JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- Family Advocacy is hosting a Couples Communication class April 10, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., at the JBER-Richardson education center, for couples looking to strengthen their relationship.
This class seeks to teach participants how to enhance bonds, nurture relationships, improve communication, and build conflict resolution skills. It centers on the Relationship Attachment Model, which covers five principles: Know, Trust, Rely, Commit, and Touch.
“The goal is to educate participants on how maintaining a marriage or long-term relationship requires constant effort, and that it isn’t something that just happens when the papers are signed,” said Suzette O'Donnell, Family Advocacy outreach manager. “According to the curriculum, couples must be active relationship managers."
During the class, couples are given activities to practice between sessions that promote healthy communication, cultivating trust, overcoming disappointments, strengthening the relationship after surviving tough times, building cohesion, and reciprocating needs.
“There are many benefits to psychoeducational classes because they directly target applicable skills for daily life,” O’Donnell added. “Learning how to approach relationships from a positive, strength-based vantage point, has far reaching benefits that extend beyond just the relationship being worked on. It can help increase resiliency which operates hand-in-hand with optimism, improving not only our mental health, but physical health as well, and our bodies’ ability to heal.”
The best time to work on a relationship is when things are, for the most part, going well. For couples who are already struggling, the sooner healthier communication and coping skills are part of the relationship, the better.
What if one partner does not wish to attend? “If you're ready and willing to work on your relationship, it starts with you,” O’Donnell emphasized. “Maybe a new positive, strength based outlook, will be infectious and inspire your partner to sign up the next time this class is offered.”
If you or someone you know is being abused, contact Family Advocacy at 580-5858; their sole purpose is to help support a healthier tomorrow. Victims may believe that they are the only ones dealing with their situation and not truly understand that there are resources and support to help them heal, recover, and rebuild.