The Critical Partner

“Like a good detective novel, Michelle Skeen’s book will help you uncover the mystery of your difficult relationship. After reading this book, you’ll understand how your childhood experiences still affect your life, but more importantly, you’ll learn what you can do to put them behind you and move on.”

—Jeffrey C. Wood, PsyD, psychologist and coauthor of The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook

“The couples in successful relationships will tell you that, in order to succeed, partners must learn to work on their relationships. The Critical Partner is the ideal workbook to help couples who are dealing with this uncomfortable dynamic. It will teach them how to do what is necessary to make their relationship successful.”

—Barton Goldsmith, PhD, author of Emotional Fitness for Couples and Emotional Fitness for Intimacy

“The Critical Partner is required reading for anyone living in a relationship where they feel frequently hurt, devalued, or blamed. This book will show you why this happens and give you tools to do something about it. Highly recommended.”

—Matthew McKay, PhD, author of Thoughts and Feelings

“The most challenging issue in the life of the couple can be learning how to express disappointment and hurt without hurting your partner. Michelle Skeen offers an effective framework for understanding and dealing with the ruptures and self-defeating consequences of criticism in a relationship. She carefully applies the thoughtfully designed elements of schema therapy to her keen knowledge of this subject matter and offers her readers easily accessible strategies for transforming painful life patterns into healthy responses.”

—Wendy T. Behary, LCSW, author of Disarming The Narcissist