ABSTRACT
Relationships can be hard work and this is why resilience is required in finding, building, maintaining, repairing or ending them. It can cover a wide range of people involved with such as parents, children, relatives, work colleagues and neighbours. Couples' counselling is a balancing act for the therapist. Communication between warring couples is usually heavily laden with the negative meanings that each infers from what the other has said or done. Attention can then turn to the possibility of separating amicably, which also requires a resilient response; that is, accept with sadness but not bitterness that the relationship is over, stop feuding, negotiate the division of joint assets, maintenance payments and access to the children in a fair and impartial way or as near as they can get to it. Friendships can be as troubling as romantic relationships. A relationship can be really great despite the fallible (imperfect) behaviour of its participants.
