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The Marriage Meeting Program: A Strength Based Approach for Successful Relationships

Previously Recorded
Marcia Naomi Berger, LCSW
$39.99

Today's divorce rate, and how it impacts individuals, families and society, shows a crying need for a proactive approach to creating fulfilling, lasting marriages. This course teaches clinicians and counselors how to introduce the marriage meeting tool to therapy clients and how to lead marriage meeting workshops for couples. It presents guidelines, positive communication skills, and explains step-by-step how to conduct the meeting's simple four-part agenda: Appreciation, Coordinating Chores, Planning for Good Times, and Problems and Challenges.

Learning Objectives:

  1. State the value of helping clients create more fulfilling marriages.
  2. Explain how societal changes bred new spousal expectations.
  3. Describe the benefits, structure, guidelines, and techniques for effective Marriage Meetings.
  4. Be able to explain to clients how to conduct each of the four parts of the Marriage Meeting agenda.
  5. Explain how using positive communication skills contributes to successful Marriage Meetings and to better relating in general.
  6. Describe how to use marriage meetings in therapy sessions to diagnose or identify issues to address in psychotherapy.
  7. Explain how to lead a workshop in which couples role play all four parts of marriage meeting with leader assisting and coaching.
  8. State how the marriage meeting tool is compatible with various therapies, self-help systems, and cultures.ehavioral, psychodynamic, emotionally focused therapy (EFT), and other therapy models

Agenda:

1. Introduction. A proactive approach fosters lasting, successful marriages. 

2. Learning objectives. 

3. The rationale for the Marriage Meeting Program: 

    • The high cost of failed marriages 

    • New expectations for a 21st-century marriage

    • Specific benefits of marriage meetings

    • How marriage meetings differ from couple therapy

4. The structure of a marriage meeting in couple therapy sessions and Marriage Meeting Workshops. 

5. Guidelines for marriage meetings: Time, place, etiquette

6. How to hold each part of a marriage meeting. Includes examples. 

The meeting’s agenda has four sections, conducted in this sequence:

    A. Appreciation 

    B. Chores/Responsibilities 

    C. Planning for Good Times 

    D. Problems and Challenges 

7. Communication Skills for Marriage Meetings 

    I-Statements, Congruent Communication, Nonverbal Communication, Self-Talk, Active Listening, Giving Constructive Feedback, Brainstorming for Solutions

8. Marriage Meeting As a Diagnostic Tool, with example 

9. How Marriage Meetings are Compatible with Different Therapy and Other Approaches: 

  • Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
  • John Gottman’s Marital Therapy Model
  • Family Systems model (Virginia Satir)
  • Emotionally Focused Therapy
  • Imago Therapy
  • Strategic Therapy approaches (Milton Erickson, Jay Haley)
  • Male/Female Communication Differences
  • Neuroscience/Neurobiology findings
  • Psychodynamic Therapy
  • Twelve-Step programs                                                                                                                                                     

10. Multicultural and Lifestyle Considerations: African American, Latino, LGBT Cultures, Asian culture, American culture

11. Case Examples: Therapist Demonstrates Parts of a Marriage Meeting 

12. How to Lead a Two-Session Marriage Meeting Workshop 

      Session 1 Workshop Format: Couples learn guidelines and positive communication techniques. They roleplay each part of a marriage meeting and agree to hold a meeting at home before the second session.

      Session 2 Workshop Format: Participants report briefly on how their marriage meetings at home went. Review communication skills Demonstrate and role play to help fine-tune the use of tools and techniques.

13. Q & A about Marriage Meetings for clients, workshop participants, and others 

14. Questions and discussion with CE seminar participants.

 

This workshop offers 2 Continuing Education Credits
This webinar is recorded and will not grant live credits.

This presentation is open to:
  • Social Workers
  • Professional Counselors
  • Therapists
  • Psychologists
  • Licensed Mental Health Practitioners
  • Medical Doctors and Other Health Professionals
  • Other professionals interacting with populations engaged in mental health based services
Course Level: intermediate
Level of Clinician: intermediate
  • New practitioners who wish to gain enhanced insight surrounding the topic
  • Experienced practitioners who seek to increase and expand fundamental knowledge surrounding the subject matter
  • Advanced practitioners seeking to review concepts and reinforce practice skills and/or access additional consultation
  • Managers seeking to broaden micro and/or macro perspectives

Participants will receive their certificate electronically upon completion of the webinar and course evaluation form.

Disability Access - If you require ADA accommodations, please contact our office 30 days or more before the event. We cannot ensure accommodations without adequate prior notification. Please Note: Licensing Boards change regulations often, and while we attempt to stay abreast of their most recent changes, if you have questions or concerns about this course meeting your specific board’s approval, we recommend you contact your board directly to obtain a ruling. The grievance policy for trainings provided by NEFESH INTERNATIONAL is available here Satisfactory Completion Participants must have paid the tuition fee, logged in and out each day, attended the entire workshop, and completed an evaluation to receive a certificate (If this is a pre-recorded program, a post-test with a passing grade of 80% to receive a certificate.) Failure to log in or out will result in forfeiture of credit for the entire course. No exceptions will be made. Partial credit is not available. Certificates are available after satisfactory course completion by clicking here.
There is no conflict of interest or commercial support for this program.
  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0129.
  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0325.
  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0774.
Refund Policy:
Full Refund until 48 hours before scheduled date.
48 hours before: full refund less $5.00 processing fee. After event no refund will be given.
*exclusions apply for reasonable need and cause.