True Companions Study Guide

How do we cultivate the life-long relationships we are longing for, whether within marriage or friendship?

In his book True Companions, psychologist Kelly Flanagan shows how each of us can enjoy the deeply satisfying, transformational love of companionship. He shows us how self-knowledge leads the way to growing in love for both God and others. He shows us how understanding our own loneliness can help us relieve the pressure on our companions. And he shows us how understanding our own psychological and emotional defenses can help us to make the choice to love more vulnerably.

In this five-session companion study guide, groups, couples, and individuals will learn how to show up in our most important relationships. Anyone—from single young adults to elderly married couples, from the divorced to the widowed, from siblings to friends—can benefit from the wisdom it uncovers about what it means to be human and to be true companions.



Kelly Flanagan is a clinical psychologist and is the founder of Artisan Clinical Associates, a private practice in Naperville, Illinois, offering services to teens, adults, couples, and families. The author of The Marriage Manifesto and Loveable, he has also written for publications such as Christianity Today, Reader's Digest, and Huffington Post. In 2014, a letter he wrote to his daughter led to their appearance on the TODAY Show. Flanagan is a popular blogger and speaks regularly on topics related to marriage, parenting, and spiritual formation. He lives in Dixon, Illinois, with his wife, Kelly, and their three children.

Welcome to Companion Camp


Week One: The Four Kinds of Love


Week Two: Growing Quiet Before You Grow Closer


Week Three: Growing Strong by Growing Wiser


Week Four: Growing Old with Your Fragility Primed


Week Five: Who Loved You into Being?