Articles on
Mentoring
Mentoring Programs:
Association for Couples in Marriage
Enrichment (ACME)
An international, nonprofit, nonsectarian
organization that promotes better marriages
by providing enrichment opportunities and
resources that strengthen couple relationships
and enhance personal growth, mutual
fulfillment and family wellness. ACME trains and
certifies lay leader mentor couples for
retreats, workshops, and marriage enrichment groups.
Topics include premarital preparation,
communication skills, conflict resolution, sexuality
and others. Resources for individual
couples, small groups, and workshops are available.
For materials, listings of local chapters,
events, and more information, call ACME or visit
our website.
Winston-Salem, North
Carolina
800-634-8325 or
336-724-1526
Email: acme@bettermarriages.org
Web:
www.bettermarriages.org
Before “I Do†– The Full Marriage Experience
Pre-marital program for churches,
community initiatives, small groups, and mentor
couples.
Works for long-distance couples. Use program solo or with
inventories. Interactive
workbook blends practical insights, Scriptural principles, and
relationship skills. Eight
sections: conflict resolution, sex, finances, goals, faith,
more. Website provides information
links and resources to go deeper. Program providers receive
free online promotion, ministry
consultation, marketing tips, more. No training
necessary. Multi-book discounts start at two
books.
Turn the Tide Resource
Group
K. Jason
Krafsky
425-432-8433
Maple
Valley, Washington - WA
Email:
T3RG@FullMarriageExperience.com
Web:
http://www.FullMarriageExperience.com
Caring Couples Network
(CCN)
CCN is composed of married couples, pastors,
and professional consultants
organized as teams in local churches to
provide services to couples and families.
Teams arrange for mentoring, friendship,
enrichment events, support and other
resources for engaged and marriage couples,
parents, and couples and families
in distress. CCN is an ecumenical ministry
initiated by the General Board of
Discipleship of the United Methodist
Church. Order the CCN handbook,
videos, and related materials at
800-685-4370, fax 770-442-9742, or
www.discipleshipresources.org. For additional
information contact:
Family Ministries General Board of
Discipleship
Nashville, Tennessee
615-340-7170
Email:
mnorton@gbod.org
Center for the Family at
Pepperdine University
Dennis Lowe, PhD; Sara Jackson,
MA, CFLE; Emily Scott-Lowe, PhD, CFLE;
Sheila Bost, MA,
CFLE We
offer: 1) a wide-range of seminars for couples,
parents,
and families in church and
community settings, 2) workshops to train family educators
in
programs such as
PREP, CPREP, Marriage
Mentoring, Active Parenting, &
REPARE/ENRICH, 3) partnerships with churches to
assist in their marriage
and family ministry
efforts. Find up-to-date information about our
events
and activities by visiting
our website.
Pepperdine
University
Malibu,
California
310-506-8551
Email:
lucy.perrin@pepperdine.edu
Web:
www.pepperdine.edu/gsep/family
Center for Relationship Development,
Seattle, Washington
Les and Leslie Parrott, PhDs focus on
solving relationship problems
before they begin. Books, seminars
nationwide for married/singles, including
When Bad Things Happen to Good Marriages,
Saving Your Marriage
Before It Starts, Relationships, Becoming
Soul Mates, Marriage
Mentoring and The Love List. Those
wanting to make a bad relationship
better or a good relationship great will
benefit from their seminars. The fun-filled
day will provide fresh insight and new
strategies for lifelong love. Seminars are
conducted in cooperation with local churches
and other organizations. Featured
on national media.
Smart
Marriages ConferencePresentation.
206-281-2543
Email: CRD@spu.edu
Web:
www.RealRelationships.com
Better
Togethe
r/Cleveland
This non-profit,
inter-religious organization of clergy, mental
health
professionals and
individuals in Cleveland, Ohio, is dedicated to
strengthening marriage
through training professionals to provide
communication skills to
engaged and married couples. We train clergy
and educators to use
PREPARE/ENRICH Inventories. For congregations,
we teach and support
Mentor
Couples Programs and
Stepfamily Couples
Programs. We encourage the
public to value marriage through a media
campaign. In Greater
Cleveland, we are a referral center for PREP,
Marriage Encounter and
Retrouvaille.
Smart Marriages
ConferencePresentation.
Anita Armstrong,
Executive Director
216-426-1485
Email:
aarmstrong@bettertogether-cleveland.org
Web:
http://www.bettertogether-cleveland.org/
The Marriage Course
This Christian, video- and
skills-based, mentor-presented course is
easy-to-teach and wildly
popular with couples and congregations. The
courses "fill themselves"
through word-of-mouth customer satisfaction.
Format includes dinner,
videos and exercises. Marriage
Preparation version
also
available. Created by
Nicky and
Sila Lee at Holy
Trinity Brompton - the
London church that started
the Alpha
Course. Contact for
locations and
information on how to start
a course in your congregation.
Presented at the Smart Marriages
Conferences.
Email: family.life@htb.org.uk
Web:www.themarriagecourse.org
The Marriage Enrichment
Weekend Program, Inc.
A non-profit organization
dedicated to strengthening marriage through a
spiritual,
experiential-based process that places God at the center.
This
parish/congregation-based
program fosters commitment and growth, develops
leadership, promotes mutual
support and builds community. Four
ministries
available in English and
Spanish: a "Weekend" and a
"Retreat" for married
couples; "Engaged
Enrichment" for engaged couples; and ongoing
"Renewal"
follow-up seminars.
Materials, training and workshops available for
presentation
by couple teams.
Well-established in New Mexico, California and Texas, and
expanding.
Ralph Johnson,
President
Box 94026
Albuquerque, New Mexico
87199-4026
505-821-1571 or
505-884-8250
Email:
RalphRuth@worldnet.att.net
Web:
www.tmewpi.org
Marriage Mentoring: 12 Conversations
for a Healthy, Happy Marriage
A breakthrough,
innovative, proactive program that brings marriage mentoring
into the lives of everyday couples who have much to learn from one
another. It
is elegantly simple--and powerful for building communities and
churches that
value marriage. Guided yet informal conversations allow couples to
share their
wisdom and encouragement with one another through the stories of
their marriages.
The leadership training kit with DVD instruction makes this an
ideal marriage
mentoring program for faith-based or secular settings to teach
right out of the box.
A military version is available.
Smart Marriages
ConferencePresentation.
Ed Gray.
LMFT
901-681-9200
Email:
egray@harding.edu
Web: http://
www.12Conversations.com
Marriage Preparation Resources - Rev
Robert Ruhnke
For Better and For Ever, a marriage
preparation program for churches
&/or couples. Workbook covers: Family of
Origin, Finances, Spirituality,
Cohabitation, Mixed Faiths, Blended Families,
etc. Dating couples use it to
judge readiness for Christian marriage.
Engaged use it to prepare for sessions
with Pastor and/or Sponsor/Mentor couples. Catholic Edition -
English & Spanish,
Christian Edition in English. Website for
Training dates or to order
DVD/Video mentor program - no training
required.
Presenting at the Smart Marriages
Conference.
Free On-line assistance to
individuals/couples.
1617 Iowa Street
San Antonio Texas 78203
210-534-1129
Email:
rruhnke@sbcglobal.net
Web:
www.marriagepreparation.com
Marriage Savers &
Community Marriage Policies
Has helped cut divorce rates in dozens of the 190+ cities where
clergy adopted
a Community Marriage Policy that calls for rigorous marriage
preparation and
training Mentor Couples to
help couples prepare for life-long marriage,
strengthen existing marriages and save troubled marriages.
Training Institute at the Smart Marriages Conference.
Mike McManus
9311 Harrington Dr
Potomac, Maryland 20854
301-469-5873
Web:www.marriagesavers.org
Healthy Marriages Grand
Rapids (HMGR)
Serves to strengthen
marriages and support children through programs
of prevention, education,
and research. HMGR encourages long courtships,
promotes chastity outside of
marriage,encourages a premarital process and
marriage enrichment, and
trains mature couples as marriage mentors.
This
is accomplished with the
assistance of community leaders from the Clergy,
Business,
Health/Mental Health,
African American Clergy, Legal/Judicial,
Education,
and Media sectors.
Leadership trainings and certification programs
are
targeted to those who impact
lives and marriages.
Smart
Marriages ConferencePresentation.
Senator Bill Hardiman, Chair
HMGR
Mark Eastburg, PhD, Vice-Chair
HMGR
Grand Rapids,
Michigan
616-831-2622
Web:
www.healthymarriagesgr.org
Email:
healthymarriagesgr@pinerest.org
PREPARE/ENRICH Marriage
Mentor Package (PMMP)
David Olson, PhD & Peter
Larson, PhD
The PMMP uses the
PREPARE/ENRICH Inventory
with six
couple
feedback sessions for
premarital couples and 4 sessions for newlyweds.
Also included are two
books: Empowering
Couples (Olson &
Olson) and
10 Great Dates Before You Say
"I Do" (Brown and Arp,
2003). The
program includes a
Marriage Mentor Manual
and a Supervisor’s Manual.
The supervisor needs to be
trained in PREPARE/ENRICH and they can
train the Marriage
Mentors.
Smart
Marriages ConferencePresentation.
Life Innovations
800-331-1661
Web:
www.lifeinnovations.com
Reconciling God’s
Way
You've tried everything to avoid divorce and
save your marriage--why
not give God a chance? This workbook and
ministry promises hope, mentor
support, and tools to save marriages--even if
only one spouse wants reconciliation!
The twelve-week leader's guide equips pastors
and lay leaders.
Joe and Michelle Williams
209-578-4357
Email: reconcile@pc-intouch.com
Web: www.bvg.org/reconcilers
RETROUVAILLE- "means
rediscovery and rhymes with apple pie."
A program for couples with serious problems
who are distant, cold, disillusioned,
separated and/or who have experienced
affairs, alcoholism, gambling, violence, etc.
-- where trained, volunteer mentor couples
who have "been to the brink" teach others how to
heal their own marriages to make them
stronger than ever before. This successful
program (85% when both partners work at it)
teaches simple techniques of communication,
and works on forgiveness, healing, and
restoration of trust. The program begins with a
weekend away and includes 12 follow-up
meetings over three months. These are not
spiritual retreats, sensitivity groups,
seminars or social gatherings - there are no
counselors
involved and you don't have to say anything
in front of anyone else. Couples discuss
the topics and practice skills in privacy.
Blank-envelope-donation system.
Smart
Marriages ConferencePresentation.
To find a program in your area call the 800
number or click here:
800-470-2230
Web:
www.retrouvaille.org/weekends/weekends%20schedule_1.html
The Third
Option
This ongoing marriage enrichment/marriage
crisis group program uses a drop-in
format, skill building and sharing by mentor
couples who have overcome difficulties.
Self-contained manual & videos make
the program easy to implement
in your church or community - no training
required. For couples or
individuals at any stage from engaged to
long-married.
Smart
Marriages ConferencePresentation.
Pat Ennis, MSW
1342 Lancaster Avenue
Syracuse, New York 13210
315-472-6728
Email: pat@thethirdoption.com
Web: www.thethirdoption.com
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