Marriage education is available to a large number of couples and individuals across the United States, due in part to the authorization of federal funds supporting state and local healthy marriage activities. There are more than 300 programs funded through public dollars to deliver relationship education and related services to youth and adults. A key […]
Government touches the lives of families in many ways. Because of the complexity of governmental organizations, community- and faith-based organizations may be reluctant to partner with government, especially to deliver marriage/relationship education services (MRE). This guide is intended for practitioners who are familiar with operating an MRE program and are interested in exploring collaboration with […]
Infertility can negatively impact couple relationships. This fact sheet provides statistics related to the incidence of infertility and the available treatment options. In addition, the impacts of infertility on marriages and couple dynamics are briefly discussed. (Author abstract)
Marriage mentoring is a marriage education strategy that pairs an experienced couple alongside a younger couple to help them navigate through the ups and downs of their relationship. The amount of time the two couples stay connected varies, but generally averages six to twelve months. A successful mentor relationship can last informally for years. This […]
Race, as well as culture, ethnicity, and religion, are important factors leading to an increase in diversity seen in today’s marriages. As such, it is difficult to isolate the impact of racial differences within a marriage. This Fact Sheet highlights trends and rates of interracial marriages in American society, and discusses possible explanations of these […]
An engagement is an exciting time in a couple’s life. They now look forward to the beginning of a new life together and the joining of two families. While most couples spend hours planning for the wedding, focused on dresses, cakes, photographers and seating arrangements, very few couples, unless they are required to do so […]
There is not consensus among practitioners or researchers as to who is/is not appropriate for MRE. However, most MRE programs are not generally designed to work with highly distressed couples (Retrouvaille is one such program) or those requiring intensive intervention (for issues related to substance abuse, mental health problems, infidelity, etc.). In fact, MRE is […]
An incentive, for purposes of this Tip Sheet, means a reward available for participating in a marriage education program. An incentive may have direct value, like a restaurant gift card, or may have an indirect value, like a certificate of completion for a free/reduced marriage license. Incentives can be for each couple, participant or just […]
Many social service programs share common goals although they may vary widely by funding stream, service delivery strategy and/or target population. The marriage and relationship education (MRE) field and the child welfare system both strive to strengthen families and improve child outcomes. MRE practitioners may want to consider building partnerships with child protective services (CPS) […]
A press release is a common way to promote an upcoming event or share important news. These are especially important tools for publicly funded healthy relationship and marriage programs that may not have a large marketing budget but want to raise community awareness of the services they offer. This Tip Sheet provides a formatting guide […]