This is a wonderful book. It is a unique collaboration written by two authors both at the University of Pennsylvania, one a psychiatrist who is a practicing psychoanalyst and the other a psychologist who is a well known psychotherapy researcher. It is highly readable and practical in its approach. This is not your typical psychoanalytic book, filled with difficult and dense jargon. The writing is practical and hands on with plenty of clinical examples. The book uses evidenced based ideas from psychotherapy research in a way that is somewhat unusual: it integrates these findings into a sensible approach to dealing with patients. Positive psychology, family systems therapy, and behavioral and cognitive approaches are given respect and even integrated into their approach without feeling forced. I cannot think of another psychodynamic text that does this- the authors obviously have respect for other psychotherapies and are unashamedly practical in their approach to treating patients and seeing the limits of their approach. This is a good book for beginners who are learning "the ropes" of psychotherapy of any kind, or for experienced psychoanalysts or psychodynamically trained clinicians who want an evidence based contemporary approach to treating their patients in psychotherapy. Highly recommended.