Family Law

Looking to Build a Stronger Relationship?

By Robert L. Mues

Unlike many family law blogs which just share divorce information, we take a much broader view of ?family law? and try to provide positive helpful information to readers about ways to help keep marriages together.  Clearly, marriage is an important public and social good, associated with a broad array of positive outcomes for adults, children, and the community as a whole. Divorce proceedings should never be initiated lightly! All relationships have ?ups and downs? that can sometimes be very difficult to navigate.

Marriage Works! Ohio! offers an extensive range of programs and services throughout Shelby, Miami, Montgomery, Greene, Butler and Warren counties. This collaborative effort of faith-based and community organizations, including Elizabeth?s New Life Center, has been operating for 3 years.  Recently, it was recognized by the Department of Health and Human Services as one of the 8 most promising programs for marriage education in the country! Their mission is to demonstrate ways to increase knowledge of basic relationship skills, communication skills, commitment to the relationship, and positive conflict resolution among adults and teenagers.  Most of their classes are free of charge. Classes are small, usually with only 10 to 20 couples.  Workshops and classes range in length from only a few hours to an 18 week course!

According to Marriage Works! Ohio! statistics, two-thirds of marriages end due to ?low-conflict? reasons, where there was no abuse, violence or serious fighting. Their programs help equip people with a toolbox of skills that are valuable in establishing and maintaining a healthy relationship. They have classes for teens, married couples, people seriously dating, engaged couples, or those that have a child together. Marriage Education or Enrichment (ME) is a fairly new concept.  The idea behind ME is that relationship skills can be learned, and couples who have and use good relationship skills will have a healthier, happier life together.  Their goal is to share these relationship skills (like conflict resolution techniques and communication ideas) with couples so that they can use them to empower and improve their own relationships.

Marriage Works! Ohio! is not a counseling or therapy service, but they do have a support staff to provide one-on-one assistance for couples who are seeking further individualized education to enrich or strengthen their relationship. Communication, conflict resolution, infidelity, divorce prevention and reconciliation are frequent issues the support staff addresses with couples in these sessions utilizing solution focused techniques. Here is a partial list of programs, classes and workshops that they offer:

• Marriage Builders/ Relationship Builders
• Love Thinks: Balancing the Head and the Heart
• Healthy Couples
• Growing a Loving, Lasting Marriage
• Men?s Mentoring Group
• Expecting a Baby?

For more information about Marriage Works! Ohio! Or, to sign up for a class, please go to their website at www.TrustMarriage.com or click <>here. They can be reached by telephone at (937) 262-7010. Look for articles and tips from Marriage Works! Ohio! in posts to come on the Ohio Family Law Blog!

If you found this article of interest, we had previously  written about the importance of seeking professional counseling and/or therapy during a divorce. Click here to read that article.

Bookmark and share this to:

Full post as published by Ohio Family Law Blog on November 28, 2009 (boomark / email).