THEY SAY THAT MARRIAGE DOESN ’ T COME WITH A MANUAL , BUT NOW IT DOES !
A Dive into I DO , I DON ’ T : HOW TO BUILD A BETTER MARRIAGE
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DO I DON ’ T : HOW TO BUILD A BETTER MARRIAGE tells the story of Ben and Grace on their journey of learning and practicing the tools and skills needed for a lifetime of intimacy . Each chapter introduces a new relationship skill , and ends with Put It Into Practice , a set of easy-tofollow exercises to help the reader develop a personal understanding of the skills needed to build and strengthen any relationship .
With a foreword by John Kilcullen , founder / CEO of the For Dummies brand and book series , and written by acclaimed psychotherapist Chandrama Anderson MA , LMFT , and engagingly illustrated by rising young artist Nur Jaffar Latip , I DO I DON ’ T will help any reader to Build a Better Marriage .
Chandrama Anderson earned her M . A . in Counseling Psychology , Holistic Studies from John F . Kennedy University in 2005 . Chandrama continually advances her training - in couples counseling from the world renowned couples experts and trainers such as Dr . Stan Tatkin , Dr . John Gottman , Dr . Julie Gottman , Dr . Sue Johnson - as well as ongoing reading and study particularly in the areas of attachment , brain development , communication , and the science of psychotherapy . Chandrama is a California Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice . She lives in Bend , Oregon with her husband and their dog . Read on to hear about her experience in creating I DO , I DON ’ T : HOW TO BUILD A BETTER MARRIAGE from Soaring Penguin Press .
DIAMOND : For those who aren ’ t familiar , can you tell us what readers can expect from this book ? CHANDRAMA ANDERSON : I Do I Don ’ t is the first in a series of an engaging story along with concrete tools to build better relationships — written by a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist . Readers go to couple ’ s therapy with Ben and Grace , learn what they learn , do the same homework , and use the free I DO I DON ’ T companion workbook . Readers will see Ben and Grace ’ s words , thoughts , parental voices whispering in their ears , plus their unconscious feelings . It becomes clear how all of these interact and drive their emotions and behaviors — for better or worse .
How did this project come about ?
I have specialized in couples counseling since 2007 . I woke up one morning during Covid certain it was time to write a couple ’ s book . Coming from a dysfunctional family myself , I realized that by offering tools for healthier adult relationships , maybe fewer children would be abandoned . When I see couples , it ’ s 1:2 . With the I Do I Don ’ t series , I can reach an unlimited number of people and get beyond the stigmas and cost issues of therapy .
Why did you become a therapist ? I was working in high tech for 15 years . Over a 5-year period , several family members , including my baby daughter , died . I ’ d had six miscarriages , and by
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