Counseling Couples in Conflict: A Relational Restoration Model

James N. Sells (PhD, University of Southern California) is professor of counseling, shares the Rosemary S. Hughes Professor of Christian Thought and Mental Health, and codirects the Charis Institute at Regent University. He is coeditor of Ministering to Families in Crisis and the author of several books including Family Therapies and Beyond the Clinical Hour.

Mark A. Yarhouse (PsyD, Wheaton College) is the Dr. Arthur P. Rech and Mrs. Jean May Rech Professor of Psychology at Wheaton College. His books include Modern Psychopathologies, Sexuality and Sex Therapy, and Understanding Gender Dysphoria.

The major cause of divorce isn't problems with finances, in-laws, parenting or sex. The major cause is that couples don't know how to deal with conflict around those issues. This long-overdue integrative resource is an invaluable tool and should be in the hands of every counselor. If you want to help couples take their marriage from good to great then you must read this book. It will be required reading for all of my students.
—Gary J. Oliver,
Th.M., Ph.D., executive director of The Center for Relationship Enrichment and professor of psychology and practical theology at John Brown University

The institution and even the definition of marriage continue to be in turmoil and the subject of debate and controversy within our culture today. Yet, the Scriptures portray marriage as a beautiful metaphor of the union between Christ and his bride, the church. As such, couples face not only the challenges and obstacles inherent in any human relationship but must also contend with the spiritual forces of darkness that seek to destroy this image. Discord, pain, misunderstanding and hurt are inevitable. Counseling Couples in Conflict offers a solid integration of biblical principles and counseling skills with clinical theory that helps foster relational wholeness. Practical case examples are utilized throughout to illustrate key points and provide a balanced model for restoration. Whether a pastoral counselor or a professional mental health clinician, this book is an essential resource for anyone doing marital work.
—Eric T. Scalise,
Ph.D., LPC, LMFT, Vice President for Professional Development, The American Association of Christian Counselors

Addressing the concerns of professional counselors and pastoral counselors alike, Sells and Yarhouse offer a biblically-based, theological-grounded and therapeutically-sound model for working specifically with couples in conflict. I recommend this book for beginning counselors and for seasoned colleagues in the field. It definitely has a home on my bookshelves.
—Virginia T. Holeman,
Ph.D., professor of counseling, Asbury Theological Seminary, and author of Reconcilable Differences

Counseling Couples in Conflict is a clearly written and helpful book based on a relational restoration model. I highly recommend it for pastors, Christian counselors and lay counselors who are involved in helping couples.
—Siang-Yang Tan,
Ph.D., professor of psychology, Fuller Theological Seminary, and author of Counseling and Psychotherapy: A Christian Perspective

"Counseling Couples in Conflict is a clearly written and helpful book based on a relational restoration model. I highly recommend it for pastors, Christian counselors and lay counselors who are involved in helping couples."

Siang-Yang Tan, Ph.D., professor of psychology, Fuller Theological Seminary, and author of Counseling and Psychotherapy: A Christian Perspective

"The institution and even the definition of marriage continue to be in turmoil and the subject of debate and controversy within our culture today. Yet, the Scriptures portray marriage as a beautiful metaphor of the union between Christ and his bride, the church. As such, couples face not only the challenges and obstacles inherent in any human relationship but must also contend with the spiritual forces of darkness that seek to destroy this image. Discord, pain, misunderstanding and hurt are inevitable. Counseling Couples in Conflict offers a solid integration of biblical principles and counseling skills with clinical theory that helps foster relational wholeness. Practical case examples are utilized throughout to illustrate keypoints and provide a balanced model for restoration. Whether a pastoral counselor or a professional mental health clinician, this book is an essential resource for anyone doing marital work."

Eric T. Scalise, Ph.D., LPC, LMFT, Vice President for Professional Development, The American Association of Christian Counselors

"The major cause of divorce isn't problems with finances, in-laws, parenting or sex. The major cause is that couples don't know how to deal with conflict around those issues. This long-overdue integrative resource is an invaluable tool and should be in the hands of every counselor. If you want to help couples take their marriage from good to great then you must read this book. It will be required reading for all of my students."

Gary J. Oliver, Th.M., Ph.D., executive director of The Center for Relationship Enrichment and professor of psychology and practical theology at John Brown University

"Addressing the concerns of professional counselors and pastoral counselors alike, Sells and Yarhouse offer a biblically-based, theological-grounded and therapeutically-sound model for working specifically with couples in conflict. I recommend this book for beginning counselors and for seasoned colleagues in the field. It definitely has a home on my bookshelves."

Virginia T. Holeman, Ph.D., professor of counseling, Asbury Theological Seminary, and author of Reconcilable Differences

"What this book does best is make the reader fell like they are receiving profound clinical supervision from a wise and experienced therapist. Making a book feel like a supervision session is a true gift that any clinician can appreciate, especially those who are working in the trenches of marital conflict."

Keri L. Barnett, Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 2012, Vol. 31, No. 4