COUPLE COACHING is a "fitness program" for couples - a series of
exercises designed to help partners develop their communication "muscles"
and to improve their "flexibility" in conflict situations. COUPLE COACHING
does not provide situation-specific information, but rather, the program
is designed to encourage couples to work on a regular basis to strengthen
communication skills. The exercises help partners to relax with each other,
and help to facilitate regular communication that can improve reactions
to conflict. At the same time they are also taking care of their
physical
health.
COUPLE COACHING features a regular series of self-contained exercise units, which I call "Food for Thought".
Every
installment begins with a sample dialogue of a real couple, grappling
with relationship issues. Readers recognize familiar conflict patterns,
but because the example deals with strangers, it is much easier to be
"objective". The insights gained from observing another couple promote
a greater understanding of one's own relationship.
Next, users submit answers to a web-based survey, which poses thought-provoking questions about the scene at hand. As the compiled replies are made available to all, many different, and often unexpected, angles emerge, how the same problem might be tackled. Active reading and the exchange of viewpoints foster mental agility, which can be put to use in one's own relationship.
I summarize the collected input of users and highlight alternative perspectives on a given problem. My commentaries are meant not to establish "how it really is", but to suggest "how the situation could also be seen". No attempt is made to identify universal relationship patterns. On the contrary, readers are encouraged to discover the singularity of their relationship.
In conclusion, I suggests additional relationship exercises, some
of them are observations, such as keeping an eye on what is happening
in the relationship, and some of them are practical, such as trying new
forms of behavior. Participating couples can report to other users via
group email about the insights they have gained from these exercises.
These reports, in turn, serve as the basis for a new "Food for Thought"
commentary.
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