Sharon M. Rivkin, M.A., LMFT

Featured Appearances

O, the Oprah Magazine

O, The Oprah Magazine

"The Fight That Can Save Your Marriage"

Reader's Digest

Readers Digest

"The Fight With Many Faces"

BeliefNet: Inspiration, Spirituality, Faith
Health News Digest.com
eDiest: a whole new you
Wellness.com
She Knows
DrLaura.com

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The First Argument

The First Argument - Cutting to the Root of Intimate Conflict | by Sharon Rivkin

Within a couple's first argument lies the core conflict of a relationship.

Click to purchase The First Argument

"TRANSFORMATION -
The poison is the remedy.  Through our work with the first argument, we learn that the very thing we dread and avoid - the root of our conflict - is also the source of our healing."
-Excerpt from
The First Argument

Welcome! Do you want to stop fighting and have a warm and loving relationship with your intimate partner? By peeling away the story-below-the-story of your first argument, and utilizing my “first argument technique,” I’ve helped hundreds of couples save their relationships, despite incredible odds, which include money problems, sex issues, cheating, power struggles, and family dynamics. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been together one month or 50 years. It applies to all relationships, including those with your spouse, intimate partner, children, friends, colleagues, bosses, or family members.

SHARON IS THE DEVELOPER OF THE “FIRST ARGUMENT TECHNIQUE,” a highly effective 3-step process that can resolve years of conflict into understanding, which leads to hope, resolution, and love:

  1. Peel:  Peel away the topic of the conflict to locate your personal history that makes you react so strongly - the “story-below-the-story” method.
  2. Reveal:  Once you found the “original” story that you lived through as a child, you begin to have a deeper understanding of yourself and the blame game is halted immediately.
  3. Heal:  Communicate your “Reveal” with your partner, the anger disappears, and is replaced by understanding and empathy. Instantly, protective emotional walls are torn down, and relationships can grow again.

To find out how to resolve your relationship conflicts by utilizing Sharon’s “first argument technique,” please click here to order Sharon’s book.

Contest! For a chance to win Sharon's book, take our First Argument Survey.

To share your first argument story with Sharon, please click here. Contest! For a chance to win Sharon's book, take our First Argument Survey.