Bailey was notorious for his : The therapist remains calm, slightly monotone, and task-focused. Emotional intensity, he argued, is the enemy of the base. He trained therapists to say, “That may be important, but first: did Jamie finish homework before screens? Yes or no.”
In fragmented families (divorced, single-parent, grandparent-led), Bailey identifies not the ideal parent but the functional alliance . He once wrote: “A base is not a good base. It is simply a base.” Therapy aims to get two adults (even if divorced and hostile) to agree on three concrete, non-negotiable rules (e.g., bedtime, no hitting, one meal together). That’s the base. bailey base familytherapy