April,

Try thinking of it this way:

The good enough mother is a flexible parent as well as a consistent one. So, say for example, a teenager confesses to her mother that she drank beer at a party last weekend. But the teenager asks the mother for HER time in discussing this issue at a session with a family therapist. Should the mother send the daughter to her room for a grounding or should she engage her daughter in conversation surrounding behavior that is dangerous?

It's not easy being a parent and it's not easy being a therapist and it's not easy being a patient (client). But when the client asks the therapist for help and is honest in his or her appeal, I just don't see how turning them away (even if it was agreed upon prior) does any good.

Inflexibiity in the relationship would lead to more disasters imo.

And yes, I was making an analogy.

Peace