COUPLES
are invited to join 8 weekly sessions
Sundays - Starts April 17, 2010
9:30 am - 11:30 am
(no class May 8)
Each group is limited to 6-10 participants

 

The Hold Me Tight Program
Conversations for Connection
A Relationship Education Group
Based on the book
Hold Me Tight: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love
By: Dr. Sue Johnson

Facilitated by:
Louella Chapman, MA, LMFT – Louella has been helping couples in their journey through couple-hood for several years. She has been trained in Emotionally-Focused Therapy.
3820 Del Amo Bl., Ste. 208, Torrance CA 90503                  

Registration Fee:
$790/couple for 8 weeks (2 hours per week)
Includes a copy of Hold Me Tight book for each couple and The Brain In Love by Dr. Daniel Amen
Cash, check, credit card.

*** Topics ***

*The New Science of Love and What it Teaches Us
Transforming Conversations:
*Recognizing Demon Dialogues—In this first conversation, couples identify negative and destructive remarks in order to get to the root of the problem and figure out what each other is really trying to say.
*Finding the Raw Spots—Here, each partner learns to look beyond immediate, impulsive reactions to figure out what raw spots are being hit.
*Revisiting a Rocky Moment—This conversation provides a platform for de-escalating conflict and repairing rifts in a relationship and building emotional safety.
*Hold Me Tight—The heart of the program: this conversation moves partners into being more accessible, emotionally responsive, and deeply engaged with     each other.
*Forgiving Injuries—Injuries may be forgiven but they never disappear. Instead, they need to become integrated into couples’ conversations as demonstrations of renewal and connection. Knowing how to find and offer forgiveness empowers couples to strengthen their bond.
*Bonding Through Sex and Touch—Here, couples find how emotional connection creates great sex, and good sex creates deeper emotional connection.
*Keeping Your Love Alive—This last conversation is built on the understanding that love is a continual process of losing and finding emotional connection; it asks couples to be deliberate and mindful about maintaining connection.

Come to our workshops and explore the role of your cultural selves in dealing with some day-to-day issues that confront you. Listed below are issues which are often sources of conflict in mixed relationships. We will try to understand the cultural roots of how we respond to these issues and then find ways to work through our differences. Use this new knowledge and awareness to enhance your relationships.

FAMILY LOYALTY vs. INDEPENDENCE
Do you feel that you and/or your partner are spending too much time or money with his family of origin? Or does her values of self-reliance and independence leave even you feeling excluded?

MONEY
To be spent only when necessary? Or to be enjoyed? How do you deal with two different money cultures?

SEX and INTIMACY
How do sexual attitudes and beliefs affect the intimacy of your relationship? Are you comfortable expressing affection?

RACISM, PREJUDICE and DISCRIMINATION
Perhaps the most difficult aspect of being in a mixed relationship is the lack of family support. Do you know how to turn to each other for your ultimate support system?

EMOTIONAL STYLES
Are your emotional needs being met? Are you expressive, demonstrative, or intense? Or are you restrained, stoic and reserved? How do you live harmoniously with someone who behaves so very differently?

THE DECEMBER DILEMMA
What traditions do you honor during the holiday season? How are you spending the holidays and with whose family? Or would you rather travel to a tropical paradise and get away from it all?