ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the positions on the use of self and the signature therapeutic techniques and strategies of the couple and family therapy pioneers: Salvador Minuchin, Harry J. Aponte, and Carl Whitaker. The author refers to the three pioneers as the directors, in that each of these pioneers are like theater directors, producers, choreographers, and provocateurs in how they transformed their couple or family client drama into a more functional and adaptive state. Some case vignettes are presented to help illustrate the use of self and some of the pioneers' signature techniques and strategies in action. The chapter concludes with a comparative analysis of the pioneers' unique therapeutic approaches.
