The purpose of this book is, as the authors state in the preface, "to redefine the psychotherapist, his function and his commitment in light of the immediate concerns of our generation." Further, in the preface Drs. Mullan and Sangiuliano write, "Systems of therapy, by their very nature, either implicitly or explicity rigidly characterize what is patient and what is therapist. This delineation is harmful to the therapeutic situation in that it establishes roles that the participants must play and limits their participation to certain prescribed procedures. In order for the two transactors to be together in a manner conducive to change, these restricting designations and the behavior they demand must be superceded. Each must become more than just patient or therapist with the other" (author's italics). The rest of the book is devoted to convincing the bewildered reader that they indeed meant what they said in the preface.
The authors'