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Psychologist Suggests Couples Put Together Notoriously Complicated Furniture To Improve Communication

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – A clinical psychologist has come up with a unique way to help couples communicate.

IKEA inspired the idea for "task therapy."

As anyone who has bought the store's furniture knows, assembling it can be pretty complicated.

But a psychology professor and private practitioner says that's exactly why she tells her couples in therapy to build it.

"You are completely inter-dependent if you're going to put this thing together as a couple," says Dr. Ramani Durvasula. "So if you can't communicate, and you can't collaborate, or you're yelling at each other, this thing's not going to get put together."

She suggests couples try to assemble a big wall unit that requires two people to put together.

She says that with good communication, she's seen couples grow.

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