To this end, Mara Selvini Palazzoli conducted family therapy sessions in a highly original context, characterized by the unusual length of time devoted to the sittings (half a day); by the presence of a team of therapists drawn from the different working backgrounds and orientations; by direct observation, made possible by the use of a one-way mirror; and by a systematic investigation of the effects of the therapies based on written transcriptions of all the sessions, in addition to audio and visual recordings.