Rober and Seltzer (2010) introduced the concept of therapists acting as colonizers during therapy. Rober and Seltzer illustrated their views with examples from their own therapy sessions so as not to shift blame. Their work has substance. They claim that the intention of most newcomers to the field of psychology is to help people. Time and again throughout time, history has seen conquerors “help” groups of people become more civilized. Technology is often introduced or imposed on people, because, supposedly, new methods offer better and more efficient ways of harvesting or growing crops. Has anyone taken into consideration the way the new subjects lived and worked before the invasion of the conquerors? How did they get by without new fertilizers full of harmful chemicals and machines that put people out of work? This is what happens when a conqueror's or therapist's attitude is not checked at the door, and instead the therapist is allowed to know what is good for a patient without further investigation. Again, what is our motivation for studying psychology? Is it to help people, or is it to help them help themselves? The last question implies an interest in knowing the resources and culture of those we wish to help. Because if we want to help people help themselves, we have to be able to understand and comprehend the resources already in their possession or in the possession of their people before we begin to make things right. Do therapists intend to circumvent family resources and networks by intervening? Most likely not. Conquering or saving a family from the evil of the world can happen too easily when therapists rush in and don't step back to assess the process as it unfolds. Rob...... middle of paper ......g at school. When the therapist began asking questions to gain insight, he discovered that the mother's inaction was actually due to previous experiences growing up in a sometimes abusive environment. Rober and Seltzer (2010) achieved the same result, namely increased customer trust and the feeling of being understood in different ways. This is what I see as the required element in family therapy: realizing that the sum is more than the parts and must be treated as such. No one exists like an island cut off from all humanity. Contact may be limited or uncomfortable, but it exists. These three therapies all recognize this basic principle and, as such, provide complementary support for good relationships within the client's circle as they begin to sort through their baggage to decide what to do and what to leave behind...