Book excerpt: In 1967, as a novice marriage and family therapist counseling a growing number of troubled spouses living in unhappy marriages, Dr. Liberty Kovacs realized a need for a workable, realistic model for successful marital therapy. Drawing on her forty years of professional experience, real-world cases, and studies, Dr. Kovacs shares her model for the modern marriage. Kovacs maps the journey shared by couples across six unique and all-important marital stages: honeymoon, expectation, power struggle, seven-year-itch, reconciliation, and acceptance. Along the way, they develop a clearer understanding of their identities as individuals and of their fit together. Dr. Kovacs has used her powerful marriage model with thousands of couples with an overwhelmingly positive response, and in this invaluable and interactive workbook, she delivers all the tools you and your partner need to: Explore and develop your own identities Further your understanding of individual, couple, and family dynamics Increasingly value one another Lay a foundation for a relationship based on mutual love and respect Whether you are in a relationship, want to be in a relationship, or have even failed at relationships, this hopeful and motivating guide provides down-to-earth, insightful advice on building the relationship you want and deserve.