A few years ago, I went back to school and got my degree. I was flipping through a catalog of courses a couple of evenings ago and my husband and I were talking about classes we’d like to go back to school and take. One of the classes that came up during that discussion was a class in marriage education.
I was looking at the different psychology offerings and I asked, wondering out loud more, why didn’t the area community colleges get into offering a few couress in marriage education. More and more, adults returning to school comprise upwards of 40% of the students attending community colleges.
Preemptive Counseling
My husband and I went to marriage counseling and while we both benefited a great deal from it, there were still places where we both felt that it was lacking. In fact, in discussion between us we targeted several areas where we felt like we needed more and that more we’re not going to get in counseling.
The problem with most marriage counseling is that it is not sought until there are problems in the marriage. A class in marriage education doesn’t invite you to attend it when things aren’t going well, instead – let’s go when things are going okay and let’s see if we can make them better.
Marriage Education Agenda
The syllabus for marriage education should teach different ways of communicating as well as positive problem resolution before the problems actually occur. Think of it as a course in marriage project management. Couples who can identify their hot spots before they are even warm stand a better chance of circumventing meltdowns.
There are plenty of bonuses that marriage education can offer to a couple. One such course developed by the director of the Psychological Health Research Center in Brisbane, Australia. The program is called Couple CARE (Commitment and Relationship Enhancement). The marriage education course is designed for you and your spouse to do it at home.
The course uses DVDs, workbooks, weekly phone sessions with a licensed therapist and a six part series on sef-change, intimacy, caring, communication, sexual intimacy and looking ahead. It’s important to note that this is a course is not available to a couple directly as yet, but can be ordered by a marriage counselor and they act as the licensed therapist in the equation.
Among the most powerful options to be found in a marriage education course is the ability to recognize and change your own behavior. We can’t change other people, but we can change ourselves. If you are looking for a way to make your marriage stronger, better or just want to explore ways to enhance personal intimacy and growth – check out marriage education as an option.
When my husband and I were working through a marriage book that our counselor recommended – we rediscovered something we’d forgotten – we really do like to talk to each other about a lot of things that have nothing to do with our family, our bills and our household.
Imagine that?
Have you ever taken a marriage education class?
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