In this paper, the authors deal with the delicate issue of the foster family in psychotherapy according to the family systems approach. The first part of the paper deals with the subjects of parenthood, with a special focus on the life cycle phase of families with teenage children and highlighting similarities and differences between natural parenthood and foster parenthood. The second part highlights the features that characterize a family systems psychotherapist. The authors also relied on the tool of the supervision to better attain this goal. The last part presents a clinical case that exemplifies the psychotherapeutic pathway of a foster family with teenage children. During the supervision it emerged as natural to reflect together on the subject of parenting, from the standpoint of the complex system "foster family/therapeutic pair/supervisor" hence the concept of "the mirror labyrinth" that inspired the title. The authors, through this paper, intend to share with the reader some reflections in order to propose not only possible technical elements of intervention, but also working modality in family psychotherapy. Such a working modality takes into account the complexity of the emerging issues through the use of the self of the therapist.
Keywords: Adolescence, belongingness, adoption, foster family, parenthood, individuation, self, psychotherapy, family systems, supervision