A new University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension book can help couples accentuate the positive.
"Getting Connected, Staying Connected" is a practical step-by-step guidebook for couples and their families. It is available from the UNL Marketplace. br>
Couples and families have it in their power to be happy with each other and create a pleasant and peaceful home environment in which they live together. This book was written to help couples accentuate the positive – to show clearly and simply how happy couple and family relationships are created and maintained over time.
Authored by John DeFrain, professor emeritus of family studies at UNL, and the UNL Extension Family Action Research and Writing Team, the book shows clearly and simply how happy couple and family relationships are created and maintained over time.
The book is based on research on couples and families. Features include "Very Short Stories from Real People," discussion questions and tips for strengthening relationships.
The focus is on six key couple and family strengths:
– appreciation and affection for each other;
– commitment to the family;
– positive communication;
– enjoyable time together;
– a sense of spiritual well-being and shared values;
– the ability to manage stress and crisis effectively.
Topics include:
– The world couples and families live in today
– Families across the lifespan
– Merging two individuals from different family cultures
– Identifying relationship strengths and building on them
– Positive communication and the development of emotional intimacy
– How to resolve conflicts
– Friendship, love and sexual intimacy
– Roles partners play and power in the relationship
– Values, beliefs and cultural differences
– Learning to manage money as a couple
– Staying connected as a couple after the advent of children into the family
– What to do when passion fades
– Loving each other when hard times come
– Stepfamilies and the blending of different family cultures
– The future of the relationship and the family
DeFrain's work focuses on the development of strong couples and families nationally and internationally. DeFrain and the team also are the authors of . "Family Treasures. Creating Strong Families." available online
For more information about "Getting Connected, Staying Connected," visit online.
The book costs $18.95 for paperback; $28.95 for hardcover.
A "Cliff Notes" version of the book also is available in a set of 20 UNL Extension NebGuides. These NebGuides are available for free on the UNL Extension Publications website by Searching for Getting Connected.
More details at: http://go.unl.edu/5j4