Foreword by Dr. Ronald Taffel
Executive Director of the Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy
"According to couples therapist and educator Babits, the 'middle ground' is the place where neither partner dominates, each approaches problems productively, and love and compassion come alive. His realistic directions on reaching the middle ground include seeing issues from the other's point of view, emphasizing the positive, and developing patience. It would be most beneficial, he notes, if both partners practiced the steps ... together. But even if just one of them uses this book as a tool for introspection, the relationship - whether straight or gay - should greatly improve.... Recommended." -LIBRARY JOURNAL
"An easy-to-read self-help book with many clinical vignettes and couple-strengthening exercises.... I would recommend the book quite highly, especially to couples who are at the end of their patience with the relationship. I would also recommend the book to any clinician who works with couples to help them to develop a more positive stance in their treatment."
- PAULA F. EAGLE, MD
Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
The Power of the Middle Ground explains–as no other self-help book does–why and how the inherent difficulties entailed in the change process itself are daunting. Author Marty Babits, a seasoned couples therapist and educator, explains strategies and provides tips for grappling successfully with the challenges that change presents. This key aspect of working through relationship difficulties has, until now, been given short shrift in the popular and academic literature. Despite the central place of divorce in our culture, he teaches couples how to achieve a much greater impact in solving difficult interpersonal problems than is often thought possible.
Babits helps couples envision a place that brings their potential for love and compassion alive. This place, which neither partner can dominate and in which each learns to approach problems productively, he calls the “middle ground.” Through a series of exercises, he equips couples to appreciate and actualize what is positive and possible in their relationship.
This encouraging, yet realistic book empowers partners to negotiate differences, emphasize the positive, see issues from each other’s point of view, defuse anger, and, as a result, rekindle warmth and love.
Binding: Paperback
Pages: 263
ISBN: 978-1-59102-662-4
Shipping Weight: 1lbs
Author Bio:
Marty Babits, LCSW, BCD (New York, NY), is a psychotherapist in private practice and a member of the Executive Supervisory Committee of FACTS (the Family and Couples Treatment Service) of the Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy.
