INSIDE: Notes From Health Care 78 More Chanukah, Vodka Photos 79 It's All In The Sauce 80 food health the scene sports taff pho to by Kris ca Husa travel • Brenda Strausz wi ll enh ce relationships. EXPERT TEACHES HOW TO MAKE A MATCH THAT IGNITES FOREVER N LISA BARSON Special to the Jewish News of all that long ago, before singles bars, personal ads and Internet chat rooms, matchmakers created couples. The matchmaker knew all of the available men and women in town, determined which families were compat- ible and, in a matter of months, created unions that would last for life. But nowadays we are left to our own devices to find that soul mate. With about half of today's marriages ending in divorce, even the most confident person can be leery of commitment. That's where Brenda Strausz offers to -help. This 51-year-old Southfield resident has been happily married for 27 years and wants to help others create marriages as successful as hers. Strausz, a psychotherapist with a practice in Royal Oak, is the only Michigan-based relationship coach for the national LifePartnerQuest program. LifePartnerQuest, based in California, was started three years ago by David Steele and Marvin Cohen. The two observed that while there are many ways to meet singles, finding the right person is extremely difficult. Steele and Cohen believed that people often feel they have to set- tle for a relationship that is not completely right for them. So they began to teach classes that empowered people to look inside themselves, become aware of who they are and determine what kind of person would be right for them. The program promotes fulfilling, lifelong partnerships by provid- ing effective and healthy support, information and resources to sin- gles and couples. Steele and Cohen wanted to spread the program throughout the country, and taught others how to become relationship coaches. Strausz took their course and became one of 140 certified instruc- tors in the United States. 1/5 2001 75