Many Christian couples come to a point where they must "Define their Relationship." This awkward but pivotal conversation either pushes them apart or allows their relationship to develop into something greater. This course will help couples examine the exciting, yet unknown path they will travel together and help them carefully consider the strength of their relationship. This manual is designed to use in conjunction with a 9-session DVD series that is available at www.LovingOnPurpose.com.

Ken thinks he and Becky are just having fun together. Becky is already picking out bridesmaid dresses. Melissa has decided to break up with Tony. Tony thinks Melissa is “the one.” Are miscommunications like this unavoidable? What’s the best way to end a relationship–or to take it to a more serious level? Chances are, you’ve heard of “The Talk.” Every romantic relationship comes to the point where things need to be defined or redefined: Do we become romantically exclusive? Is our relationship ready (or not ready) to move to the next level? What are our boundaries and expectations? Is it possible to “just be friends”? Getting all the cards on the table. Communicating openly and honestly. It sounds like a great idea, right? The tough question is, how do you communicate in a way that significantly benefits you both–and doesn’t leave you dreading those important conversations in the future? In Define the Relationship, you’ll find everything you need to know about positively defining and redefining your current or future dating relationships. Written in light of the complexities of dating today, this long-needed resource will help you avoid painful and confusing dating dilemmas and experience instead the freedom of well-defined, spiritually grounded, and truly rewarding relationships.

Whether you’re newly together and eager to make it work or a longtime couple looking to strengthen and deepen your bond, Eight Dates offers a program of how, why, and when to have eight basic conversations with your partner that can result in a lifetime of love. “Happily ever after” is not by chance, it’s by choice– the choice each person in a relationship makes to remain open, remain curious, and, most of all, to keep talking to one another. From award-winning marriage researcher and bestselling author Dr. John Gottman and fellow researcher Julie Gottman, Eight Dates offers an ingenious and simple-to-implement approach to effective relationship communication. Here are the subjects that every serious couple should discuss: Trust. Family. Sex and intimacy. Dealing with conflict. Work and money. Dreams, and more. And here is how to talk about them—how to broach subjects that are difficult or embarrassing, how to be brave enough to say what you really feel. There are also suggestions for where and when to go on each date—book your favorite romantic restaurant for the Sex & Intimacy conversation (and maybe go to a yoga or dance class beforehand). There are questionnaires, innovative exercises, real-life case studies, and skills to master, including the Four Skills of Intimate Conversation and the Art of Listening. Because making love last is not about having a certain feeling—it’s about both of you being active and involved.

When you interact with a friend, family member, intimate partner, or coworker who is a narcissist, there's no give and take. The relationship only goes one way-their way-and you constantly have to adjust your own expectations and behavior to meet their standards. That's because people with narcissistic personality disorder, or NPD, are preoccupied with seeking admiration and power and find it difficult to empathize with others' feelings. And, as if maintaining a good relationship with a narcissist weren't hard enough, most narcissists do not realize or believe that they have a disorder at all. That's why The One-Way Relationship Workbook was created to help you effectively improve and ultimately transform your relationship with the self-absorbed, self-centered, or narcissistic individuals in your life.

A Boy meets Girl romance without the modern dating app.Roxy Matthews, 44, a sassy, divorced, serial dater with no rules.Reggie Clive, 32, a spirited, confirmed bachelor with a past history as dark as his eyes.He want's children.She's been there and done that.​He wants marriage but would rather be single than settle with anyone.She's going through a divorce and marriage is the last thing she wants.He wants someone who loves him, for him. She wants someone who loves her, for her.When fate draws them together, neither of them will ever be the same again.This book will take you through the tsunami of a relationship that could never be defined.From the sex and drugs of life and love. ​How could this non-relationship ever work?

Cloud and Townsend apply their award-winning boundaries concepts to the dating relationship. This workbook helps readers work through the principles in "Boundaries in Dating" to make the dating arena a more satisfying, productive one. Those in the dating phase can learn to enjoy its benefits to the fullest, increasing their ability to find and commit to a marriage partner.

This beloved book has touched hundreds of thousands of lives with its profound and actionable advice. Retaining the core message of becoming more mindful in our relationships, this edition includes new and revised material that addresses how we live and love today. A new preface touches on David Richo’s experience with the book over time and outlines the key updates, including attention to online dating and modern communication styles as well as new perspectives on anger and ending relationships. “Most people think of love as a feeling,” says Richo, “but love is not so much a feeling as a way of being present.” How to Be an Adult in Relationships explores five hallmarks of mindful loving and how they play a key role in our relationships. Adult love is based on a mutual commitment to what Richo calls the “five A’s”: attention, acceptance, appreciation, affection, and allowing. Brimming with practical exercises for couples and singles, How to Be an Adult in Relationships offers heartening insights into a lifelong journey of love. Topics include: • Becoming conscious of our relationship patterns and how they relate to childhood • Recognizing and attracting someone who can show adult love • Understanding the phases relationships go through • Creating and maintaining healthy boundaries • Overcoming fears of abandonment and engulfment • Expressing anger and other emotions in adult and loving ways • Surviving break-ups with our self-esteem intact • Understanding love as a spiritual journey

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 Reviews: “What a unique resource! A treasure-trove of guided conversations to increase intimacy and friendship. Therapists often ask me for good homework assignments. This book does the thinking for you. Keep it on hand and whether its values, sex, conflict or other challenging issues, you'll have a ready-made way to help your clients make immediate progress.” -- Ellyn Bader, Ph.D, Founder/Director The Couples Institute "This is a valuable resource for anyone working with couples. Any couple can profit greatly if they are willing to take Kathleen Youngman's challenge to explore these important topics and discuss these wonderful questions." -- Milan and Kay Yerkovich, Authors of best-selling How We Love series “Instead of offering analysis, advice or theory, The Couples Therapy Workbook offers just that, a set of questions to stimulate conversations that help couples deepen their engagement with each other and reconnect. All couples will find this an exceptional guide, and all therapists will find it an effective instrument to supplement the therapeutic process. I highly recommend it and complement the author on her creativity and attention to the core details of a connected relationship.” --Harville Hendrix, Ph. D. and Helen LaKelly Hunt, Ph. D.; Authors of Making Marriage Simple and Getting the Love You Want.

Course objectives: Recognize relationship as an emotional healer; identify triggers, move through them, and come back into ease and alivenessDiscover how intimacy in relationship requires curiosity, wonder, and the ability to find the truth of one's experience deep in one's bodyDiscuss how to speak the "unarguable truth"; utilizing the eight step moving emotions process—moving from stuckness into emotional flowDefine three toxic habits within relationships and their antidotes—transforming our own behavior, as well as those around us through positive attentionSummarize how to move out of power struggles within relationships and into agreements which allow everyone to get everything they wantDiscuss how to live within the relationship you really want moving between contractiona and expansiveness—welcoming appreciations, creativity, play, aliveness, as well as love for self and otherUtilize checklists, tools, and journaling exercises as a way to engage, reflect and explore relationship skills and self-growth What are the ingredients of a successful and enduring relationship? Love, passion, and commitment are all vital—yet without certain basic skills, even the most devoted partners can find themselves descending into arguments, power struggles, and disillusionment. With The Relationship Skills Workbook, Dr. Julia Colwell presents a practical guide for building a conscious partnership based on cooperation and trust—offering relationship-saving techniques and on-the-spot conflict resolution tools for disarming the explosive clashes that most commonly break couples apart. In this friendly and easy-to-use resource, Dr. Colwell teaches you essential tools for: Crisis and conflict first aid—communication strategies and emotional mastery techniques to stop arguing and start connectingGetting unstuck from power struggles—how to shift from deadlock to mutual responsibility and supportEnding the blame game—letting go of accusation and resentment to create win-win agreementsSupporting each other's growth and success—how to retain your personal autonomy while fully committing to your partner's happinessMoving from reactivity to creative solutions—techniques to keep your brain's flight-or-fight instinct from undermining your heart's desiresSustaining love, passion, and romance—how you can choose to create a magnificent relationship together "Relationships, while seemingly complicated, don't have to be so mysterious," Dr. Colwell says. "What I've learned from my decades of personal and professional experiences is that a few elegantly simple concepts and skills can help any couple through the most difficult spots—and help us transform conflict into intimacy, passion, and ever-deepening love."

Keeping your love on. It's a hard thing to do. Sometimes it's the hardest thing to do. But if you want to build healthy relationships with God and others, learning to keep your love on is non-negotiable. Adults and children alike thrive in healthy relationships where it is safe to love and be loved, to know and be known. Yet for many, relationships are anything but safe, loving, or intimate. They are defined by anxiety, manipulation, control, and conflict. The reason is that most people have never been trained to be powerful enough to keep their love on in the face of mistakes, pain, and fear. Keep Your Love On reveals the higher, Jesus-focused standard defined by mature love--love that stays 'on' no matter what. Danny Silk's practical examples and poignant stories will leave you with the power to draw healthy boundaries, communicate in love, and ultimately protect your connections so you can love against all odds. As a result, your relationships will be radically transformed for eternity. When you learn to keep your love on, you become like Jesus.