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This paper describes the evolution of a family therapy clinic within an inpatient adolescent unit. The dilemmas of such an enterprise are described in terms of the roles of its participants in relation to the ‘host’ unit. The authors propose that in order to maintain an appropriate boundary around the clinic, awareness of the ‘membership roles’ of the participants is essential. This concept, drawn from ethnographic research, refers to the differing perspectives that members of the multi‐disciplinary team bring into the family therapy clinic from their roles within the unit. The internal dynamics of the team are also described by reference to team members’ family of origin scripts which reflect their membership roles. The authors believe that adding a membership role perspective to family therapy clinics which operate within institutions may enable such teams to contain difference and thus achieve creativity.