ABSTRACT
The therapist's goal in the early part of unified therapy is to obtain accurate descriptions of the interpersonal relationship patterns within the patient's family that trigger his or her problematic symptoms or behavior. A therapist must be a good investigative reporter and ask for specifics using follow-up questions. In general, therapists should follow all interesting leads, ask for clarification of vague or confusing statements, ask for specific examples of misbehavior by other family members, and run down implied but unspoken implications. Spouses and significant others have long been notorious for making a psychotherapist's life difficult by interfering with, and in some cases actively subverting, the therapist's work with the patient. Usually this phenomenon has been conceptualized as the unreasonable act of a fellow dysfunctional individual, who really ought to be in therapy himself or herself. As the patient reveals his or her thoughts or attempts to engage the therapist in some other way, therapists quietly perform a variety of tasks.
