Coupling... What Makes Permanence?

Originally published in 1991, the theme for this title is the exploration of the components of lasting, long-term relationships. It begins with the first part of an interview between Sheldon Starr and Virginia Satir, made in 1985 and is followed by a comment on that interview by the Editor. Other chapters discuss the subject of falling in love and the notion of 'being in love' as distinguished from 'a love relationship'. The authors, including some who have been married for many years themselves, look at the many aspects that make long-term relationships successful. The chapters range in essence from 'What is love?' to 'How is love maintained?'. This title aims to share the information the authors have gained, about what makes coupling work, with society as a whole.

Barbara Jo Brothers, MSW, BCD, a Diplomate in Clinical Social Work, National Association of Social Workers, is in private practice in New Orleans. She received her BA from the University of Texas and her MSW from Tulane University, where she is currently on the faculty. She was editor The Newsletter of the American Academy of Psychotherapists from 1976 to 1985, and was associate editor of Voices: The Art and Science of Psychotherapy from 1979 to 1989. She has nearly 30 years of experience, in both the public and private sectors, helping people to form skills that will enable them to connect emotionally. The author of numerous articles and book chapters on authenticity in human relating, she has advocated healthy, congruent communication that builds intimacy as opposed to destructive, incongruent communication which blocks intimacy. In addition to her many years of direct work with couples and families, Ms. Brothers has led numerous workshops on teaching communication in families and has also played an integral role in the development of training programs in family therapy for mental health workers throughout the Louisiana state mental health system. She is a board member of the Institute of International Connections, a non-profit organization for cross-cultural professional development, focused on training for Soviet psychotherapists and crosscultural Soviet-American exchange.

Barbara Jo Brothers Introduction. 1. Sheldon Starr An Interview with Virginia Satir 2. Barbara Jo Brothers Ask Not for Whom the Siren Wails 3. Howard Halpern Feeling in Love Is Not Enough 4.Carol L. Griffin Comment - Response to Howard Halpern's Article: 'Feeling in Love Is Not Enough' 5. Charles Ansell Comment - Response to Howard Halpern's Article: 'Feeling in Love Is Not Enough' 6. Donald Lathrop Comment - Response to Howard Halpern's Article: 'Feeling in Love Is Not Enough' 7. Jerome A. Travers A Grammar of Love 8. Diana Adile Kirschner and Sam Kirschner The Dual Paths of Healthy Relationships 9. Roslyn Schwartz and Leonard J. Schwartz Perspectives on Long-Term-Relationships 10. David I. Perry A Woven Trust: A Commentary on 'Perspectives on Long-Term-Relationships' by Roslyn Schwartz, PhD and Leonard J. Schwartz, PhD 11. Alexander Jasnow And Then There Were Two 12. Rae Dezettel Perls and Stephen R. Perls ...Ever Ever After: A Non Scientific Look at Longterm Relationships 13. Gail Kadison Golden Coupling: Contracts, Attachment and Love 14. Petruska Clarkson Facets of the Dance 15. Jerome A. Travers Love and Marriage and Other Silly Delusions 16. Murray Scher Love and Marriage: An Inquiry into the Longevity of a Relationship 17. Lynn Pearlmutter Realism Not Sentimentality.