Description
The Couples Therapy Workbook is a series of guided questions to promote meaningful couple conversations and build ongoing, connected communication. The core of this unique guide is 30 guided conversations of the most critical relationship struggles. For each of the 30 topics, there is an introduction, goal-setting strategies and 10 scripted questions to ask each other—all presented in an easy-to-use mindful style. Set in a weekly format over 30 days but can be tailored to any timeframe. Designed to be used to couples, and also by therapists working with couples (bonus clinician prep included with each conversation).
- Week 1—Who Are We? Falling in Love, Friendship, Caring, Acceptance, Empathy, Emotional Intimacy, Rituals
- Week 2—Who Am I? Childhood, Family Origin, Temperament, Influences, Spirituality, Values, How I Think
- Week 3—How Do We Work? Communication, Conflict, Defensiveness, Intimacy, Trust, Fidelity and Boundaries, Parenting, Staying in Sync
- Week 4—What Do We Want? Romance, Joy and Gratitude, Respect, Apologies and Forgiveness, Challenges, Relationship Savings Account, Past, Present & Future, Keeping Connected
V. Garner (verified owner) –
I bought this for what it is, a workbook for enhancing relationships and not a bible.
Nicole Ortiz (verified owner) –
This work book has good, thought provoking questions, with ideas for the practioner as well. This book helps get to the underlining issues that are difficult to discuss on your own. Glad we purchased it.
whipplesnapper (verified owner) –
A series of insightful questions for you and your partner to work through. I recommend perhaps slowing down the pace and giving yourself time to answer them – the pace recommended in the book is a bit rushed.
Deborah (verified owner) –
I really like the format of this book. It’s a little on the cheesy side in the set-up, but the questions and intro info to each conversation has proven helpful for my clients (I’m a Marriage and Family Therapist).
Sankofa (verified owner) –
Great info
Elyse (verified owner) –
I have done many couples activity books, and this one is by far one of my favorites. The questions are organized by topic and are better than the average “getting to know you” questions you find in these types of books. It is set up to be used by either professional therapists, or as a couple. Each session is explained before the questions and then there are ten questions per session. I highly recommend this for couples looking to connect on a deeper level.
Mike (verified owner) –
I like the idea of starting conversations but make sure you are both in a good place before beginning that days conversation. Initial questions went well by my wife was resistant and it just was too much and led to more arguments about process. It was an eye opener and I think we will venture back to select conversations. As an alternative you may want to review a set of questions and try to have a conversation without the book or following a prescribed procedure to have a more authentic conversation. Jury is still out weather this will definitely help but any conversation starter that does not focus on the specific issues you are having as a couple is beneficial. It should help to reconnect you and remember who and why that person is in your life that you are probably neglecting, blaming for your unhappiness or taking for granted. We didn’t get where we were in a day and won’t get out in a day or single conversation. A series of talks from a pair who are committed to addressing the issues is required before jumping into this.
KarmaO (verified owner) –
We were feeling kind of in a rut. Nothing horrible, just kind of blah. After reading reviews, we decided to order this workbook and go through it together. It’s been so helpful! We are able to understand much better where the other one is coming from, what’s important, how we communicate, and how we want to be acknowledged/appreciated. Highly recommend this.
C Lanier (verified owner) –
My husband was a little taken aback when this book showed up. Over the last year, we’ve struggled with infertility, multiple miscarriages, and he’s been working on sobriety. It’s been a lot for a new couple to work through but we have. We see a therapist twice per month and this book has been so far the most helpful resource in getting us to talk through things. With two jobs, a home, a toddler, and a rainbow baby on the way, we often feel too overwhelmed to connect. This book has given us great talking points and helped us figure out what we need to work on. Just talking has brought us so much closer and given us a better understanding of each other. I think this is one of the best investments I’ve made in our marriage. There are some pages we will definitely bring to therapy with us and do again and again. We’ve been more in sync since starting the book.
Joy Quanrud Grimsley (verified owner) –
I use it in couple therapy sessions, and it seems to be a nice structured format for creating conversations. Some couples enjoy doing the conversations at home with each other as the author suggests, but some like to do this in session, so that the therapist serves as a neutral mediator if the topic becomes difficult. Nice tool
JaPe (verified owner) –
Married 20 years and we both thoroughly enjoyed this book. This book allows you to discuss questions that might not come up in every day discussions but also brings up questions that you more than likely have discussed if you have been in a long term relationship, so its almost like “maintenance questions”. Overall this is a great book that gets you to spend quality time as a couple discussing your relationship in thought provoking questions.
Kaysa (verified owner) –
I’ve been in a relationship for 3 1/2 years now. That’s fairly new, but we were looking for something to keep us engaged in our relationship so life doesn’t take over. It’s very well done with some really thought provoking questions. Some of them are simple, but it’s helped us to remember why we started dating in the first place. Now, we are about to get married!
mjclark (verified owner) –
Use in couples therapy great questions and easily broken into topics for discussion.
Randy Powedge (verified owner) –
Love this book!! This has been so good for us. After 20+ years of marriage we still had so much we needed to work through & didn’t even know how to articulate it. This has given us the tools with such great questions. Definitely work on it when the two parties involved are open to being honest & working on the hard stuff. I have recommended it to so many of my friends.
Ouzola Customer (verified owner) –
I think this book was very helpful!! It did a great job getting my boyfriend and I to just really open up with one another and tackle issues we were having. We did it at our own pace. So we’d do a new section about 2x a week. It took us longer to finish the book, but I preferred it that way. It allowed us to sit down and have a great conversation on those days and I really looked forward to it. We have been together for over 10 years now, with 2 little kids but there are things I just learned more about him by doing this book!I’d definitely recommend! And a piece of advice: use this time to say everything on your mind, don’t hold back!! It helps make the relationship stronger!
Ouzola Customer (verified owner) –
Definitely helped start the conversation I wish it did give more tips or a guide for conflict resolution or techniques to communicate how to fix problems
Ouzola Customer (verified owner) –
This book is amazing but if your other half does not want to utilize it, it is time to move on. It helped but I had to pull teeth just to use this book and the relationship blew up in my face anyways.But it was a good tool to get to know someone and it got me out of my self
Red Sun Rize (verified owner) –
Well written, easy to follow directions for conversations that are designed for emotional growth. The exercises can be done in a 15 minute session while sipping on tea. Recommended for those who want to deepen their relationship. No therapist needed.
aoa4eva (verified owner) –
My therapist recommended using this, and it’s a wonderful buy! The conversations can be difficult, but now my husband and I are closer, more tolerant of each other and less inclined to be upset about things we can’t fix about each other.
That mostly comes from practicing having conversations in a judgement free zone and being honest about who we are. Could we have done that without this book? Absolutely. But having the book forced us to have difficult conversations consistently and grow from them.
You both have to commit to engaging, though. Because otherwise things will turn sour quite fast. There’s a good reason this is a counselor’s resource – as a couple’s guide, it’s possible, but very challenging.
Ouzola Customer (verified owner) –
My husband and I had an okay relationship. It was actually stable and…nondescript. We went through this book, mostly doing the every day sessions…every day (we missed a day or two on occasion, but we’d did all of the discussions in order. We made several changes that brought our marriage back to exciting times – and really got us back in the mode of sharing how much we value each other. It’s not “okay” anymore – it’s really good, and I’m very aware and appreciative of how much I love and value him and he is much more expressive of the same toward me.
Lakya Cook (verified owner) –
It is helpful. My husband & I have used for awhile now. We try to use each week or a couple times per week. We really like the conversation starters & homework tasks.
Ouzola Customer (verified owner) –
Pros: this book has good content. There is a page of explanation and then some follow up questions. The questions are definitely things to think about. It’s simple and to the point. So if you’re crunched for time like my partner and I the activities are easy to get through.Cons: all the questions are yes or no questions. So unless you ask follow up questions after the initial question, you’ll just be saying yes or no to each other. I would have liked seeing more questions that initiate conversation or are more specific and open ended instead of just yes or no.
cari (verified owner) –
Partner didn’t want to participate. In itself says everything. Returned.
Angela Bocanegra (verified owner) –
As someone with past trauma, this book helps me to open and connect to my S.O. – as I realized I only know how to deal with things from my trauma aspect and not a safe and healthy aspect.
Ouzola Customer (verified owner) –
My husband doesnt open up much about his feelings or his upbringing. So I was pleasantly surprised when he opened up about so much during these sessions. I didnt know it at the time but my sister actually has this book as well for her and her husband. Highly recommend