ABSTRACT
In each treatment session, the therapist is confronted with a barrage of information: verbal and nonverbal behavior, intrapsychic and interpersonal processes, transactional patterns, attitudes, and more. The multitude of processes that occur in the individual, the subsystem, the family, and the therapeutic system are so complex and multidimensional that no one could possibly attend to all or even most of them. Neither is it possible for any therapist to reflect on all these perceptions, to perfectly formulate them, and to decide on the best possible intervention plan and strategies. Therefore, the therapist limits his or her observations, reflections, and interventions to a reasonable and manageable number of variables and selectively decides on which processes, patterns of behavior, and structure to focus. These decisions are often determined by the therapist’s own life history, personality, philosophy, and professional training. Many possible paths are available.
