"This institute is consistently one of the highest rated sessions at the Smart
Marriages conference. They get absolutely rave reviews."
—Diane Sollee, director

103 Three Days - Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, July 6, 7, 8
Family Wellness: Skills for Families in Changing Times
George Doub, MDiv, Ana Morante, MFT
An effective, practical model for marriage and family educators, teachers, clergy,
military, foster care, community and clinical practitioners to teach individuals, couples,
and whole families the key skills for healthy marriage and family life. Core theory,
content and coaching skills demonstrated and practiced. Ideas for multicultural,
minority, and alternative families. $150 spouse discount. Couples will receive two
instructor manuals.

FAMILY WELLNESS: SURVIVAL SKILLS FOR HEALTHY FAMILIES is a 12-hour
course for couples, individuals, and entire families that teaches the basic skills and
patterns that strengthen and support individual, couple and family growth and wellness.
This institute provides the knowledge and skills to use this program in your community
to empower couples and families and promote healthy communities. The training is
designed for marriage and family educators, social workers, ministers, therapists,
mental health professionals, social services, foster and adoptive care providers, juvenile
justice professionals, teachers, and community leaders.

Successful completion of this Instructor Training course results in Certification to teach
any of the Family Wellness programs, including, A Map for Marriage: Before You Say “I
Do,” The Strongest Link: The Couple, The Wellness Way for Stepfamilies, Skills and
Strengths for Families Affected by Domestic Violence, and Survival Skills for Healthy
Christian Families.

The Family Wellness programs are known for their interactive, practical style and
history of working with multicultural communities. Sessions and content can be easily
adapted based on your community or program needs. All materials necessary for
presenting the Survival Skills curriculum are provided during the training.

The training consists of the following:
• Core theory and content: You will see trainers teach and demonstrate coaching skills
in the moment based on sound theory from the social sciences. This highly
interactive program teaches skills in the moment using relevant situations to help
participants practice new skills and behaviors.
• You will participate in hands-on practice of coaching skills. Trainers will coach you to
be able to coach your participants to talk, listen, and work out problems in a new
way. These skills can be used at home, at work, in an educational setting or in the
therapy office.
• You will learn strategies for marketing and recruiting participants.

Objectives:
• Be familiar with the history of marriage, parent and family education.
• Know three applications of marriage or family education for ethnic and at-risk
populations and alternative families.
• Know the theory underlying the Survival Skills for Healthy Families course.
• Learn and practice the content of the six-session Survival Skills course.
• Know the three skills and three patterns needed for families to develop healthy
individuals.
• Know how to identify and build on the strengths of individuals, couples, and
families.
• Identify three alternatives to physical discipline.
• Learn to coach participants to work together as a parenting team, as well as loving
partners.
• Know three basic skills for teaching large groups of individuals, couples and families.
• In teams, practice using the skills for teaching the course.
• Know three strategies for working with agencies, schools and churches to present a
marriage or family education course.
• Be familiar with research that supports the effectiveness of marriage and family
education and behavioral rehearsal for healthy change.

ATTENDEES WILL RECEIVE:
Instructor Manual, Interactive Workbook, and CD with master copies of handouts used
for teaching the course. The Institute trains and certifies instructors in the core Family
Wellness program. Instructors are also certified to teach these
ADDITIONAL FAMILY WELLNESS PROGRAMS:

A Map for Marriage: Before You Say “I Do” provides Certified Family Wellness
Instructors with the additional theory, content, and skills for conducting pre-marital
education for couples considering marriage. The curriculum is an eight-hour series that
can be provided in one day, taught in two-hour segments over several weeks, or two
half-day classes, depending on the needs of your specific population. There are four
specific content areas: Getting Started Together, Two Worlds – One Relationship,
Building A Strong Team, and Keeping the Fire Alive. These content areas are further
divided into specific topics such as communication skills, commitment, cooperation,
family of origin values and beliefs that impact choices, appreciating differences in each
other, recognizing challenging areas of potential conflict, problem solving, money
management, creating and maintaining intimacy in the relationship, and celebrating life
together.

The Strongest Link: The Couple is a Family Wellness curriculum that includes best
ways to recruit, keep, and teach couples. It contains six core sessions for couples and
six optional sessions that address any program’s needs. Topics include the two cultures
couples bring to their relationship, deployments and long separations, in-laws, new
parents, stepfamilies, blowing on the embers of romance, and helping participants to
take their newly learned skills into the community. Use for retreats, courses, and
weekend seminars.

The Wellness Way for Stepfamilies: Stepfamilies compose over 60 percent of
today’s families. This curriculum strengthens stepfamilies and offers practical skills and
effective tips for the special challenges they face in growing as a couple and raising
children.

Skills and Strengths for Families Affected by Domestic Violence: Domestic
violence affects families, neighbors, and the generations that follow. This curriculum is
being used in California to prevent domestic violence and in post-treatment. Twelve
sessions build strengths in survivors and help those who use power and control to work
toward becoming more respectful and trusting.

Survival Skills for Healthy Christian Families is based on the original Survival
Skills curriculum as seen through the lens of a biblical worldview. This curriculum
teaches practical skills built on the foundation of Scripture. The curriculum offers ideas
for using the material in alternative settings, including small groups, Sunday school,
workshops, and retreats. Additional Bible study suggestions are also included.

WHO USES FAMILY WELLNESS?
Family Wellness programs have been used by or are being used by the following
organizations: Family Bridges, Chicago; FuturoNow, Los Angeles, Catholic Charities,
Orange County and Los Angeles County California; Pine Rest Institute, Grand Rapids,
MI; thinkmarriage, Green Bay, WI; Twogether in Texas throughout the State of Texas;
Better Together, Cleveland, OH; many Head Start agencies throughout the U.S. and
Puerto Rico; The Navajo Nation; The Strong Bonds program of the U.S. Army; Georgia
Family Council; Strengthening Families Initiative through New Mexico State University;
Healthy Families Network, Nampa, ID; Lifestreams in Singapore; Anglicare in Australia;
Social Workers in South Korea.

PEOPLE ARE TALKING
“Easily understood, and materials are very helpful. The training sessions are very
effective and NOT boring. I came because of the reports and feedback of families who
have been helped by the program.”
—Cornerstone Ministries, Navajo Nation Gallup, NM, November 2009

“Outstanding—worth the time and money, and applicable across a wide range of
settings.” —Smart Marriages Institute, Orlando, FL, July 2009

“Must do if you have a heart to help others and want to be a part of making a
difference in your own life and others! You have empowered and motivated our group
to go home and make a difference.”
—Smart Marriages Institute, Orlando, FL, July 2009

“This is the best training I’ve received since I’ve been here!”
—Soldier, U.S. Army, Heidelberg, Germany, August 2009

“Excellent, practical, readily useable.” —Grand Rapids, MI, September 2009

“A way to help families help themselves.” —Columbia, MO, June 2009

“It’s a very fun and engaging curriculum that will empower you to work confidently with
families.” —Dallas, TX, July 2009

“The best training I’ve been through with the most valuable information. I can use it in
my personal and professional life.” —Lakewood, WA, July 2009

“Tremenda herramienta que nos conduce a una familia saludable.”
—Puerto Rico, August 2009

"FW es un programa excepcional lleno de dinamismo e incredible valor practico que
permite tanto a los entrenadores como a participantes en una forma divertida y
relajada, a aprender, cultivar y desarrollar plenamente fortalezas y habilidades
necesarias para una vida familiar saludable. Como pareja y facilitadores hemos
disfrutamos enormemente el impacto positivo que este programa tiene en los
participantes" —Rodrigo & Yolanda Manjarres, Chicago, November 2009

Survival Skills for Healthy Families and The Strongest Link: The Couple are also
available in Spanish. The Survival Skills Family Workbook is available in English,
Spanish, Korean and Chinese.

For additional information about Family Wellness, visit www.familywellness.com or call 209-543-3808 or toll-free: 888-543-3809.

This institute is part of the week-long Smart Marriages conference.

Conference Details Page to download a conference brochure, Register ONLINE, hotel & travel information & discounts, etc.