History of Family Therapy

The motivation for this article came from the excellent contribution by Florence Kaslow, entitled “History of Family Therapy: Evolution Outside of the U.S.A.,” which appeared in Vol. 11, No. 4 of the Journal of Family Psychotherapy. After reading that article, I felt persuaded that our foreign colleagues would wish to hear, too, the story of the evolution of family therapy practice in sub-Saharan Africa, left unattended by Kaslow's account. The present article therefore aims to serve as a follow-up to Kaslow's article and to acquaint our foreign partners with the story of the evolution and development of our own family practice. It is expected that at the end of the article the field of family therapy and systemic practice in black Africa will cease to be a ‘terra incognita.’