Author Description

Description of Healing RelationshipsThe focus of Doctor Yager's newest book "Healing Relationships" is the result of 30 years of helping couples resolve their relationship issue and determining a mutually agreed upon way forward in their relationship. It is a practical self-help guide both individual couples and as a useful tool for other therapists. Sometime the goal of healing a relationship is the save the relationship, sometimes to enhance the relationship, and sometimes to find ways to end the relationship with dignity and respect for the other. Regardless of the goal, this book offers a structured process for engaging and assisting couples in reaching resolutions, compromises and decisions about their relationship by guiding them through a series of logical steps. The objectives of the process are mutual understanding, clarity in communication, and objective consideration of information necessary for rational decisions.It is often true that couples seek counseling only after unsuccessful, frustrating attempts to resolve their problems without assistance, leaving them confused and angry. Objectivity is required and can be ruled out by emotion. This counseling protocol focuses on the future of the relationship. Doing so avoids regurgitation of earlier experiences except to achieve clarity and understanding of the problematic issues. In essence, six steps are involved:1. Identify the problematic issues, including those yet unknown and those that have not been recognized as being important.2. Clarify understanding of the issues by both partners, whether or not there is agreement about their content.3. Negotiate agreement on issues where the behavior of one or the other is the problem.4. Negotiate compromise where agreement about values is not possible. For future benefit, such compromise must be pragmatic in effect and acceptable to both sides without significant reservation.5. Where possible, engineer formal commitment from each partner - expressed to the other -