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Recommended Tools and Books

CCS Picks or Curated by Couples Communication Station

These are resources we personally recommend to help couples strengthen communication, reduce stress, and build a deeper connection. As an Amazon Associate, CCS earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that if you purchase through them, CCS may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend books and tools that align with our mission to help couples strengthen communication, reduce stress, and build healthier relationships.

Book: Speak from the Heart

Speak from the Heart: A Practical Guide to Better Communication and Deeper Connection

by Amanda Villicana

This hands-on guide offers real-life tools and exercises to help couples improve communication, resolve conflict, and reconnect with emotional intimacy—one meaningful conversation at a time.

Why CCS Recommends It:
Created by CCS founder Amanda Villicana, this book is a must-have for couples ready to transform everyday interactions into opportunities for deeper connection and lasting love.

Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life

by Marshall Rosenberg

Nonviolent Communication, by Marshall Rosenberg, teaches couples how to express their needs clearly, listen with empathy, and resolve conflicts without blame. Its practical framework turns arguments into opportunities for understanding.

Why CCS Recommends It:
CCS recommends this book as a cornerstone resource for building compassion and connection in relationships.

4 Essential Keys to Effective Communication in Love, Life, Work--Anywhere!

by Bento C. Leal III

4 Essential Keys to Effective Communication provides simple steps to improve listening, express yourself with clarity, and avoid common pitfalls. Includes practical exercises you can use right away.

Why CCS Recommends It:
CCS recommends this guide for couples seeking quick and practical tools to strengthen their daily conversations.

Fight Right: How Successful Couples Turn Conflict Into Connection

by Julie Schwartz Gottman, PhD

Fight Right shows couples how to handle disagreements in healthy, constructive ways. With decades of research, the Gottmans explain how conflict can build, rather than break, connections.

Why CCS Recommends It:
CCS recommends this book for couples ready to transform conflict into collaboration and deeper intimacy.

Love More, Fight Less

by Gina Senarighi, PhD, CPC

Love More, Fight Less is a guided workbook designed to help couples communicate more clearly, manage conflict, and strengthen their connection. With practical exercises and prompts, it turns everyday struggles into opportunities for growth.

Why CCS Recommends It:
CCS recommends this workbook for couples who want hands-on practice building healthier, more supportive communication habits.

Talk to Me Like I'm Someone You Love

by Nancy Dreyfus, PhD

Talk to Me Like I’m Someone You Love is a collection of quick, powerful phrases that couples can use to de-escalate conflict and reconnect in the heat of the moment. Simple prompts make it easy to shift from frustration to understanding.

Why CCS Recommends It:
CCS recommends this book for couples seeking rapid, practical tools to repair communication and foster closeness during challenging conversations.

The Set Boundaries Workbook

by Nedra Glover Tawwab, MSW, LCSW

The Set Boundaries Workbook offers guided exercises to help you identify your needs, communicate them clearly, and create healthier limits in relationships. It’s hands-on, practical, and designed to make setting boundaries less overwhelming.

Why CCS Recommends It:
CCS recommends this workbook because establishing healthy boundaries is essential to knowing yourself and your needs. When partners are clear about what they can and cannot accept, they build relationships grounded in respect, balance, and deeper connection.

Reconnect: A Marriage Counseling Workbook

by Zach Brittle LMHC and Laura Heck LMFT

A practical, therapist-designed workbook that helps couples deepen connection through structured conversations and reflection prompts.

Why CCS Recommends It:
We love this resource for its clear, step-by-step guidance that aligns with our core belief: meaningful communication is the key to lasting love.

The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work

By Dr. John Gottman

This groundbreaking book by renowned relationship expert Dr. John Gottman offers couples proven tools to build and sustain a healthy, lasting relationship. Backed by decades of research, it breaks down complex emotional patterns into seven practical, easy-to-follow principles.

Why CCS Recommends It:
Clear, actionable, and science-based — it’s one of our top picks for building lasting love and better communication.

the five love languages by gary chapman book

The 5 Love Languages

by Gary Chapman

A classic relationship tool that helps couples identify how they express and receive love through five unique languages.

Why CCS Recommends it:
Simple, powerful, and immediately practical; this is a must-read for couples who want to feel seen and appreciated every day.

The 5 Love Languages Workbook

by Gary Chapman

This interactive workbook helps couples identify their love languages and put them into practice with prompts, activities, and guided reflections.

Why CCS Recommends It:
We love tools that take insight into action. This workbook makes the original 5 Love Languages come alive by turning self-awareness into real-world connection; perfect for couples who are ready to grow together, one conversation at a time.

Hold Me Tight: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love

by Dr. Sue Johnson

Based on Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), this book helps couples build stronger emotional bonds and repair disconnection.

Why CCS Recommends It:
It offers a deeply compassionate approach to healing emotional distance — a perfect complement to CCS's values of connection and trust.

The Hold Me Tight Workbook: A Couple's Guide for a Lifetime of Love

Dr. Sue Johnson

An interactive companion to the best-selling Hold Me Tight, this workbook walks couples through guided conversations, reflection exercises, and emotional bonding activities.

Why CCS Recommends It:
This workbook helps couples turn emotional insight into a lasting connection. It aligns perfectly with CCS’s mission to build safety, trust, and understanding through meaningful dialogue — all in a format that’s easy to use at home.

The Fair Play Deck: A Couple's Conversation Deck for Prioritizing What's Important

by Eve Rodsky

A fresh look at dividing household responsibilities in a way that’s fair, functional, and stress-reducing.

Why CCS Recommends It:
Great for couples juggling modern life. It fosters teamwork and reduces resentment in daily life.

BestSelf Intimacy Deck – 170 Conversation Cards for Couples, Fun and Romantic Card Game for Deeper Connection and Pillow Talk

by BestSelf Co.

A deck of 150 thought-provoking questions designed to spark vulnerability, deepen trust, and strengthen emotional intimacy between partners.

Why CCS Recommends It:
Real connection starts with real conversation. This deck helps couples go beyond the surface and into the kind of dialogue that builds closeness; one meaningful question at a time.

The Ultimate Relationship Workbook for Couples

Dr. Ari Sytner

Filled with guided exercises, this workbook helps couples reconnect, communicate, and grow together.

Why CCS Recommends It:
Hands-on and structured, it's a perfect fit for couples who love our workshops and want to continue the work at home.

Eight Dates: Essential Conversations for a Lifetime of Love

by John & Julie Gottman

Eight structured date nights designed to deepen intimacy and address core relationship topics.

Why CCS Recommends It:
This book turns date night into intentional connection time — a great companion to any CCS communication plan.

A Year of Us: A Couple's Journal

Alicia Muñoz LPC

A guided journal with 365 thought-provoking questions designed to spark meaningful conversations, strengthen emotional intimacy, and deepen understanding throughout the year.

Why CCS Recommends It:
This journal offers an easy and intentional way to stay connected daily. It’s a great tool for couples looking to make consistent reflection and communication part of their routine — even on busy days.

The Date Night Cookbook: Recipes and Activities to Inspire Connection and Fun

by Rebecca Warbis

A creative collection of over 25 recipes and date-night ideas designed to help couples connect through cooking, play, and shared experiences in the kitchen and beyond.

Why CCS Recommends It:
Cooking together is one of the simplest ways to build teamwork and closeness. This book turns mealtime into an intentional opportunity for laughter, communication, and meaningful connection.

Box of Date Night Ideas: 35 Scratch-Off Dates, a couples activity set featuring surprise date ideas for fun and connection.

Date Night Ideas: 35 Scratch-Off Dates

by Flowjo

A fun and spontaneous collection of 35 creative date ideas hidden under scratch-off panels. Each date is a surprise designed to spark laughter, adventure, and meaningful moments together — whether you’re at home or out on the town.

Why CCS Recommends It:
This activity set helps couples rediscover playfulness and connection without overthinking “what to do.” It’s perfect for adding excitement and surprise to your relationship in a simple, engaging way.