LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
The "Best Friends Forever" couples relationship enhancement workshop is returning to Lackland Air Force Base in April.
This popular one-day workshop is based on the most extensively researched program of its kind anywhere, the Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program, or PREP, which has been featured television and in major magazines and newspapers.
On any given day, around 90 percent of couples say that they are happy in their marriages, yet the divorce rate has remained over 50 percent for many years.
More than 15 years ago at the University of Denver, Drs. Howard Markman and Scott Stanley began developing ways to scientifically study what makes marriages work and what destroys them.
Over the years, Drs. Markman and Stanley, along with their colleagues and research assistants, have identified key factors that predict a marital breakdown. They have also identified the four essential keys to successful marriages: communicating effectively, working as a team to solve problems, managing conflicts without damaging closeness, and preserving and deepening commitment and friendship.
This ground-breaking work led to the creation of The Center for Marital and Family Studies at the University of Denver, where researchers continue to examine marital and family function and to identify how to predict and prevent marital distress and divorce.
Just like the PREP program on which it is modeled, the Best Friends Forever couples relationship enhancement workshop uses the same, research-based approach to teach couples at any stage of their relationship how to strengthen these four essential skills.
Studies have shown that couples who learn the PREP skills have a 50 percent higher success rate staying together and are happier in their relationships than similar couples without this valuable training.
The couples workshop is set for April 18 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Freedom Chapel.
For more information or to enroll, please call the Wilford Hall Mental Health Clinic at 292-7361.