What happens when your marriage is broken but you’re the only one who wants to fix it? What if you’re willing to see a counselor but your spouse isn’t? What if your spouse’s flaws are jeopardizing the relationship—but he or she refuses to change? Conventional wisdom says that “it takes two” to make a marriage better and that both spouses must agree to a plan for change. So when couples can’t agree on how—or whether—to make their marriage better, many assume they’ve reached a dead end. Some give up and settle for a less-than-satisfying marriage. Some think the only way out is divorce. Marriage and family therapist, Winifred Reilly, knows otherwise.
In IT TAKES ONE TO TANGO: How I Rescued My Marriage With (Almost) No Help From My Spouse—and How You Can, Too, Reilly challenges the widely held notion that it takes two eager and willing partners to turn a troubled marriage around;, assuring unhappy partners that one person alone can initiate far-reaching positive change in a marriage.
Unlike most self-help books about marriage, IT TAKES ONE TO TANGO tells the author’s personal story about trying to keep her own once troubled marriage from coming apart. Like most couples she works with, she wanted a happier marriage, not a divorce. And waiting for her change-averse husband to leap up and joyfully embrace her grand plans for remodeling her marriage wasn’t working out any better for her than it was for her clients. So she decided to try to rescue her marriage by herself, even though, at the outset, she had no idea whatsoever what that would take.
Tune in and learn firsthand how Reilly succeeded in saving her marriage and how you can, too. As Reilly writes, “I know from experience that when one partner takes that first step…behaves in a new way, challenges the status quo, the other will usually follow. Sometimes slowly, not always cheerfully, and often not in the way we imagined. But eventually, both partners become stronger and healthier, and so does the marriage.”
ABOUT WINIFRED REILLY
Winifred Reilly, MA, MFT, is a psychotherapist specializing in marital therapy and relationship issues, with a private practice in Berkeley, CA. In her thirty-five years of clinical practice she has treated hundreds of couples—many who are convinced they are headed for divorce.
Ms. Reilly has been a guest lecturer on marriage and sexuality, has made numerous radio appearances, and has been interviewed as a relationship expert by Web MD, Real Simple, HuffPost Live, and The New York Times. Her work has appeared on The Huffington Post, The Good Men Project, and xoJane.
She is valued for her positive yet practical approach to the inevitable challenges all couples face, believing that even the most troubled relationships can be repaired through proper guidance, encouragement, and hard work. Regardless of how challenging the issues.
