SASU Testimonials

"A beautifully packaged paperback. First rate!"
"A great self-help - should be on every family bookshelf!"
-- 2002 Benjamin Franklin Awards judges

"The author writes well and fluidly on a subject which should be of interest to millions of families. The amount of research and life experience lessons contained in the book are impressive. [His] expertise and passion for the subject are evident throughout... His ideas are well-explained and well-thought-out, which made this book easy to read… His tips are sound, clear, and helpful; the questionnaire and text boxes made it easy to follow and use."
-- Writer's Digest

"Dr. Hall takes his readers on a healing journey and in the process gives them the courage to look at past mistakes without the burden of present guilt. Filled with fresh insights, Stop Arguing and Start Understanding will give anyone who is looking for information or inspiration, the tools to make positive changes in their family relationships."
-- Elaine Mazlish, co-author of How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk and Siblings Without Rivalry.

"This is a gem of a book. Clear, readable. A kind, wise and practical guide for any parent who wants to raise a healthy family. We recommend it for all parents."
-- Harville Hendrix, Ph. D. and Helen LaKelly Hunt, M.A. M.Ph , co-authors of Giving the Love That Heals: A Guide for Parents

"This gem of a book will send you scrambling for practical advice about how to solve typical family problems and issues. Easy-to-read, Hall shows you how to make kids accountable for their mistakes, and how to build self-esteem. He believes deeply that families can change and he should know - he's been helping families successfully for decades. With this book Hall joins the front rank of psychotherapists who write about family practice."
-- Robert Akeret, Ph.D., author of Tales From a Traveling Couch and Family Tales, Family Wisdom.

"The advice here is so practical--and so clear--that parents will immediately see themselves and realize they have to correct some truly bad (or absent) strategies about conflict in their household. For example, what parent could read the title "When it's 'My Way or the Highway,' a Showdown will Follow" and not know that the author is on target. (And who has not resorted to "Because I said so"—and felt lame doing it?…) Dr. Hall is a wise and unflinching guide for parents with problems solving conflict in their household, which in my experience, covers about every family that has ever graced the earth!"
-- Pepper Schwartz, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology, University of Washington and author Ten Talks Parents Must Have With Children About Sex and Character

"Parents can benefit from the wisdom contained throughout the chapters, but professionals who deal with families will find it extremely important. Your case examples really illustrate your points with great sensitivity. I plan to buy a dozen or more to give to my residents as graduation gifts. Congratulations, this is a superb work."
-- Clarice Kestenbaum, M.D., President, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia University and Director of Training, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and author/co-editor Handbook of Clinical Assessment of Children and Adolescents

"If you are wondering where things went wrong in your family and are serious about wanting to make a change for the better, David Hall's comprehensive, inspiring guide to solving family conflict can help you create the loving, respectful family you desire."
-- Laura Davis, author, Becoming the Parent You Want to Be and I Thought We'd Never Speak Again: The Road from Estrangement to Reconciliation

"Dr. David Hall has provided us with the nearest thing to an "owner's manual" for the successful operation and maintenance of lasting and loving marriages and family relationships..."
-- John Carr, Ph.D., Prof. Emeritus, Psychology, University of Washington, author/editor of Behavioral Science in the Practice of Medicine

"Few clinicians are sufficiently skilled to help family members recover from the worst of injuries. Fewer still are those who can distill what they do and write about it in an accessible manner. David Hall has done this and more: he provides a set of tools born of twenty years of medical practice that extends far beyond psychiatry."
-- From the Foreword, John Kydd, MSW, JD, Past President, Association of Family and Conciliation Courts

"David Hall presents us with a tremendous gift, based on his years of dedicated psychiatric work. He offers very positive, concrete parenting tips to parents wishing to raise children with a healthy self confidence, as well as a mighty sense of respect for themselves and others. His book is based on the premise that we can all make positive change to feel comfortable with ourselves, to build loving, caring relationships, and as a result, have healthier and happier families."
-- Richard Scott Joslin, MD, FAAP, and Karen Renshaw Joslin, MA, author, Positive Parenting From A to Z and co-author Positive Parenting Your Teens

"Dr. David Hall offers more than a self-help workbook. He talks directly to the reader in a tone that is caring and non-judgmental and wise. He shows how an individual family member's behavior results from how that person has learned to experience the world. His advice is inspiring, yet grounded in research, clinical experience and, most importantly, common sense. This is a book for anyone, who knows that building a family is a task of essential importance as well as a source of true happiness. Under the gentle guidance of Dr. Hall, the reader is given the chance to improve as a parent and a partner."
-- Johan Verhulst, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Washington

"I strongly recommend that school principals, whose offices are filled with struggling families, buy multiple copies of this wonderful new resource for families and give them out with confidence....knowing that they are giving a great gift on behalf of children."
-- John Morefield, career elementary principal and teacher of principals at the Danforth Principal Preparation Program at the University of Washington

"This book represents a meaningful 'conversation' between a compassionate, sensitive and spiritual psychiatrist and his readers which helps them understand themselves and work toward elimination of real and perceived barriers to more effective relationships with adults and children in the context of families and communities. Dr. David C. Hall skillfully draws upon his vast experience as a family psychiatrist who has worked with schools and the courts in improving the lives of children and families... I see your book as a 'manual' which may be used by lawyers and judges in aid of children and families."
-- Charles Z. Smith, J.D., Supreme Court Justice, State of Washington

"Dr. Hall writes in very accessible language about family conflicts: how such conflicts can be avoided, and how they can be resolved when they do occur in such a way that the family bond is strengthened and emotional, psychological and spiritual growth may result... brims with therapeutic insight combined with solid common sense and practice wisdom."
--- Daniel Liechty, M.S.W., Ph.D., Professor of Social Work at Illinois State University, author Transference and Transcendence: Ernest Becker's Contribution to Psychotherapy

"Two ideas kept appearing to me a I read [this] marvelous book: choose joy! 'choose empowerment! Both are within your reach!' The sections particularly enlightening and new reading to me were Current Culture and Individual Temperament and the powerful information in Step 5 Ask for Help. Rarely have I read guidance to someone seeking help of the medical profession with needed candor. Especially enjoyable were the occasional scenarios of conversation and humor, sparking my imagination with other possibilities. Along with 'boxed' tips and ideas, these formats for a reader added a sense of lightness to a process that may feel heavy."
--- Ellie Smith, retired elementary school teacher.

"For nearly three decades, readers have searched the shelves at our bookstore for the answers to their own unique family problems. Dr. David Hall provides a comprehensive foundation to help families reduce pointless conflict, start communicating better, and establish new healthier relationships."
--- Walter Carr founder, Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle

"Todaty parents are overstressed, overwhelmed, and confused by the daily headlines of yet another child who has gone wrong. But child psychiatrist David Hall has done it. He has written a book for intelligent parents that is down to earth and practical, but also rich in information and hard-won clinical wisdom. Not an over-simplified to-do book, Dr. Hall speaks to the complexity of modern families in language that is both easy to read and easy to understand."
--- Sandra Bloom, MD, Past-President, International Association for the Study of Trauma, and author Creating Sanctuary: Toward the Evolution of Sand Societies and Bearing Witness: Violence and Collective Responsibility

"A very workable eight-step program, based on real-life experiences, that can genuinely improve family interactions. Full of insights and suggestions on how to create solutions fo family problems."
--- Abbey Strauss, MD, host of "Vital Signs" on WXEL public radio in South Florida