Book excerpt: Cognitive behavioral analysis system of psychotherapy (CBASP) is designed to help patients with chronic depression improve the negative social and personal impacts of this disorder. This volume, written by experienced practitioners of CBASP, creatively explores the principles and practice of CBASP in a new, unusual, and engaging fashion. Interspersed between theoretical chapters, you will find yourself in the therapy room with Maggie (the therapist) and Chris (the patient). Using authentic dialog, you will experience how the different stages of therapy unfold: How, from their first-person perspectives, Christopher and Maggie experience the application of the CBASP model, and how Helen (the supervisor) helps Maggie to understand difficult encounters in therapy. This book helps you prepare for your CBASP sessions by providing essential information and prompts in a clearly arranged manner, as well as exercises to verify your progress and learning goals. This creative and descriptive approach to understanding the hopes, fears, and concerns of patients and therapists engaged in a course of CBASP psychotherapy is essential reading for clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, other mental health professionals, as well as students wanting to know how to successfully apply CBASP.