This casebook can be used to accompany any family therapy text, including Nichols/Schwartz's Family Therapy: Concepts and Methods, 5/e. This book is the narrative “diary” of a family therapist, Mike Nichols, as he develops a relationship and enters into the process of family therapy with one family, the Salazars. It provides an in-depth personal account of the process of therapy from the counselor's perspective, as well as a rich, detailed study of a family from courtship through the departure of the children from the home. Each major stage of the family life cycle is presented in a separate chapter.

Students of family therapy can use this book in conjunction with their textbooks, to provide a more in-depth and personal view of how to conduct themselves as therapists. The book includes discussions of the effects of gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation on individuals and families. It also provides information about the dynamics of relationships that could be applied by the reader to his or her own life, whether that person is a professional therapist, a student, or a member of the general public.