“After years of debate and inquiry, the key to a great marriage remained shrouded in mystery. Until now...”—Carol Dweck, author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success Eli J. Finkel's insightful and ground-breaking investigation of marriage clearly shows that the best marriages today are better than the best marriages of earlier eras. Indeed, they are the best marriages the world has ever known. He presents his findings here for the first time in this lucid, inspiring guide to modern marital bliss. The All-or-Nothing Marriage reverse engineers fulfilling marriages—from the “traditional” to the utterly nontraditional—and shows how any marriage can be better. The primary function of marriage from 1620 to 1850 was food, shelter, and protection from violence; from 1850 to 1965, the purpose revolved around love and companionship. But today, a new kind of marriage has emerged, one oriented toward self-discover, self-esteem, and personal growth. Finkel combines cutting-edge scientific research with practical advice; he considers paths to better communication and responsiveness; he offers guidance on when to recalibrate our expectations; and he even introduces a set of must-try “lovehacks.” This is a book for the newlywed to the empty nester, for those thinking about getting married or remarried, and for anyone looking for illuminating advice that will make a real difference to getting the most out of marriage today.

Grounded in extensive research and clinical experience, this indispensable book addresses the "whats," "whys," and "how-tos" of conducting effective marriage and relationship education. Leading authority W. Kim Halford reviews a range of contemporary models and provides an in-depth description of his own approach, Couple CARE. Session-by-session guidelines for therapists show how to help groups or individual couples—including those facing major life changes or stressors—foster closeness and communication, manage conflicts, and prevent common relationship problems. The book also explains how to use commercially available online assessment tools to help each couple develop their own relationship goals. It includes 35 reproducible handouts and forms.

This is the first book to provide a comprehensive, multidisciplinary overview of evidence-based relationship and marriage education (RME) programs. Readers are introduced to the best practices for designing, implementing, and evaluating effective RME programs to better prepare them to teach clients how to have healthy intimate relationships. Noted contributors from various disciplines examine current programs and best practices, often by the original developers themselves. Readers learn to critically appraise approaches and design and implement effective, evidence-based programs in the future. Examples and discussion questions encourage readers to examine issues and apply what they have learned. The conceptual material in Parts I & II provides critical guidance for practitioners who wish to develop, implement, and evaluate RME programs in various settings. Chapters in Parts III & IV follow a consistent structure so readers can more easily compare programs-- program overview and history, theoretical foundations, needs assessment and target audience, program goals & objectives, curriculum issues, cultural Implications, evidence based research and evaluation, and additional resources. This book reflects what the editor has learned from teaching relationship development and family life education courses over the past decade and includes the key information that students need to become competent professionals. Highlights of the book’s coverage include: Comprehensive summary of effective evidence-based RME training programs in one volume. Prepares readers for professional practice as a Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) by highlighting the fundamentals of developing RME programs. Describes the challenges associated with RME program evaluation. The book opens with a historical overview of RME development. It is followed by 20 chapters divided in six parts. The initial four chapters focus on fundamentals of relationship and marriage education --program development, required training, delivery systems, and implementation. The three chapters in Part II consider important conceptual and theoretical frameworks used in RME. Part III considers best practices in inventory based programs while Part IV examines six skills-based programs. The chapters in Parts III and IV consider program overview and history, theoretical foundations, needs assessment and target audience, program goals and objectives, curriculum issues, cultural implications, evidence-based research & evaluation, and additional resources. This content covers four categories of effective programs -- design and content, relevance, delivery and implementation, and assessment and quality assurance. Part V presents evidence-based RME with diverse groups and Part VI reviews future directions. Intended for use in advanced undergraduate or graduate courses in relationship and marriage education, family life education, marriage and relationship counseling/therapy, intimate relationships, relationship development, or home/school/community services taught in human development and family studies, psychology, social work, sociology, religion, and more, this ground-breaking book also serves as a resource for practitioners, therapists, counselors, clergy members, and policy makers interested in evidence based RME programs and those seeking to become Certified Family Life Educators or preparing for a career in RME.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Over a million copies sold! “An eminently practical guide to an emotionally intelligent—and long-lasting—marriage.”—Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work has revolutionized the way we understand, repair, and strengthen marriages. John Gottman’s unprecedented study of couples over a period of years has allowed him to observe the habits that can make—and break—a marriage. Here is the culmination of that work: the seven principles that guide couples on a path toward a harmonious and long-lasting relationship. Straightforward yet profound, these principles teach partners new approaches for resolving conflicts, creating new common ground, and achieving greater levels of intimacy. Gottman offers strategies and resources to help couples collaborate more effectively to resolve any problem, whether dealing with issues related to sex, money, religion, work, family, or anything else. Packed with new exercises and the latest research out of the esteemed Gottman Institute, this revised edition of The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work is the definitive guide for anyone who wants their relationship to attain its highest potential.

"Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." -- 1 John 4:8 Are you looking to enrich a healthy relationship, revitalize a tired one, or rescue one gone awry? Do you yearn to grow closer to God, and to further incorporate Him and His teachings into your marriage? We all want a lifetime of love, support, and faith. But sometimes we need a little help. Enter Dr. Sue Johnson, developer of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and "the best couple therapist in the world," according to bestselling relationship expert Dr. John Gottman. In Created For Connection, Dr. Johnson and Kenneth Sanderfer, a leading EFT practitioner in the Christian community, share Johnson's groundbreaking and remarkably successful program for creating stronger, more secure relationships not only between partners, but between us and God. The message of Created For Connection is simple: Forget about learning how to argue better, analyzing your early childhood, or making grand romantic gestures. Instead, get to the emotional underpinnings of your relationship by recognizing that you are attached to and dependent on your partner in much the same way that a child is on a parent, and we are on the Heavenly Father, for nurturing, soothing, and protection. The way to enhance or save our relationships with each other and with God is to be open, attuned, responsive, and to reestablish safe emotional connection. Filled with Bible verses, inspiring real-life stories, and guidance, Created For Connection will ensure a lifetime of love.

Most couples — because they watch so many of their peers divorce and are themselves the products of failed marriages — don't have many successful long-term-relationship role models. Parenting and communication issues are perennial, while some challenges, like increasingly 24-7 work lives and economic hardships, mark the current decade. Despite all this, psychotherapist and clinical social worker Marcia Naomi Berger asserts that most couples can make love last — they just need to learn how. Berger answers this need with a deceptively simple prescription: have an interruption-free thirty-minute (or even shorter) meeting each week and follow an agenda that includes the kind of appreciation and planning for fun that foster intimacy and pave the way for collaborative conflict resolution. Berger has refined these techniques while working with hundreds of couples — with results that are both practical and profound.

Grounded in extensive research and clinical experience, this indispensable book addresses the "whats," "whys," and "how-tos" of conducting effective marriage and relationship education. Leading authority W. Kim Halford reviews a range of contemporary models and provides an in-depth description of his own approach, Couple CARE. Session-by-session guidelines for therapists show how to help groups or individual couples—including those facing major life changes or stressors—foster closeness and communication, manage conflicts, and prevent common relationship problems. The book also explains how to use commercially available online assessment tools to help each couple develop their own relationship goals. It includes 35 reproducible handouts and forms.

"Curriculum for grades 11-14 which teaches education; family life; marriage; relationships relationship skills. Consists of 18 ready to use lessons that cover self knowledge, relationships, dating, communication and marriage."