Abstract
M.A.
Family therapy came into being in the late 1950's, and was developed by a heterogenous group of investigators, working in distinctly different contexts and with different purposes. One of these intellectuals saw a family as a system, a cadet of ideas. Another one saw families as collections of individuals struggling to balance feelings, irrationalities and desires. (Nichols M.P. 1 Schwartz, R.C. 1995 :ix).
From the mid 1970's onwards family therapy as a intervention strategy in social work succeeded and expanded, it was extended to encompass client populations from different cultural backgrounds, and special groups e.g. drug additions. These context suggest that family therapy needs to he practiced within the context of a particular culture.
The purpose of this study is to explore the Xhosa families perceptions on family therapy and the role of culture in their life style.