Sources of wisdom that I draw on

My heart lies in the ethos of Nonviolent Communication. It provides me with a vision of how our world can be as well as a learnable process that offers us a blueprint for heart-felt communication.

When it comes to working out strategies, I draw on some of the techniques from Solution Focused therapy as explained in the book 'The Solutions Focus'. I like the focus on solutions (rather than problems), on the future (not the past) and on what to do (instead of who to blame.

To support my work with couples, I am particularly struck by the rigor of the research conducted by John Gottman. It enables him to predict with a very high degree of accuracy whether a relationship will survive or not. The evidence that he looks for provides a blueprint for successful relationships.

There are numerous psychologists who inform my thinking. Philip Zimbardo, who conducted the famous Stanford prison experiment, showed how good people can turn 'evil'. Martin Seligman