The theory, technique, and process of family counseling are presented in this book to facilitate the development of counselor's personal philosophies and styles. In the first section a view of the potentials of family life are presented. Peak experiences in an actualizing family and guidelines toward family actualization are presented. The second section outlines a conceptual framework for understanding families. Family systems characteristics, crises in family life, and patterns for dealing with family crises are discussed. The counselor's role with the family is presented in the third section. The counselor and his or her self-development as well as the counselor's roles are discussed. The fourth section develops the process of family counseling and gives a complete case to show the actual processes and techniques used with a particular family, consisting of six members and containing an 11-year-old daughter with behavior problems. The phases of counseling are described as beginning, apex, and closure. The fifth section offers a discussion of possible pitfalls or problem areas in family counseling. These pitfalls include overload of data; reluctance or eagerness on the part of the counselor; siding; family not engaging in change; and the counselor becoming part of the dysfunctional system. (ABL)