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Near the end of Henry Kronengold's slim but rich book, he describes a conversation with his patient, 16-year-old “David.” David questions Kronengold on what he does to relax. Kronengold replies: “.I exercise a bit, read, go for a walk and write. I can't play an instrument and I can't paint. So I write.” “But what do you write?” David queries. Kronengold replies:
Therapy stories… I write about the people who made me think about therapy and what it is. The ones where something happened that might have been different and made me question the work in some way. So I write the story and it's my way of trying to figure things out. (p. 116)
This lively book is a compilation of six such stories. After a brief introduction, each chapter takes the reader into the intimate and private space of the child therapist and his young patient. As we meet each child, we learn what happens behind the closed door of the therapy office. One by one, the chapters portray the particular issues or problems that were addressed in the unique treatment of each child, yet simultaneously represent common presenting problems seen in contemporary child clinical practice.
In the Introduction, Kronengold explains his basic premise for the book. It is the search for “what actually happens between a therapist and children that allows for progress and healing.” He writes: