top of page

Workbook 03:
Understand Needs & Patterns

One of the most important questions partners can ask each other is "What do you need in our relationship?"  This part of the workbook helps partners explore and communicate their needs, as well as explore relational patterns in their life that help them understand where their needs came from.

Family genogram

01

Map Your Family Genogram

Understanding needs in each partner is illuminated by exploring the patterns in your families.  This is done with the family genogram intervention.  

02

Humans Need 5 things

Psychologists have described 5 things humans needs: Connection, Autonomy, Security, Significance, & Growth. If you understand what need is threatened, you can become a relationship master.  Learn more and an exercise for couples.

Holding Hands
Sternbergs triangular theory

03

Passion, Intimacy & Commitment

You can understand your relationship using Sternberg's theory of love which describes 8 types of love.  Engage in an exercise that plots your love-triangle history.

04

Sensible Scaling & Sculpting

You can better understand your relationship, and how you impact the relationship with a space-in-room scaling or sculpting intervention.  This link is a video of Dr. Worthington with a role-play couple showing sculpting intervention.

Couple
Image by Jakob Owens

-05

Search: Relationships

The amount of information about relationships available today is enormous!  You can listen to podcasts, watch videos, and read more books about relationships than at any time in history.  Work with your counselor to ask about procuring good sources.

bottom of page