Developing Habits for Relationship Success: A Workbook for Effective, Neurobiologically-Based Couples Therapy

A Digital Workbook Ready to be Personalized and Published for Your Clients

Brent J. Atkinson

For Windows and MacIntosh Systems

See also the companion book, Emotional Intelligence in Couples Therapy

Advance Acclaim for Developing Habits for Relationship Success:

"Developing Habits for Relationship Success is a highly accessible workbook for couples desiring to improve their relationship. Brent Atkinson draws on the latest research into the behavior of couples in intimate relationships and the impact of the emotional brain on human interaction. He helps couples understand the often confusing complexities of long-term relationships and provides a specific step-by-step guide to developing habits that greatly increase the chances of having a successful, loving relationship. Having good relationships is difficult. This workbook makes it easier!"

–Harvey Joanning, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus and former Director, Marriage and Family Therapy Doctoral Program, Iowa State University.

"In his ground-breaking approach for improving couple relationships, Atkinson offers concrete strategies based on years of research and painstaking attention to clinical practice. I, along with many others, have long awaited this workbook in which he shares his exciting and revolutionary ideas via a user friendly, step-by-step system that can be easily tailored for each client. The habits for relationship success illustrated in this workbook dramatically improved my own clinical work and I routinely share them with students and supervisees."

–Teresa McDowell, Ed.D., Director, Marriage and Family Therapy Program, School of Family Studies, University of Connecticut

Overview

Over the past thirty years, groundbreaking studies on the relationships of couples have identified specific interpersonal habits necessary for relationship success. This workbook details each of these crucial interpersonal habits and offers dozens of guidelines and exercises for helping relationship partners implement them.

Workbook Contents

Why Do Intimate Relationships Succeed or Fail?
Ten Habits of Successful Intimate Partners
The Master Aptitude: Influencing My Moods and Attitude

Part I: How Can You Get More Understanding, Cooperation, and Respect from My Partner?
Chapter 1. The Sequence: Knowing How and When to Implement Each Predictive Habit When Upsets Occur
Chapter 2. Practice Forms
Chapter 3. Special Circumstances

Part II: Strengthening My Friendship with My Partner
Chapter 4. Curiosity about My Partner’s World
Chapter 5. Keeping Sight of the Positive
Chapter 6. Making and Responding to Bids for Connection
Chapter 7. Pursuing Shared Meaning

About the Author –

Brent J. Atkinson, PH.D., is Director of Post-Graduate Training at the Couples Research Institute in Geneva, Illinois, and a senior graduate faculty member in the Marriage and Family Therapy Program at Northern Illinois University. He is the principle architect of Pragmatic/Experiential Therapy for Couples, an approach that translates new scientific findings about the brain into practical methods for improving relationships. Atkinson practices at the Couples Clinic in Geneva, Illinois.

ISBN 10: 0-393-10699-3

ISBN 13: 978-0-393-10699-2

CD-ROM; Mac & PC-compatible; October 2006