Reading List
Authors Like
Harville Hendrix was born in Statesboro, Georgia, in 1935 and was ordained a Baptist minister at seventeen. He studied at Union Theological Seminary and took a doctorate in psychology and religion at the University of Chicago. With his wife, Helen LaKelly Hunt, he developed Imago Relationship Therapy, built on the idea that we choose partners who reopen the hurts of childhood so that they can be healed. Seventeen appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show helped popularise Getting the Love You Want (1988), which the couple fully revised in 2019. In August 2024 they published How to Talk with Anyone about Anything: The Practice of Safe Conversations, which came out in paperback in September 2025. The ten writers below share his questions: why we choose the partners we choose, what childhood leaves in us, and how two people learn to talk.
By Lisanne Swart · 10 authors · Couples therapy · Attachment · Updated October 2026
Quick answer
The closest matches to Harville Hendrix are Sue Johnson, who developed Emotionally Focused Therapy and wrote Hold Me Tight (2008), seven conversations for couples, John Bowlby, the British psychiatrist behind attachment theory and Attachment (1969), and John Gottman, the University of Washington psychologist who wrote The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work (1999). Further down are a Belgian therapist who argues that security can smother desire, and a second Baptist minister with a far simpler model of love.
10 authors like Harville Hendrix
Where to start if you loved Harville Hendrix
If you liked Getting the Love You Want, read Sue Johnson.
Hold Me Tight (2008): seven conversations for couples.
If you want the science behind it, read John Bowlby.
A Secure Base (1988): parent-child attachment, from the founder of attachment theory.
If you want the counter-argument, read Esther Perel.
Mating in Captivity (2006): why security and desire pull in different directions.
If you want a structure for any hard talk, read Marshall Rosenberg.
Nonviolent Communication (1999): a method for conversations without blame.
If you have read only Getting the Love You Want, try Hendrix's Keeping the Love You Find (1993).
His book for readers who are single, written before the next relationship begins.
Frequently asked questions about authors like Harville Hendrix
Who writes like Harville Hendrix?
Sue Johnson, John Gottman and Harriet Lerner also write practical books for couples. John Bowlby and Erich Fromm wrote the older psychology and philosophy his ideas sit beside.
What should I read after Getting the Love You Want?
Sue Johnson's Hold Me Tight (2008) is the closest next step. For a different view, read Esther Perel's Mating in Captivity (2006).
Does Harville Hendrix have a new book?
His most recent book, written with Helen LaKelly Hunt, is How to Talk with Anyone about Anything: The Practice of Safe Conversations, published by Thomas Nelson in August 2024 and in paperback in September 2025.
Which Harville Hendrix book should I read first?
Getting the Love You Want (1988; revised 2019) is the core book. Keeping the Love You Find (1993) is for single readers, and Giving the Love That Heals (1997) is for parents.
Is Harville Hendrix like John Gottman?
Both write for couples, but Hendrix starts from a theory about childhood while Gottman starts from research on couples. Gottman's divorce-prediction claims have themselves been questioned.
Who is Helen LaKelly Hunt?
She is Hendrix's wife and co-author. Together they developed Imago Relationship Therapy and have written more than ten books.
Sources
- Harville Hendrix — Wikipedia
- Harville Hendrix and Helen LaKelly Hunt — official site
- How to Talk with Anyone about Anything, editions — Goodreads
- John Gottman — Wikipedia
List last reviewed 31 October 2026.
More from the shelf
From the bookshelf
If this shelf interested you, the full bookshelf has more: reading lists by theme, author guides, and notes on what is actually worth your time.
Browse the full bookshelf Get book recommendationsRead next
