Building Commitment, Cooperation, Communication, and Community in Relationships

Drs. Peter Sheras and Phyllis Koch-Sheras introduce the Couple Power Therapy model, an exciting new approach in which partners cocreate a unified vision for their relationship. They use a series of sequential tasks to teach the partners how to transcend their individual identities to nurture 'the couple as entity,' in effect, crafting a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. This shifts the paradigm away from the therapist' responsibility for success to the couple's responsibility, from the more negative emphasis of focusing on problems to a more positive goal of creating a fulfilling relationship, and from a quick fix to lifelong development skills.

At the heart of this model are the tasks known as the '4 Cs' of couple power therapy: commitment, cooperation, communication, and community. Upon learning these tasks, the authors note, any couple can develop and maintain the solid foundation that is crucial for successful couplehood. Packed with exercises and illustrative case studies, this innovative book will be an indispensable resource for therapists seeking to empower their clients and equip them with the progressive and practical tools necessary for healthy, long-lasting partnerships

Educational Objectives

• Understand and use the couple power therapy model.
• Learn the sequential tasks necessary to train clients on how to see themselves as one entity.
• An increased appreciation of the challenges to marital stability.
• Learn the characteristics of a cocreating couple.
• Learned the six criteria of an effective contract for couples
• Understand the shift in focus from 'quick fixes' to developing life long relationships skills.
• Learn how to help a couple create a shared vision.
• Apply the 4 Cs of CPT: commitment, cooperation, communication, community.
• Identify couples who would benefit from using the CPT.
• Identify couples who would not benefit from CPT.

Syllabus / Course Instructions

• The Course consists of reading the selected book, successfully completing an online posttest and filling out a course evaluation.
• The book is not included. It must be purchased separately. We have supplied a link to Amazon.com for your convenience.
• Purchasing your course will give you access to both a printable copy of the test and an online version. Print the test to use as a companion as you read the book and answer the questions.
• You cannot exit the online test once you begin, so have your answers available.

Additional Resources On This Site for CE

• The Intimate Mystery
  by Dan B. Allender and Tremper Longman III: 5 CE Credits
• The DNA of Relationships
  by Dr. Gary Smalley, Michael Smalley, and Robert Paul: 7 CE Credits
• Healing from Family Rifts
  by Mark Sichel: 7 CE Credits
• The New Rules of Marriage
  by Terrence Real: 10 CE Credits
• Boundaries in Marriage
  Henry Cloud, Ph.D. and John Townsend, Ph.D.: 11 CE Credits

Additional Resources Not On This Site

• Relationship Rescue
  by Phillip C. McGraw: Hyperion, 2000, New York
• Smalley Relationship Center: http://www.dnaofrelationships.com/
• By Dr. Gary Smalley
  Marriage for a Lifetime
  Secrets to Lasting Love
  Two Sides of Love
• Dr. Greg Smalley
  The Marriage You Always Dreamed Of
  Men's Relational Toolbox
• Michael Smalley
  Communicating With Your Teen

Bio: Peter L. Sheras, PhD, ABPP and Phyllis R. Koch-Sheras, PhD

The authors have been working with couples together since the mid-1970's and have been training other therapists for 25 years. They have been married for nearly three decades and have two adult children. Drs. Sheras and Koch-Sheras are featured regularly on the radio and live in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Peter L. Sheras, PhD, ABPP, is a clinical psychologist and a professor in the University of Virginia's Curry Programs in Clinical and School Psychology. He has been in part-time independent practice for nearly 30 years and has authored publications on couples, parenting, youth violence, and adolescent development, including Your Child: Bully or Victim? Understanding and Ending Schoolyard Tyranny (2002), and Clinical Psychology: A Social Psychological Approach (1979). He holds a diplomate in clinical psychology, is a fellow of the American Academy of Clinical Sexologists, and past president of the Virginia Psychological Association. He appears frequently as an expert in the media on topics of couples, adolescents, and families. He received his doctorate from Princeton University.

Phyllis R. Koch-Sheras, PhD, is a practicing clinical psychologist and coauthor of several books on dreams and couples, including The Dream Sharing Sourcebook (1998). She is past president of the Virginia Applied Psychology Academy and the Virginia Psychological Association. She received her doctorate from the University of Texas and has worked in state hospitals, university counseling centers, and independent practice. She is an adjunct faculty member in the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education.