A non-profit, tax exempt,
religious corporation. Contributions are tax deductible as allowable by law.
Ministering where you're
at, with a vision of where you want to be"
`
Relationship Enhancement
Christian Prep
Relationship Enhancement® for Couples helps couples to give
each other the Gift of Love by learning skills which make love
comfortable, generous, healing, and joyful. Founded on values of honesty
and compassion, RE enables each partner to fully express what is most
important and use that expression to resolve conflict and build love. It
consists of training in 9 relationship skills that enable couples to:
Speak in ways that will help your partner want to cooperate
Express understanding in ways that help each other communicate
from your deepest, best selves.
Discuss issues and conflicts in ways that lead to solutions you
both can feel good about
Find and express the positives that are part of every conflict
Use conflict to grow closer
Work out the details of agreements so issues resolved today are
lived out tomorrow and next month
Use skills to transform over time both your couple relationship
and your relationships with children, co-workers, and friends.
The 10 Relationship Enhancement® Skills
1). Empathic Skill: will teach you how to listen to and
empathize with your partner (or another person) in a manner that leaves
him or her feeling understood, deepens his or her self-understanding,
and encourages further self-exploration and self-disclosure; it also
will enable you to connect more deeply with your partner’s (or another
person’s) experience in a manner that increases receptivity to and
acceptance of the his or her point of view; finally, it will foster a
deepened sense of intimacy, compassion and emotional bonding in your
relationship.
2). Expressive Skill: will teach you how to promote a
spirit of cooperation and to express yourselves openly, honestly and
clearly, but in a manner designed to minimize defensiveness on the part
of your partner (or another person) and to maximize his or her
receptivity to hearing your point of view and to resolving an issue
constructively.
3). Discussion/Negotiation Skill: will teach you how to
dialogue with one another in a manner that fosters emotional safety;
promotes deepened understanding and acceptance of one another’s point of
view; and helps build a commitment to finding an appropriate solution to
a problem when that is called for.
4). Problem/Conflict Resolution Skill: will teach you how
to devise creative solutions that genuinely address both of your
concerns and meet both of your desires, and that are sufficiently
detailed to help ensure implementation.
5). Facilitation (or Coaching) Skill: will teach you how to
keep your dialogues on track when either of you fails to be skillful,
and to do so in a manner that minimizes the risk of disrupting your
dialogue.
6). Conflict Management Skill: will teach you how to better
regulate your emotions and to manage difficult conflict situations more
effectively and in a manner that preserves emotional safety and respect
for your relationship.
7). Self-Change Skill: will teach the person who is
agreeing to make a change in behavior do so more quickly and reliably.
8). Helping-Others Change Skill: will teach the person who
has requested and is hoping for a change in a partner’s (or another
person’s) behavior to be patient and constructively supportive of that
person’s change efforts.
9). Generalization Skill: will teach you how to consolidate
and integrate your use of the RE skills into your daily lives and how to
use these skills unilaterally to improve communication in virtually any
relationship.
10). Maintenance Skill: will increase the likelihood that
you will continue to use the RE skills on a long-term basis.
(information below from www.prepinc.com)
First and
foremost, Christian PREP is a program reflecting a clear commitment to
traditional Christianity and Christian truth. The model of integration
employed here gives first place to the revelation of scripture and second
place to sound research. If revelation and research are in conflict,
revelation wins out. The fact is, however, that revelation and sound
research are consistently and amazingly consistent in those areas where
they speak to the same phenomena. This has been one of the most exciting
aspects of bringing this project together.
Christian PREP (The Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program) is
the culmination of years of work by many colleagues on understanding what
makes for great marriages and what causes marital failure and breakdown.
The program is founded on a Christian model and teaching on marriage, with
an integration of solid research on marriage and relationships. The model
of integration we employ is described below after we present some history
of the PREP program in general.
The Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP®) is a
research-based approach to teaching couples how to communicate
effectively, work as a team to solve problems, manage conflicts without
damaging closeness, and preserve and enhance love, commitment, and
friendship. The PREP Approach is based on 25 years of research in the
field of marital health and success, with much of the specific research
conducted at the University of Denver over the past 20 years. Drs. Markman,
Stanley, Blumberg, and a host of colleagues and research assistants, have
been studying what happy couples do right and what unhappy couples do
wrong. One focus of this work has been on how to take this information and
teach couples skills and attitudes associated with marital success.
PREP was designed to teach couples communication and problem solving
skills found to be linked to effective marital functioning. It employs
techniques from behavioral marital therapy (e.g., Jacobson & Margolin,
1979) and ideas similar to some other communication-training marital
programs (e.g., Guerney, 1977). The current version of PREP has been
refined and based on up-to-date research, particularly in the areas of
communication, conflict management, affect regulation, commitment,
expectations, intimacy enhancement, and gender differences (Markman, et
al., 1994; Stanley, et al., 1999). PREP attempts to help couples reduce or
limit risk factors and raise protective factors, including the following
topics: interactional danger signs of future problems, gender differences,
using structure to promote safety, the Speaker/Listener Technique, problem
solving, Ground Rules for handling conflict, strategies for dealing with
issues versus events, clarifying core beliefs and expectations,
forgiveness, commitment, and how to preserve and enhance fun, friendship,
and sensuality (Stanley, et al., 1999).
Thursday evenings: Oct 16, 23, 30,
Nov. 6 from 7p-9 pm
Santiago Canyon College
8045 E. Chapman Ave.
(class in Room D208)
Orange, Ca. 92869-4512
Register 714-628-4960 Event #42901 or
Register
on-line (under personal enrichment)
Cost $79 per couple or $59 one person
(optional workbook available in class at $16.16)
Cost of Christian Prep
Program $85 individual/ $149 couple including materials (12 hours).
Taught by an authorized Christian Prep instructor.
Group rate $599 plus $30 per couple
Private Instruction on
Relationship Enhancement
We realize
that some may rather have private instruction in their home instead of
attending a group class. Private instruction is $55 per 45 minute
session. You pay as you go and can discontinue sessions at any time.
If interested in private session, please indicate this in the information
requested. A chare of $32.33 will also be assessed for the workbook.
Name
Phone Number
Representing
Address
Information requested
E-mail
The
Divorce Remedy - The Proven 7-Step Program for Saving Your Marriage, by
Michele Weiner-Davis
In her
book, "The Divorce Remedy", Weiner Davis has created a seven-step program
anyone can follow to revitalize even the most damaged marriage. Weiner Davis
will be your relationship coach, offering down-to-earth, psychobabble-free
guidance and encouragement every step of the way. She teaches you how to
identify specific marriage-saving goals, move beyond ineffective, hurtful ways
of interacting, and become an expert on "doing what works". Inspirational
anecdotes and in-depth case studies show how couples have used these
techniques to save their marriages, and how you can use these same techniques
to rescue yours.
Weiner
Davis also offers solution-oriented strategies for readers to cope with
infidelity, Internet obsessions, depression, sexual problems, and midlife
crises. And if you think your partner already has a foot out the door, this
proven program is a recipe for change, even if only you participate.
Practical and empowering, "The Divorce Remedy" is the road map you need to
get your marriage back on track - and keep it there.
Published
in 2001; available from most on-line and retail booksellers. (Note - above
description transcribed from inside cover of the book.)
Michele
Weiner Davis is a world renowned marriage-restoration expert. Here is a
sample of some of the things available on her web site:
Read
some of Michele's articles. If you are in a troubled marriage, these are MUST
READS! And, they're free! (Isn't the internet wonderful?) Sample titles
include "The walkaway wife syndrome", "Healing from infidelity", "Choosing a
Marital Therapist" and "Should couples stay together for the sake of the
kids?".
An
opportunity to sample Michele's books. Excerpts from several of Weiner Davis'
books are available online, including the first chapter of the book
referenced above, "The Divorce Remedy" (highly recommended);
Recent
success stories - true life reports of people who have recently restored their
marriages;
The
Message Board - You're not alone! See what others are going through; watch as
fellow journeyors offer their advice. Ask for advice yourself, if you want.
Schedule
a telephone consultation with a "Divorce Busting relationship coach" (there
is a fee for this service).
This web
site is full of ideas on how to strengthen marriages. It is operated by Dr.
Willard Harley, who is the author of the best-seller "His Needs, Her Needs"
and whose ideas have saved literally thousands of marriages. There is a ton
of information on this site, so wade in slowly. First step - take the "Site
Tour" to get an overview of what is available on the site. After that, click
on "Basic Concepts" to get an understanding of the underlying concepts of Dr.
Harley's approach.
This
website gives information about a New Beginning for troubled marriages. A New
Beginning is an intensive three-day weekend that dramatically changes your
relationship with your spouse, regardless of what you feel for each other now.
It can save your marriage! We do more than tell people what will work. We help
them implement changes. We help them deal with the emotions and feelings that
are keys to overcoming the past and building a future together. This approach
has been amazing in making bad marriages good. By that, we don't just mean
that couples stayed together. We mean they learned how to be in love with each
other again.
Call (800)
650-9995 and ask to speak to Rebecca Griffith, who can tell you all about this
proven turn-around weekend for troubled marriages.
Marriage Lifeline
A positive
intervention program aimed at helping those who are married and miserable. A
trained marriage translator uses convenient on-line tools to conduct 8 phone
calls over a month. Marriage Lifeline has been very successful in helping
struggling couples see themselves and each other in a whole new light. It
gives them new hope to continue with their marriage and not see divorce as an
option. The program is offered without charge. After completing the program
couples are asked to contribute to the
Laugh Your
Way America! Foundation - connected to Mark Gungor¹s Laugh Your Way
organization. For information, call 866-525-2844 or visit
www.laughyourway.org
Reconciling God's Way - by Joe and Michelle Williams
This is a
12-week Christianity-based course which teaches 27 different Reconciliation
Tools. The course is designed to be conducted in either a group setting
(typically at a church) or individually. In an individual setting, the
Participant locates a same-sex committed-Christian Support Partner who will
meet with the Participant once a week for one hour, reviewing the
Participant's progress on the assignments and holding him/her accountable.
Both the Participant and the Support Partner have their own workbook which
they work through. While both spouses are encouraged to participate in the
program (separately, each having their own Support Partner), the program can
also be effective when only one of the parties participates. The cost of the
Reconciling God's Way Workbook set (which includes one each of the Participant
Workbook and the Support Partner Workbook) is $22 plus $5 shipping. The
material can be ordered by calling (209) 578-4357 or on the internet at
www.ReconcilingGodsWay.org. (Note to Pastors - if you are interested
in evaluating "Reconciling God's Way" as a possible divorce-prevention
ministry in your Church, please e-mail the Orange County Marriage Resource
Center. We have additional information on this program, including a "Loaner"
Leader's Kit, which we will be happy to make available to any Orange County
based Church for evaluation purposes.)
Choosing Wisely - Before You Divorce
Are you
considering divorce? Is your spouse?
This may
be the biggest decision of your life. One that will affect you for years to
come. Don’t let the emotional intensity of a marriage crisis drive your
decision. Before deciding whether to divorce or stay together, you need
information—LOTS of information.
Before You
Divorce will help you step back from the emotional turmoil you now face to
take an objective view of how divorce (if you select that path) will affect
your life in several different areas:
Emotional
Physical
Financial
Legal
Children
and family
Spiritual
It is
essential that you have this information before making your decision.
The Before
You Divorce kit includes 5 video sessions, 2 workbooks and a Facilitators
Guide, packaged in an attractive library case.
Each video
session is produced in an interesting television magazine format. The sessions
include interviews with top experts and real-life stories of people who have
experienced divorce. The Before You Divorce workbook includes a section for
taking notes as you view each video, a daily devotional and a journal section.
The total cost for the entire kit is only $60, a small investment to make
before making such a life-changing decision.
You'll
find these tapes helpful if your current status falls in one of these
categories:
You
are still married but having major problems. You and your spouse may have
already talked about separation or divorce.
You
are still living together but have separated emotionally.
You
have separated physically but are still married. You or your spouse may be
involved in a relationship with another person.
You
have divorced but have not remarried. Again, you or your spouse may have
already become involved in a romantic and/or sexual relationship with another
person.
For more
information about Before You Divorce, click
here. To order the material, call 1-800-489-7778
Smalley
Marriage Institute
Our
passion is to provide couples with insight and skills that can set them free
from the barriers keeping them from experiencing a thriving marriage. These
insights and skills have been learned by literally hundreds of couples from
all over the country who have found help in our 2-day and 4-day
Intensive Marriage Counseling Programs. Over the past several years,
these insights have been refined and translated by our professional team and
are now available through our "The
Marriage Dance" conference and resource materials. Visit our website
for more information
www.smalleymarriage.com or call 866-875-2915.
Read
some of Michele's articles. If you are in a troubled marriage, these are MUST
READS! And, they're free! (Isn't the internet wonderful?) Sample titles
include "The walkaway wife syndrome", "Healing from infidelity", "Choosing a
Marital Therapist" and "Should couples stay together for the sake of the
kids?".