Part 1 Essential Premises frame a conceptual map of couple treatment so therapists know where they are heading and how to get there.

Part 2 Symptom Reduction, Guiding, and Coaching presents: techniques for rapid access to deeper underlying issues, strategies for guiding resolution of conflicts, and exercises for improving couples' communication skills.

Part 3 What Do I Do When They Start Fighting? dramatizes ways to take charge when couples erupt in anger at each other within a session.

With actors role-playing clients, Dr. Heitler's cases vividly illustrate how to guide couples from antagonism to growth and goodwill.