Healthy marriage
Number of unique resources found: 59
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– Evaluation –
Description: This site from the US Dept. Of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, provides information, resources and links to the Healthy Marriage Initiative. Resources are also available in Spanish.
Description: Supporting Healthy Marriage is a large-scale, multi-site, multi-year, rigorous test of marriage skills programs for low-income married couples, the project is motivated by research that indicates that married adults and children raised by their married parents do better on a host of outcomes.
– General Information –
Author: Hill, Melinda (8 more by this author)
Description: This is a fact sheet on what marriage really is behind the ceremony, the dresses and the money that goes into it.
Can We Talk? Improving Couple Communication 
Author: Humphries, Deborah
Description: In this segment of the Florida Marriage Preparation series, couples are encouraged to look at the importance of learning and practicing the relationship skills of listening--as well as expressing thoughts and feelings.
Closeness in a Couple Relationship
Author: Bond-Zielinski, Cindy
Description: This fact sheets discusses the challenges that can occur in merging individuals from two families into a cohesive couple relationship. Makes suggestions for balancing separateness and togetherness.
Author: Direnfeld, Gary (34 more by this author)
Description: This article provides suggestions to those in cross-cultural, or multi-cultural families.
Dealing With Anger in a Marriage
Author: Recker, Nancy (5 more by this author)
Description: A fact sheet discussing misconceptions of anger, how people cover up anger, how anger can actually be healthy in a relationship and how to resolve anger.
Familes Taking Charge: Talking With Your Spouse
Author: Hayhoe, Celia Ray (2 more by this author)
Description: This fact sheet is aimed at helping spouses improve their communication between one another.
Description: This website is designed to help couples, who have chosen marriage for themselves, gain greater access to marriage education services, on a voluntary basis, where they can acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to form and sustain a healthy marriage.
Author: Hill, Melinda (8 more by this author)
Description: This fact sheet provides suggestions for ways to nurture relationships when separated.
Managing Two Incomes--Yours, Mine, Ours
Author: Pippidis, Maria
Description: This fact sheet describes how dividing up the paper work and decisions make dealing with income issues a slightly less stressful subject.
Marriage -- A Many-Splendored, Sometimes Splintered, Thing
Author: Matthews, D. (5 more by this author)
Description: Discusses important issues like money, children, role expectations, sex, and in-laws. Points out the idea that single most accurate word to describe what happens in a new marriage is "change." Anything which can be done to help prepare for the inevitable changes of marriage is a good investment in the relationship.
National Extension Relationship and Marriage Education Network - NERMEN
Author: Nordby, Ann (21 more by this author)
Description: This Program Spotlight features the National Extension Relationship & Marriage Education Network (NERMEN). Now in its first year, NERMEN offers resources to educators on strengthening marriages and relationships, and preparing youth to be good partners.
Newlywed Boundaries: Holidays and Children
Author: Direnfeld, Gary (34 more by this author)
Description: This resource provides suggestions on how to avoid conflict and manage the holidays.
Author: Skogrand, Linda (2 more by this author); James P. Marshall
Description: This fact sheet describes the fragility of marriages and how one must be extremely cautious for the first few years.
Newlyweds and The Holidays Chose what is good for the marriage as your first priority
Description: This link provides a 19 minute radio discussion with CHAM Radio talk show host, John Biggs, on how to cope with the holidays as newlyweds.
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service and the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative
Author: Neal, Rachel; Lynda C. Harriman
Description: The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service (OCES) is a major contributor to the collaborative efforts of the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative (OMI). This article discusses the results of this statewide collaborative effort to decrease the state divorce rate.
Pre-Marital Counseling In View Of Abuse
Author: Direnfeld, Gary (34 more by this author)
Description: This article discusses the importance of pre-marital counseling when there is abuse in the relationship.
Seeking Counseling For Marital Issues
Author: Direnfeld, Gary (34 more by this author)
Description: This article discusses counseling for marital issues for both individuals and couples.
The Coalition for Marriage, Family and Couples Education
Description: CMFCE is an interest group whose members are convinced that family breakdown can be reduced through education and information. America's divorce rate has held steady at an unacceptable 50% for thirty years. That's for first marriages. The divorce rate is even higher for second and subsequent marriages -- which show we don't learn from our mistakes. We learn through education.
The Married and Loving It! Program
Author: Petty, Barbara (1 more by this author)
Description: From the University of Idaho Cooperative Extension, this course is designed to strengthen marriage relationships by presenting the research findings about successful and happy couples to the general public.
Author: Douglas, Diann
Description: In this segment of the Florida Marriage Preparation series, couples are encouraged to look at the importance of talking about money openly and honestly before marriage.
– Professional Development –
Building Strong Marriages: A Tale of Two Extension Programs
Author: Futris, Ted (2 more by this author); Wally Goddard; Barbara Petty
Description: Learn about two exciting Extension marriage education programs and the new National Extension Relationship and Marriage Education Model through this archived recording of an online Breeze/Connect training, originally presented October 2007. In addition to NERMEN, learn about "Married and Loving It!" and "The Marriage Garden".
Building Strong Marriages: Resources for and Lessons Learned from Working with Stepfamilies
Author: Adler-Baeder, Francesca (1 more by this author); Brian Higginbotham, Ted Futris
Description: This webinar is on what it takes to establish relationship and marriage enrichment as well as parenting education programs that adequately meet the unique needs of stepfamilies. The research is clear that stepfamilies experience unique family developmental patterns and face unique issues that are related to healthy marital and family functioning. This 90 minute session presents the latest research-based program resources and teaching strategies.
National Extension Relationship and Marriage Education Network (NERMEN)
Description: The mission of the National Extension Relationship and Marriage Education Network (NERMEN) is to provide research-based resources and promote partnerships to advance the knowledge and practice in the area of relationship and marriage education. The website contains links to program information, trainings, state initiatives, Extension publications, and other resources.
National Extension Relationship and Marriage Education Network - NERMEN
Author: Nordby, Ann (21 more by this author)
Description: This Program Spotlight features the National Extension Relationship & Marriage Education Network (NERMEN). Now in its first year, NERMEN offers resources to educators on strengthening marriages and relationships, and preparing youth to be good partners.
National Resource Center for Healthy Marriage and Families
Description: The National Resource Center for Healthy Marriage and Families promotes the value of healthy marriage and relationship education (MRE) skills and encourages their integration into safety-net service systems as a holistic approach to strengthening families. The site offers tools and resources designed to educate interested stakeholders in the benefits of integrating healthy marriage education into existing social service systems.
Smart Marriages: The Coalition for Marriage, Family and Couples Education
Author: Sollee, Diane
Description: Smart Marriages: The Coalition for Marriage, Family and Couples Education is a special interest group whose members believe that family breakdown can be reduced through education and information. Their web site contains an archive of the coalition’s newsletters, a directory of programming resources, advocacy information, and general articles and information.
Working With (Military) Couples
Description: The Working with Couples modules were developed by Drs. Michelle Sherman and Michael Kauth based on live training content created by Drs. Michelle Sherman, Ursula Bowling, and Dutch Doerman. The six modules provide an overview of essential content and skills for treating the Veteran and his or her partner or spouse who struggle with communication problems, anger and conflict, mental illness, trauma, and reintegration into the family after deployment. This training targets VA clinicians but may be helpful to non-VA providers who work with Veterans. Additional training and supervision are required to become competent to provide couples therapy. Funding for the Working with Couples program was provided by the VA South Central MIRECC.
– Programming Resource –
Description: Professional parenting consultant Judy Arnall offers suggestions to parents on how to deal with arguing in front of their children.
Building a Strong Marriage--Finding Time
Author: Clark, Lois (4 more by this author)
Description: This fact sheet provides tips on how to build a stronger marriage. Provides suggestions on ways couples can find and make time to focus on their relationship.
Description: Building Strong Families (BSF) is an initiative to develop and evaluate programs designed to help interested unwed parents achieve their aspirations for healthy marriage and a stable family life. This website is designed to help programs that participate in the evaluation, and other interested parties, learn about the progress of the evaluation and the kinds of services that are being tested.
Closeness in a Couple Relationship
Author: Bond-Zielinski, Cindy
Description: This fact sheets discusses the challenges that can occur in merging individuals from two families into a cohesive couple relationship. Makes suggestions for balancing separateness and togetherness.
Communication: Celebrate Your Family
Description: A fact sheet series on strengthening families. Communication is a necessary ingredient in the life of a strong family if it is to be alive and grow.
Conflict Management and Resolution: Can We Agree?
Description: This fact sheet discusses conflict resolution within the context of maintaining healthy relationships
Couples Considering a Blended Family
Author: Fogarty, Kate; Sara McCrea; Millie Ferrer
Description: This fact sheet presents an overview of what couples contemplating a blended family should consider, as well as some of the rewards and challenges they may face.
CoupleTalk: Enhancing Your Relationship
Author: Olsen, Charlotte (4 more by this author); Trudy Rice
Description: Couple Talk program focuses on skill-building to help relationships become strong and more satisfying. This program resource contains six lessons and evaluation forms.
Creating a Strong and Satisfying Marriage
Author: Leigh, Sharon (1 more by this author); Janet A. Clark
Description: Research indicates that most successful marriages share some key characteristics. This fact sheet explores these characteristics and focuses on marital conflict and the skills needed to handle it effectively. The fact sheet also provides tips on ways that spouses can strengthen their marriages.
Families Tapestries Strengthening Family Bonds: Before You Say "I Do" Again
Description: From the Ohio State University Extension, this fact sheet offers information on the characteristics of successful remarried families.
Financial Smart Start for Newlyweds
Description: Financial Smart Start for Newlyweds is an educational series designed to help couples gain financial management skills.
Getting Beyond Skills: Getting Our Hearts Right (archived webinar)
Author: Goddard, H. (29 more by this author); James Marshall
Description: This archived webinar, "Getting Beyond Skills: Getting Our Hearts Right" (May 2012) was presented by Wally Goddard and James Marshall, University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension. The training draws on a new new resource (publication anticipated Fall 2012) focusing on how individuals and family members too often become stuck in negative perceptions. Getting Our Hearts Right reviews several forms of human bias and provides steps to overcome these so that all relationships, especially family ones, can be healthier. The webinar focused on equipping parent and family life educators to work more effectively in parent and couples education programs.
Description: This website is designed to help couples, who have chosen marriage for themselves, gain greater access to marriage education services, on a voluntary basis, where they can acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to form and sustain a healthy marriage.
Investigation of Programs to Strengthen and Support Healthy Marriages
Description: This report highlights key components of current marriage education programs, identifies opportunities and challenges for expanding services into other service delivery systems, and provides recommendations for evaluations of healthy marriage programs.
Marriage -- A Many-Splendored, Sometimes Splintered, Thing
Author: Matthews, D. (5 more by this author)
Description: Discusses important issues like money, children, role expectations, sex, and in-laws. Points out the idea that single most accurate word to describe what happens in a new marriage is "change." Anything which can be done to help prepare for the inevitable changes of marriage is a good investment in the relationship.
Author: Price, Christine (10 more by this author)
Description: This fact sheet discusses how retiring couples need to adjust to retirement and provides tips for how this new life stage can begin with few problems or difficulties.
Description: Information on a training from a marriage and couple education program with information on other programming resources. Includes training manual and curriculum packet.
Description: Marriage Moments consists of lessons and activities geared to parents as they go through the significant changes of becoming new parents.
Author: Petty, Barbara (1 more by this author)
Description: Married and Loving It! is a program designed to strengthen marriage relationships by presenting the research findings about successful and happy couples to the general public through a series of five classes covering topics on communication, finances, conflict resolution, commitment, and strengthening marriage. The curriculum, published by the University of Idaho, consists of PowerPoint presentations for each of the 5 classes, 150 pages of copies of the slides with lecture notes and 50 pages of class handouts, class note pages that correspond with the slides, evaluation instruments, and promotional materials. It has received rave reviews because it is ready to "pick up and teach". Married and Loving It! has drawn a diverse audience of couples ranging from those engaged, all the way to being married for 48 years.
For more information about this program or to order the curriculum, contact: Barbara Petty, University of Idaho Cooperative Extension, 2925 Rollandet, Idaho Falls, ID 83402, 208-529-1390 bpetty@uidaho.edu
National Extension Relationship and Marriage Education Network (NERMEN)
Description: The mission of the National Extension Relationship and Marriage Education Network (NERMEN) is to provide research-based resources and promote partnerships to advance the knowledge and practice in the area of relationship and marriage education. The website contains links to program information, trainings, state initiatives, Extension publications, and other resources.
National Extension Relationship and Marriage Education Network - NERMEN
Author: Nordby, Ann (21 more by this author)
Description: This Program Spotlight features the National Extension Relationship & Marriage Education Network (NERMEN). Now in its first year, NERMEN offers resources to educators on strengthening marriages and relationships, and preparing youth to be good partners.
National Resource Center for Healthy Marriage and Families
Description: The National Resource Center for Healthy Marriage and Families promotes the value of healthy marriage and relationship education (MRE) skills and encourages their integration into safety-net service systems as a holistic approach to strengthening families. A service of the Office of Family Assistance, Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services, this site offers a variety of tools and resources designed to educate interested stakeholders in the benefits of integrating healthy marriage education into existing social service systems.
National Resource Center for Healthy Marriage and Families
Description: The National Resource Center for Healthy Marriage and Families promotes the value of healthy marriage and relationship education (MRE) skills and encourages their integration into safety-net service systems as a holistic approach to strengthening families. The site offers tools and resources designed to educate interested stakeholders in the benefits of integrating healthy marriage education into existing social service systems.
Smart Marriages: The Coalition for Marriage, Family and Couples Education
Author: Sollee, Diane
Description: Smart Marriages: The Coalition for Marriage, Family and Couples Education is a special interest group whose members believe that family breakdown can be reduced through education and information. Their web site contains an archive of the coalition’s newsletters, a directory of programming resources, advocacy information, and general articles and information.
Author: Goddard, H. (29 more by this author)
Description: This is a fact sheet on ways to strengthen marriage. Contains suggestions and tips for couples.
Systematic Review of the Impact of Marriage and Relationship Programs
Description: This report presents a systematic review of evaluations of marriage and relationship programs. The review analyzes 39 studies representing the highest quality evidence available in the field of marriage research and finds an average effect size of .68 for improving relationship satisfaction and .26 for improving relationship communication.
The Importance of Communication in Learning to Manage Money
Author: Clark, Lois (4 more by this author)
Description: This fact sheets discusses the importance of communication about money issues and presents a plan for couples to follow for learning how to deal with this important issue.
Author: Goddard, H. (29 more by this author)
Description: This curriculum can be used for individual, couples, or group study. The six lesson guides focus on communication, understanding, kindness, forgiveness, love, dealing with conflict, and resolving past problems.
– Research –
Barriers to Marriage & Parenthood for African American Men and Women
Description: This paper explores some of the barriers to marriage, parenthood and family stability among African Americans, and presents an overview of current research, marriage education initiatives and social policy designed to address these issues.
Building community collaborations to support healthy and stable marriages
Description: This article describes the function of community collaborations and effective strategies to develop a community infrastructure that supports healthy relationships and marriages. Additional resources for supporting the development of and evaluating the effectiveness of these collaborations are shared.
Description: Building Strong Families (BSF) is an initiative to develop and evaluate programs designed to help interested unwed parents achieve their aspirations for healthy marriage and a stable family life. This website is designed to help programs that participate in the evaluation, and other interested parties, learn about the progress of the evaluation and the kinds of services that are being tested.
Commitment in healthy relationships
Description: This article reviews the various dimensions of commitment in intimate relationships, including commitment as an attraction, commitment as moral obligation, and commitment as constraint.
Description: This website is designed to help couples, who have chosen marriage for themselves, gain greater access to marriage education services, on a voluntary basis, where they can acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to form and sustain a healthy marriage.
Description: This site from the US Dept. Of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, provides information, resources and links to the Healthy Marriage Initiative. Resources are also available in Spanish.
Investigation of Programs to Strengthen and Support Healthy Marriages
Description: This report highlights key components of current marriage education programs, identifies opportunities and challenges for expanding services into other service delivery systems, and provides recommendations for evaluations of healthy marriage programs.
Marriage Can Reduce Life of Crime
Author: Piquero, Alex
Description: This article summarizes a study that showed how marriage can be protective in terms of reducing crime.
Marriage education for stepcouples
Description: From a review of the literature, this article presents prevalent issues and factors associated with healthy couple functioning in stepfamilies for marriage educators and practitioners.
Parental Relationship Quality and Child Outcomes Across Subgroups
Description: Child Trends analyzed data from the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health. This research brief summarize study findings that indicate parents' relationship quality is consistently and positively associated with a range of child and family outcomes, including: child behavior problems (externalizing), child social competence, child school engagement, child internalizing (depression), parent-child communication, and parental feelings of aggravation.
Description: Supporting Healthy Marriage is a large-scale, multi-site, multi-year, rigorous test of marriage skills programs for low-income married couples, the project is motivated by research that indicates that married adults and children raised by their married parents do better on a host of outcomes.
Systematic Review of the Impact of Marriage and Relationship Programs
Description: This report presents a systematic review of evaluations of marriage and relationship programs. The review analyzes 39 studies representing the highest quality evidence available in the field of marriage research and finds an average effect size of .68 for improving relationship satisfaction and .26 for improving relationship communication.
Using research in marriage and relationship education programming
Description: This article describes methods to incorporate research into marriage and relationship programming and ways to generate new research. Specifically, research informed programming and programmatic research are discussed.
What is "Healthy Marriage"? Defining the Concept
Author: Moore, Kristin (9 more by this author)
Description: What comprises a healthy marriage is addressed in this Child Trends' research brief by examining the concept and the elements that help define it and also considering factors that are antecedents and consequences of healthy marriages and distinguishing these from the definition of a healthy marriage.
Author: Greder, Kimberly (7 more by this author)
Description: Child Trends’ latest research brief, What Is “Healthy Marriage”? Defining the Concept, addresses that question. The brief examines the concept of healthy marriage and the elements that, taken together, help define it. It draws from available research studies and data, theoretical writings, and short papers Child Trends commissioned from scholars in the marriage field.
Working with low-resource and culturally diverse audiences
Description: This paper provides family educators with strategies for learning about and partnering with low-resource and culturally diverse audiences. Ways to provide relationship and marriage education with these audiences are also provided.