ABSTRACT
Perhaps one of the most complex and dynamic human relationships is the romantic pair-bonding couples relationship. It requires two people to negotiate through the intricate emotional issues of desire, security, companionship, attraction, and intimacy. This couple relationship is unique to human beings and combines elements of both resiliency and fragility. As a result, while it may provide individuals with a lifelong partnership and deep emotional satisfaction, it can also be tumultuous, chaotic, and fleeting. When these relationships are strained or broken, it is often left to couples counselors to help pick up the pieces and either repair the relationship or begin again. As such, couples counseling can be simultaneously one of the most rewarding and most taxing forms of counseling.
