Recent years have witnessed a grlowing interest in understanding family epistemologies, those evolving networks of meaning that are constructed and validated (or invalidated) through intimate familial interaction. Central to this discussion has been a collection of constructivist theories, unified by the claim that ‘humans actively create and construe their personal realities’ (Mahoney and Lyddon, 1988; p. 200). This paper extends that discussion by suggesting that personal construct theory has important contributions to make to the dialogue, especially as it relates to family assessment. Assessment methods developed by family therapists have often amounted to refinements of daily clinical practice. A few have emerged which are research-based (Beavers, 1981; Beavers and Voeller, 1983; Epstein, Bishop and :Levin, 1978; Floyd, Weinand and Cimmarusti, 1989; Fristad, 1989; Khston and Bentovim, 1982; Lee, 1988; Olson and Craddock, 1980). In either case, they are informed by the particular theoretical stance and needs of the therapist/ investigator (Hansen and Keeney, 1983). Popular are observational methods in which the therapist/investigator participates in the family interaction or observes it through one-way screens, often aided by audio-visual technology (Cornwell, 1978). The observations are usually structured (Floyd, Weinand and Cimmarusti, 1989; Watzlawick, 1966) or categorized (Beavers, 1981; Beavers and