal of Systemic Consultation and Management Vol. 5 Issues 3 and 4, United Kingdom.

Waldegrave C. & Tamasese K.(1994) "Some Central Ideas in the 'Just Therapy' Approach" Reprinted in The Family Journal (The Official Journal of the International Association of Marriage and Family Counsellors) Vol. 2, No 2, April, U.S.A.

Tamasese K. & Waldegrave C. (1994) "Cultural and Gender Accountability in the 'Just Therapy' Approach" Reprinted in Dulwich Centre Newsletter, Nos 2 and 3, Adelaide, Australia

Waldegrave C.T.(1993) "The Challenges of Culture to Psychology and Post Modern Thinking" in Cultural Justice and Ethics, Proceedings of a Symposium held at the Annual Conference of the New Zealand Psychological Society, University of Victoria, Wellington, 23 August 1993, ed. Linda Waimarie Nikora, Psychology Department, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, New Zealand.

Tamasese K. & Waldegrave C.(1993) "Cultural and Gender Accountability in the 'Just Therapy' Approach" The Journal of Feminist Family Therapy 5(2) Summer.

Waldegrave C. & Tamasese K.(1993) "Some Central Ideas in the `Just Therapy' Approach" Australia and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. 14(1): pp 1-8.

Waldegrave C.T.(1992) "Psychotherapy, Politics and the Loss of the Welfare State" NZ Association of Psychotherapists Newsletter. Sept. pp 1-13.

Waldegrave C.T.(1992) "Psychology, Politics and the Loss of the Welfare State" NZ Psychological Society Bulletin. 74, Oct.

Waldegrave C.T.(1990) "Just Therapy" Dulwich Centre Newsletter No. 1: pp 5-46, Adelaide, Australia.

Waldegrave C.T.(1990) "The Politics of Empowering Families - Just Therapy" in Strengthening Families Monograph of 1990 Washington D.C. Annual Conference Plenary Presentations, American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy.

Waldegrave C.T.(1985) "Mono-Cultural, Mono-Class, and So Called Non-Political Family Therapy." Australia and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy 6 (4): pp 197-200.

Waldegrave C.T.(1984) "The Butchers, An Eclectic Approach to Family Therapy" Journal of Family Therapy 6: pp 247-263

Waldegrave C., Jones V., Basil-Jones P. & Anderton J.M.(1981) "Evaluating Change in Families." Australian Journal of Family Therapy 2 (2) pp 76-82

International Work 2008

In 2008, the Family Centre staff conducted the following workshops on ‘Just Therapy’ and Applied Social Policy in North America:

21/22 April Urban Native Youth Association (UNYA) and the Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society (VACFSS), Vancouver, British Columbia

• Hosts: Urban Native Youth Association (UNYA), Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society (VACFSS)
• Topic: Just Therapy
• Contact: Lynda Gray lgray@unya.bc.ca

24/25 April Multicultural Health Brokers Co-operative, Edmonton, Alberta

• Hosts: Multicultural Health Brokers Co-operative
• Topic: Ethical Responses to the Stories of Pain: Private Conversations, Public Issues
• Contact: Ann Nicolai ann_nicolai_mchb@interbaun.com

28 April – 2 May University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta

• Hosts University of Calgary
• Overall Contact: Lobsang Galak
• 28/29 April: Public workshop on Responding to Violence in Families
• 30 April morning: Multicultural Rounds, Alberta Children's Hospital – Poverty, Cultural Difference & Mental Health – The Implications
• 30 April lunch and afternoon: Faculty of Social Work Field Education Field Instructors - Just Therapy Perspectives on Field Supervision: Connecting clinical, community work and policy development
• 1 May: Participate in a full day workshop with Social Justice Encounter Committee. Encounter with Social Justice
• 2 May: Full day presentation at the Alberta Children's Hospital Cultural, Gender and Socio-economic Contexts in Medical Therapeutic and Community Based Services

6 May Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

• Hosts: Drexel University
• Topic: Addressing Violence in Families: Creating Safety through Good Therapy and Sound Social Policies
• Contact: Marlene Watson mfw24@drexel.edu

Presentations made at Drexel University

8/9 May Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland

• Hosts: Department of Counseling and Human Services School of Education Johns Hopkins University, the Institute for Family Services, & Affinity Counseling
• Topic: Remapping Sites of Resistance: A Just Perspective
• Contact: Pilar Hernandez-Wolfe pilarhw@jhu.edu

Presentations made at Johns Hopkins University

12/13 May Edgewood Center for Children and Families, San Francisco, California

• Hosts: Edgewood Center for Children and Families
• Topic: Just Therapy
• Contact: Caryn Clough CarynC@edgewood.org

Author(s): Members of FC Staff; Creation Date: 31st March 2003; Last Changed: March 10 2010;