Compassion for Couples: Building the Skills of Loving Connection

How resilient is your relationship? Do you and your partner go into "reactivity mode" when a conflict arises? Do you wish you were closer and more connected? We all need healthy, secure relationships in order to thrive--but they can be hard to build and maintain. Where do you start? According to marriage and family therapist Michelle Becker, the answer is with yourself. By learning to practice self-compassion, you are better able to respond to your partner with love and acceptance--even when they inevitably cannot meet your every need. This caring and insightful guide shows you how to stop defaulting to feelings of annoyance, disappointment, or detachment. Instead, using techniques from Becker’s renowned Compassion for Couples program (plus guided meditation practices with accompanying audio downloads) you will learn mindfulness, compassion, and other skills that bring you closer to your partner and enrich your lives together. For happy couples looking to strengthen their relationship, or those facing obstacles, Becker leads the way to greater trust, mutual understanding, and a renewed sense of warmth.

Michelle Becker, MA, LMFT, a marriage and family therapist in private practice in San Diego, is dedicated to helping people thrive in healthy, well-connected relationships. She is the developer of the Compassion for Couples program and cofounder of Wise Compassion (www.wisecompassion.com). She is also a cofounder of the teacher training program at the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion and a senior teacher of Compassion Cultivation Training. Through workshops, online education, and a podcast, she shares the knowledge and tools required for people to relate to each other better.