ABSTRACT
Several years ago I agreed to see a highly successful young professional man for the stated purpose of "improving my marriage relationship." From the beginning of the initial interview I sensed an incongruence between his stated reasons for seeking help (improve my marriage relationship) and the words he used to describe his marital situation (reasons to get out of the marriage). In order to more clearly determine what he wanted out of the therapeutic experience I asked him to try something for me. I gave him three pieces of paper and a pencil. First, I asked him to complete in writing the following statement:
