Another important influence in the area of self-awareness has been the family ther- apy literature. An understanding of the influence of family of origin on the therapist’s development has also been considered to be an important component of self-awareness development (Getz & Protinsky, 1994). From this perspective, trainees’ understanding of their family of origin dynamics in turn facilitates their understanding of the potential sources of their reactions to clients and how these reactions might influence the counselling relationship (Beck, 1997; Jorgensen et al., 2003).