The marriage and relationshp education courses listed on the Directory:

-  Are between 4 to 20 hours long. Some are taught in a weekend format,
some are taught one night a week for several weeks - a few are longer.

-  Are presented in a classroom setting.  Think instructor, flip chart,
video tapes. This is not therapy or counseling, this is education.

-  Are taught in community centers, churches, schools, courts,
private practice offices, child birth clinics, Extension service offices,
HMOs, on military bases - just about anywhere that has space.

-  Are not therapy or counseling - couples don�t share personal
issues or feelings in the classroom.

-  Include some form of basic communication skills training - you &
your partner will learn techniques like speaker- listener, time outs,
shared meaning, conflict-resolution, problem solving, empathy-building,
softened start-up, love maps, etc.  You will practice them in private.

-  Normalize conflict, differences and change as part of a
good marriage and as part of a loving relationship.

-  Work well with couples at any stage - dating, cohabitating,
premarital couples, newlyweds, long-married and/or troubled couples,
and remarried couples. The courses also work for gay/lesbian couples.

-  Assume men and women are equally capable of learning
marriage skills and are equally invested in having a satisfying, successful marriage.

  Here are first-person accounts from people who have taken the courses:

Marriage Makeover  - Molly Hanson, New Woman*first-person account - PAIRSprogram

Can We End Divorce? - Elise Pettus, SWING**first-person account - PREP course

How a Refrigerator Magnet Saved My Marriage- David Abrahms - first-person account - PREP course

Keeping the Romance Alive- On Attending the Hot Monogamy Program, Style - first-person account

Additional reading about the programs and courses:

Frequently Asked Questions about taking the PAIRS semester-long program -   Linda Carroll-Barraud

Are You Smart Enough to Have a Smart Marriage -  Diane Sollee

Love Lessons - Hara Estroff Marano, Psychology Today **Introto six marriage education courses