We're No Fun Anymore

Robert Schwarz, Psy.D., DCEP, is a licensed psychologist and marriage and family therapist. He has been in private practice for more than 25 years and is the Executive Director of the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology.Elaine Braff, M.P.S., A.T.R., is an expressive arts therapist, couples coach, marriage educator, and Master Leader of the nationally acclaimed PAIRS marriage education course. She’s been in private practice for 31 years in South Orange, New Jersey.

• The Power of Play in Relationships and Life: Theory and Research. The Couples' Play and Positive Interaction Assessment (CPPIA) and Marital Play Deficiency Disorder (MPDD). No Play Zone: Looking at Barriers, Permission, and the Problems of Play. Cultivating a Play it Forward Attitude. Playful Practices that Pack a Punch! Promoting Paired Play: A Play Inventory for Couples. Protecting the Play Zone: Dating in Captivity. Sex and Sexuality and Marital Play Deficiency Disorder. The Playful Therapist: Personifying Play in Your Practice.

"The family that plays together stays together. Elaine Braff and Robert Schwarz eloquently remind us that just resolving conflict will not save a marriage. They do more than tell us that we need to have fun together; they show us how to do it." – Steven Stosny, author of How to Improve Your Marriage Without Talking About It and Love Without Hurt"Robert Schwarz and Elaine Braff are insightful, experienced therapists who present a fresh and lively approach to couples therapy that is highly practical. Helping couples cultivate positive playful attitudes and behaviors is vital to marital satisfaction. Focusing on the positive aspects of relationships like laughter, humor, and fun creates a common bond between the sexes that can help sustain love." —John Gray, author of Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus"This book should be handed out with each marriage license and be required reading for every couples counselor. It’s complete and is all that’s needed to help couples play together and stay together. I review so many books about marriage, but this one is truly unique. Instead of how to manage conflict, it’s all about how to manage fun. Instead of how to fight fair, it’s all about how to play with abandon. You can’t read it without feeling optimistic, inspired, energized and determined to put more frolic and gusto in your marriage and your practice." —Diane Sollee, MSW, Director, SmartMarriages.com "Therapists tend to be serious types and our interventions are not known for their chuckle factor. This refreshing and original book shows how to reawaken play in the lives of couples, from flirting to big surprises, from planned silliness to erotic delights. The authors ask therapists to lighten up and enjoy themselves more." —William J. Doherty, University of Minnesota, USA; author of Take Back Your Marriage: Sticking Together in a World That Pulls Us Apart