"When we talk of marriage counseling we think immediately of the extreme cases, of threats to seek divorce, of couples in violent disputes who frequently come to blows," Paul Tournier states. But there are many other couples whose marriages are no less a failure. "They live side by side, without hurting one another, but poles apart, because of no real understanding of one another." According to Tournier, the ability to understand each other is what counts in working out marital happiness together. With wisdom and warmth, Tournier suggests ways to achieve this understanding.

Paul Tournier was a Swiss physician who acquired a worldwide audience for his work in pastoral counseling. He made a significant contribution to the understanding of psychiatry and its relation to the Christian faith.