Addictive disorders pioneers Claudia Black and Terrance Gorski explain to the viewer what constitutes a healthy relationship and what steps are involved in building one.

The analogy of constructing a house is used as a way of explaining how to create a strong relationship. The foundation of the house consists of the three C's:

Communication - know self, put into words, express, listen with empathy.

Caring - of self, of others, of the relationship.

Commitment - to self, to others, to the relationship.

The floors of the house (levels of relationships) are:

Casual Involvement - relationships where people interact in a casual manner and have little or no commitment to one another.

Companionship - two persons associating for the purpose of sharing a common activity. The activity is more important than the person and the person becomes interchangeable.

Friendship - two people associate for the purpose of mutual support and enjoyment of each other. The person is most important. The activity is secondary.

Romantic Love - relationships where friendship is shared with sensuality, passion, and sexuality. Romantic love is more than passion and sexuality. Passion and sexuality can be experienced in the context of casual involvement.

Committed Love - relationships where it is mutually agreed upon what you are going to do and what you say you are going to do. You agree to work on whatever problems arise with a mutual trust of sincerity and intent.

Preview

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The information contained in this video is an essential building block for those individuals and couples who are involved in constructing healthy relationships.

Running time is 33 minutes.