From the point of view of the patient, psychotherapy has two main aspects; the personality of the therapist, which includes the attitude towards the patient and their understanding; and the procedures used by the therapist, such as how he conducts therapy. The therapist sees psychotherapy as a process which helps the patient to understand themselves, to modify their attitudes and levels of aspiration, and generate new ways of behaving. It is a process of change in the sense of abandoning old concepts, coming to new generalizations, and learning new behavior patterns for a current generation.

Role playing as a psychotherapeutic technique is not as well understood as it merits. The beliefs that role playing is an exotic method which commits the user to a special school of thought, that it is used only in group therapy, or that it is difficult to learn, are common erroneous notions. This book gives a clear picture of therapeutic role playing, and explains how it is used and for what purposes. A rationale for its value and examples of its use are provided by the author.