I Do! - by Jim Walkup (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Build a Stronger Marriage Before It Begins--The Essential Premarital Workbook for Engaged Couples

Ready to create a foundation of trust, communication, and lasting love? I Do!: A Marriage Workbook for Engaged Couples helps you and your partner prepare for the road ahead with proven tools used by professional therapists.

Written by Jim Walkup, LMFT, a licensed marriage and family therapist with over 40 years of experience, this workbook guides couples through the real conversations that matter--before they walk down the aisle.

Inside you'll find:

• 7 themed chapters on marriage essentials--communication, money, intimacy, family, and more
• 50+ engaging activities including writing prompts, quizzes, and discussion guides
• Tools to handle conflict and align on expectations, values, and goals
• Therapist-designed guidance ideal for use on your own or in premarital counseling

Perfect for newly engaged couples or those working with a counselor, this book empowers you to start your marriage with clarity, connection, and confidence.

Review Quotes

"As a seasoned marriage and family therapist, working with many couples, I was reluctant to believe that there would be something in I Do! that would appeal to my highly sophisticated client base. To my surprise and delight, I found just the opposite. Jim's beautiful book is filled with insight and practical application that any couple can use. I found the exercises helpful, the questions provocative, and lessons spot on. This guide can be used by clinicians as well, as it gives us a tool to pull out when we are at our wits' end or don't know what else can be done. Well done, Jim Walkup."--Dr. Heather M. Ehinger, LMFT, EdD, Past President of the Connecticut Association of Marriage and Family Therapy, adjunct faculty at Western Connecticut State University, and principal owner of Family Therapy Associates, LLC

"Committed couples no longer have to stumble upon the various challenges that life brings their way; Jim Walkup has created a guide with the implicit message that each couple is not alone in navigating their differences--they are part and parcel of the journey. How good it is to have a compass and a lantern to light the way."--Elana Katz, LCSW, Senior Faculty, Ackerman Institute for the Family

"Dr. Walkup integrates solid clinical expertise with personal, down-to-earth wisdom in I Do! His book can be used as a pre-marital tool for the pastor, practitioner, or individual couples themselves as a resource for independent inquiry and growth. In an easygoing, conversational way, Dr. Walkup breaks down relationship myths of intimacy and communication and invites couples to reflect on significant areas of life they will share together as they plan for their future. This book is brilliantly written and full of engaging exercises."--John Halbrook, Th.M., Ed.D. (LMFT & LCSW)

"How can we best prepare for the inevitable challenges of marriage? With I Do!, Dr. Walkup brings his well-honed wisdom to this crucial question. If Cupid himself wanted a guide to help people stung by his arrows, this would be one of his very top picks."--Anthony Stern, M.D., former Chief of Psychiatry, Westchester Medical Center's Mobile Crisis Team, Valhalla, New York

"Jim Walkup has put together the ultimate guide for pre-marital counseling. It's practical, insightful, and most of all, relevant. If you are looking to lay the long-term foundations for a happy marriage, this is a great blueprint."--Rev. Susan Sparks, author and Senior Pastor, Madison Avenue Baptist Church

"This is the book I wish I had read before my wedding. There is a pretty good chance I would still be married if that were the case. It's a practical, no-nonsense workbook, and somehow Dr. Walkup manages to be very modern and refreshingly traditional at the same time. Buy this for anyone you know who is getting ready to make a long-term commitment--actually, it would make a terrific anniversary present, too!"--Lorna Davis, former CEO of Danone

"This wonderful guide walks couples through exercises and discussions that lay the foundation for a long-lasting marriage. Not only does Jim Walkup cover topics such as money, communication, and intimacy, but he also beautifully covers future-looking topics such as parenting styles, school considerations for children, and caring for aging parents. I highly recommend this book if you are in the planning stages of marriage, or even newly married."--Kathy Rausin, LMFT, Vista, CA