This is written in a way in that it allows the reader to "sit in" with the counsellor and see, hear and feel what is happening during couples therapy. The reader witnesses, on a case-by-case basis a range of marital crises as they are unfolded, discussed and (with notable exceptions) resolved. At the heart of the book is the dialogue between Dorothy Freeman and one or both partners and between partners themselves; and a special feature is her running commentary on the therapy sessions in detailed notes in the margins of each page. These notes explain both the rationale and the timing of her therapeutic interventions and record her occasional frustrations, confessions of failure and exclamations of relief.