In the first step, you become familiar with the main kinds of goals and problems that motivate people to enter therapy. You check those that seem to be most relevant to you and then try to confirm the accuracy of your choices. This will point you in the direction of one or more promising therapies. In the second step, you consider a list of the main personality traits that are relevant to your choice of therapy. Again, you check those that seem most to apply to you and then confirm your self-understanding. Step 2 will also direct you to one or more therapies. In the third step, you use your results from Step 1 and Step 2 to select an approach to therapy that most closely matches your needs, interests, and personality. Let's begin. STEP 1. DIAGNOSING YOUR PROBLEMS AND SETTING YOUR GOALS: IDENTIFYING APPROPRIATE THERAPIES a. Read through Table 1 (pages 67-69). b. Check the goals or problems most applicable to you. If you are in doubt, refer to the numbered short descriptions in the section "Matching Your Goals and Problems with Most Promising Therapies" following Table 1. c. Choose one or two goals or problems that are the most important to you. d. Confirm your choices: Refer to the section "Matching Your Goals and Problems with Most Promising Therapies" that follows Table 1. In that section, read the corresponding short descriptions of the one or two goals or problems you checked in Table 1 and ask yourself whether, in fact, these accurately apply to you. For example, if you checked §7 in Table 1, then read the corresponding §7 in "Matching Your Goals and Problems with Most Promising Therapies." e. If, after doing this, you continue to believe that the goals or problems you checked relate to you, make a record of the therapy letter codes given at the end of each description. You will find that occasionally letter codes are divided into two groups: those judged to be generally more effective (called "primary"), and a set of alternatives ("secondary"). Now go directly to Step 2. On the other hand, if you come to feel that the goals or problems you checked really do _not_ apply to you, go back to Table 1 and consider other alternatives. {66} STEP 2. SELF-UNDERSTANDING: IDENTIFYING APPROPRIATE THERAPIES a. Read through Table 2 (page 79). b. Check the personal qualities that seem best to describe you. c. Choose one or two of these that are the most significant to you. d. Confirm your self-understanding: Refer to the section "Matching Your Personality with the Most Promising Therapies" following Table 2. Read the short descriptions of the one or two personal qualities you checked and respond to the questions you will find there.