Guiding troubled couples is so difficult because divorce is so easy. But it can be done. Everett Worthington, one of today's most widely respected and widely published Christian counselors, offers a comprehensive manual for assisting couples overcommon rough spots and through serious problems in a manner that is compassionate and effective yet in a brief amount of time.His hope-focused (rather than problem-focused) approach enables couples to see that change is possible and gives them a newoutlook on the future. Combining this with a brief approach that addresses the realities of managed care and tight budgets, Worthington shows how to be strategic in each counseling situation by including teaching, training, exercises, forgiveness, modeling and motivation.At the heart of the book are dozens of interventions and homework assignments a counselor can choose from, including



- drawing on central values

- promoting confession and forgiveness

- strengthening communication

- aiding conflict resolution

- changing patterns of thinking

- developing intimacy

- cementing commitment

With over one hundred options presented, counselors, pastors and social workers are given the flexibility they need to address the specific situation of each client. Moving couples closer to what God intended their marriage to be is not easy, but it is possible.



Everett L. Worthington Jr. (PhD, University of Missouri) is Commonwealth Professor Emeritus at Virginia Commonwealth University. He is a licensed clinical psychologist and former executive director of the Templeton Foundation's A Campaign for Forgiveness Research. He was the founding editor of Marriage and Family: A Christian Journal, and his many books include Handbook of Forgiveness, Hope-Focused Marriage Counseling, and Couple Therapy.



Acknowledgments



Preface

Part One: Theory



1. Brief Marital Counseling



2. Bird's-Eye View of Hope-Focused Marriage Counseling



3. Using the Strategy to Promote Hope



4. Applying the Strategy to Eight Areas of Marriage

Part Two: Interventions



5. Precounseling Interventions



6. Assessment Interventions



7. Interventions for Drawing on Central Values



8. Interventions for Revisioning a Core Vision



9. Interventions for Promoting Confession Forgiveness



10. Interventions for Strengthening Communication



11. Interventions for Aiding Conflict Resolution



12. Interventions for Changing Cognition



13. Interventions for Stimulating More Closeness



14. Interventions for Cementing Commitment



15. Interventions for Promoting Couple Commencement from Counseling



16. Essentials of Hope-Focused Marriage Counseling



Appendix: Hope-Focused Marriage Counseling with a Young Professional Couple: A Case Study - Terry L. Hight



Notes



Author Index



Subject Index



Scripture Index



"Written most helpfully for pastors who want to adapt a professional model of marital counseling to their pastoral marital counseling . . . very specific and practical."



"This outstanding and practical book is certain to become a standard text of Christian marriage counseling. . . . If your budget allows you to purchase only one counseling book this year, consider buying this as your book."



"Worthington's work is a rock solid strategy for helping couples progress through crisis, while equipping them with skills to effectively manage future conflict."