The purpose of theory in individual, marriage, family, and couples therapy is to provide an explanation of human behavior. This explanation becomes a framework for therapists to understand what is happening with their clients and guides therapists in choosing techniques that are congruent with their therapeutic models. In training, therapists are often encouraged to choose one theoretical framework and to become proficient in the use of that approach in their work. However, many therapists find that it is useful to integrate interventions from other models to enrich their therapeutic work and to meet the personal styles and needs of their clients. Assimilative integration is a process in which therapists maintain a conceptual framework while using a considered and systematic process of integrating concepts and interventions ...