This text addresses the plurality of family life in the UK, and considers the way in which the changeable theory of family has influenced the approaches of those working with families. The author considers work in a multi-racial, multi-cultural society in which life transitions such as marriage, divorce and bereavement, affect the lives of all families, be they multi- or lone-parent, gay or heterosexual. This text is aimed at therapists and counsellors, both in training and in practice, who work with families.