Two Days
FOCCUS and REFOCCUS
Bob Thome, LCSW, Lynda Madison, PhD
This two-day workshop trains participants to use two research-based tools for guiding and strengthening healthy relationships: The FOCCUS Premarriage Inventory and the REFFOCUS Marriage Enrichment Inventory. Participants become certified as FOCCUS Facilitators, allowing them to use both inventories with couples in their organizations. Participation in this two-day training also meets the educational requirements needed to apply for FOCCUS Trainer certification, which allows experienced FOCCUS users to train others to within their organization.
FOCCUS is a 156-item marriage preparation inventory recognized internationally as user-friendly, affordable, flexible in design and content, and supported by research.
REFOCCUS is s marriage enrichment tool used with married couples in groups or as individual couples to assist them to recognize their marriage as unique and respond to its nuances in an ongoing process.
The FOCCUS & REFOCCUS inventories are designed for use by both professional and lay facilitators of marriage preparation and marriage enrichment. Both instruments have high reliability and validity and are designed to increase couple awareness and discussion based on their unique profile without subjective interpretation by the facilitator. Both are easily integrated into many different marriage preparation and enrichment programs.
Participants will learn to:
• Use FOCCUS and REFOCCUS in their work with couples in their organization, individually or in group settings
• Administer all six editions of FOCCUS (General, Christian Non-Denominational, Catholic, Orthodox Christian, Spanish and Alternate)
• Facilitate couple discussion and problem solving using the nineteen FOCCUS categories, 50 patterns, and dozens of optional follow-up questions to provide an individualized profile for each couple.
• Discuss issues couples need to address, based on unique FOCCUS sections and/or response patterns regarding careers, domestic violence, challenges for interfaith couples, remarriage couples, and cohabiting couples, family of origin patterns, and understanding of individual and couple spirituality.
• Adapt FOCCUS to their unique marriage preparation process, including using FOCCUS with individual couples or with groups of couples; as a discussion/problem-solving tool; as a “first step” to help couples identify and own their issues before they begin a skill training program; in an educational programs on weekends; in a series with other couples, sponsor couples, or mentor couples.
Participants will learn three scoring options that make FOCCUS affordable to all couples and facilitators:
1. Mail-In Scoring. Couples’ paper answer sheets can be sent directly to FOCCUS, Inc. USA at for scoring. Printed results will be returned to you within 7-9 business days. $20.
2. Quick Score Processing. Couples’ answers to the paper-pencil version of the inventory is scored by the facilitator (or his/her organization) via the FOCCUS website by entering the couples’ responses into a Quick Score option. $15
3. On-Line Couple Entry. Facilitators allow their couples to take the FOCCUS Inventory online. Using an access code, the Facilitator can tell when the couple has completed the inventory and print the scored report. $15
Workshop Participants will receive:
• The FOCCUS Notebook (Users’ Manual)
• Five editions of FOCCUS: three editions adapt to the religious and/or spiritual
backgrounds of couples (Christian Non-Denominational edition, Orthodox Christian, and Catholic
editions for Christian couples; General Edition for those with or without religious backgrounds): the fourth Alternate Edition is for persons with learning difficulties or those learning English as second language. Participants can request other language FOCCUS inventories, including
Spanish, French Canadian, Chinese, and Korean.
• A REFOCCUS packet for use at no charge with a couple
• The REFOCCUS Manual for Group Use.
Completing the Two-Day FOCCUS/REFOCCUS Workshop certifies you as a FOCCUS Facilitator and prepares you for certification as a FOCCUS Trainer of facilitators for your designated church area or organization. You are a phone call away from Training Support from a Certified National FOCCUS Trainer designated by FOCCUS, Inc.
For more information:
FOCCUS, Inc
3214 North 60th St
Omaha, Nebraska 68104
877-883-5422, or 402-551-9003
Email: foccus@foccusinc.com
Web: www.foccusinc.com
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This institute is part of the week-long Smart Marriages conference.
Conference Details: download a conference brochure, Register ONLINE, hotel & travel information & discounts, etc.