We use everyday, common language with couples so while the term is pretty professionally nerdy, do not let that distract you from the essence of this conceptual framework Bill has used for 40 years in the therapy room, in many therapists and student workshops he’s taught and organizations he's helped as a consultant.

The name FIRO stands for Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation and it comes out of the work of Will Schutz in group dynamics, but you'll never have to remember those 4 long words!

Before we give you the details in the next lesson, we wanted to be clear on the two biggest reasons we think you'll benefit as a clinician, no matter your core approach right now.

1. The Family FIRO helps you set intervention priorities when couples present with a number of different issues (which is nearly always the case). Priority setting means “Where do I start when there are multiple problems?” and “Where do I go next?”

 
2. Because the model can also help you understand the therapy relationship as a system that can run into problems and blockages. In other words, it gives you handles on your relationship with the couple—the three-person system that is the central component of therapy in any model. Stuck cases are often about a stuck therapeutic system, and the path forward is to “treat” the system we are in with the couple.