Discovering Meaning in Marriage presents a Logotherapeutic (meaning-centered) approach to premarital counseling. It outlines five counseling sessions built on Viktor Frankl's philosophy and understanding of love.

This hands-on guide addresses conflict resolution; uses introspective quizzes to expose more of couples' inner lives, and suggests ways to change bad habits which threaten the viability of the relationship.

This work reveals those key elements that make for greater bonding with couples in therapy. The author believes that improvement in the couples he treats almost always involves greater closeness and the development of greater capacity for intimacy. Change can come about in different ways for different couples. For some, insight appears to play to play an important role. Learning about one's central problematic relationship of childhood and its re-enactment with one's partner in adult life frequently involves also learning about the ways one subtly recreates this dysfunctional relationship structure.; For others, improvement appears to be closely related to experiencing new ways of dealing with conflict. This avenue of improvement relies in part on the understanding but, even more, on learning the approaches to conflict resolution. It is as if these couples need to hear over and over again the recordings that document their insensitivities and consequent failure. They must offer Each Other The Experiences That Are Emotionally Suppportive And Crucial for emotional and physical health and also give life its meaning.; Finally, the treatment approach outline also has significant effects on the therapists. Indeed, it may be difficult to know who learns most. Involvement as a couples therapist may have all sorts of impact on the therapists, and it will come as surprise that it is in the area of the therapist's capacity for intimacy that the greatest effect can be experienced.

The importance of premarital counseling has grown more and more apparent in recent years. As a result, it is imperative that couples are provided a supportive environment in which they can probe challenging topics together. Based on the belief that a couple's focus in the weeks and months leading up to marriage should be on laying the foundation for a successful and meaningful life together, Marriage with Meaning focuses on key components that lead to marital happiness and satisfaction. A sensitive guide appropriate for Jewish couples, interfaith couples, and same sex couples, Marriage with Meaning will help any couple enjoy a full and rich relationship that will last a lifetime. Rabbi Young provides a thoughtfully researched and sensitively written work featuring enduring wisdom and practical advice for both couples entering marriage as well as the clergy counseling them. Rabbi Lauren Kurland Marriage is not about a day, it is the quintessential, most important decision of our lives. If a small fraction of the energy, time and money that goes into planning a wedding were a part of the strategic plan for marriage, couples could find themselves better prepared for the realities of long term relationships and commitments. This book provides the foundational building blocks for consciously and proactively developing a marriage that is strong and durable. Giving this book as a gift is like giving a manual for the care and treatment of the relationship! Every couple should have a copy as part of their tool kit for a fulfilling life together. Jeffrey F. Spar, Ph.D. Psychologist and Executive Coach

The essential guide to successful couples therapy at every stage ofthe lifecycle A variety of therapeutic interventions can help couples developthe tools for a successful relationship. Yet many practitionersbegin seeing couples without extensive training in couples work. Tofill this gap in their therapeutic repertoires, noted couplestherapist Michele Harway brings together other well-known expertsin marriage and family therapy to offer the Handbook of CouplesTherapy, a comprehensive guide to the study and practice of couplestherapy. The book's chapters provide a variety of perspectives alongdevelopmental, theoretical, and situational lines. Recognizing theneed for clinically proven, evidence-based approaches, chaptersprovide detailed coverage of the most effective treatment modes.Couples at different stages of the lifecycle feature prominently inthe text, as do relevant special issues and treatment approachesfor each stage. Subjects covered include: Premarital counseling from the PAIRS perspective (an extensivecurriculum of interventions for premarital couples) The first years of marital commitment Couples with young children Couples with adolescents Therapy with older couples Same sex couples A variety of theoretical approaches, includingCognitive-Behavioral, Object Relational, Narrative, Integrative,and Feminist and Contextual Special issues and situations, including serious illness,physical aggression, addiction, infidelity, and religious/spiritualcommitments or conflicts Providing a diverse set of treatment approaches suited to workingwith a wide range of adult populations, the Handbook of CouplesTherapy is an essential resource for mental healthprofessionals working with couples.