"The reader will find this book useful whether or not one agrees with Karpel's therapeutic style or clinical assumptions….[I]t succinctly reviews a lot of the basics about couples and about couple therapy, and suggests an attitude toward work with couples that we would all do well to incorporate into our own ongoing therapy. It will definitely be on my recommended list of resources and I am sure to quote liberally from its author."—Eleanor Macklin,
Journal of Family Psychotherapy
Emphasizing "what to do and how to do it," this book is a detailed guide to evaluating couples, providing specific recommendations on every aspect of the evaluation, from the initial telephone call to the therapist's summary delivered at its conclusion. Introductory chapters balance this pragmatic focus by examining "organizing forces" of a relationship, including attachment, gender and sexuality, and its "unconscious matrix."