Prepare-Enrich Couples Workshop
For couples in the pre-married stage of their relationship.
What could be more important than finding the perfect dress, picking just the right song for the first dance, or getting a great deal on a honeymoon destination?
Planning for a marriage that will last a lifetime.
Overview • Who Should Attend • Your Presenter • Workshop Details • FAQ
THE PREPARE-ENRICH WORKSHOP
Women spend an average of 9.8 hours a week planning their weddings.* But how much time do engaged couples spend planning for their marriage? None of us are born knowing how to be married happily. And for those of you that have parents who are divorced, you may never have seen a successful relationship in your day-to-day life. How are you supposed to learn?
Premarital education is a prevention-oriented and positive approach to teaching couples skills to communicate and resolve problems in a healthy, affirming way. People often think of the idea of “couples counseling” as something that happens because a couple has problems. And often, it is. But therapeutic couples’ education exists to PREVENT these kinds of problems and grow a couple even closer together.
PREPARE/ENRICH is a customized couples assessment that shares with you in INCREDIBLE detail what is most strong about your relationship. It will also tell you what areas you can grow in as a couple – and then with the help of a trained facilitator, give you easy-to-use tools to strengthen your upcoming or existing marriage.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS WORKSHOP
This one day, 6 hour workshop provides evidence based tools to help couples improve relationship quality and satisfaction through teaching, demonstrations and couples practice sessions aimed at:
-
Developing skills in managing conflict constructively
-
Gaining skills for perpetual and solvable problems
-
Improving friendship, fondness and admiration
-
Enhancing romance and intimacy
-
Creating a couples sense of shared meaning
-
Maintaining gains throughout lifetime
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
Couples that would benefit from this workshop:
-
Pre-engaged
-
Engaged
-
Everyone from newlyweds to seniors
-
Those who wish to enhance a good marriage
-
Those who wish to gain conflict management skills
Couples that this workshop is not suited for:
-
Those with severe relationship distress-
-
Those with significant emotional or physical abuse
-
Those with addictions to drugs, alcohol or gambling
-
Those with serious mental health problems
If you are unsure if you should attend, contact us and we'll help you to assess if this workshop is for you...no worries at all!
YOUR PRESENTER
Amanda has been married for 13 years and together with her husband, Owen for 18 years. A Sexologist, Clinical Counsellor, Vice-President of Marriage and Relationship Educators of Australia and Director of her private practice. Amanda is a night owl and her husband loves his sleep and when you need plans adjusted...Amanda is quite flexible whereas her husband likes a bit of a plan before he commits. Amanda fully practices what she preaches...and is thankful that her husband doesn't mind being the guinea pig...for a LOT of different relationship activities.
They are still in love with each other, they disagree and yes, life sometimes gets in the way but, they are committed to their marriage and Amanda is so passionate about relationships that she wants to help any and all couples learn how to create and develop the most fulfilling relationships.
With more than 17 years of clinical and academic experience, Amanda has completed Levels 1, 2 & 3 Practicum Training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy and she is the state trainer in the Prepare-Enrich program for Australia. Amanda uses both methods in her work with clients (and yes, even in her own relationship).
Our Wedding Day in 2007
WORKSHOP INCLUDES...
Presented by Clinical Counsellor and Prepare-Enrich State Trainer and Workshop Leader, Amanda Lambros, this workshop includes:
-
6 hours of presentations, psycho-educational skills training and presenter role plays demonstrating the use of Prepare-Enrich Communication Skills.
-
Opportunity to practice skills with your partner in a safe and private environment
-
Prepare-Enrich Workbook Including the Couples Workbook
-
Fully catered morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea
The aim is to:
-
Provide couples with an insight into what happens when a couple enters into Prepare-Enrich Couples Education
-
Learn what happens in the Prepare-Enrich Couples Education inventory and education planning phases of future sessions
-
Understand how an educator begins to work with a couple to assist them in navigating the communication in their relationship.
The purpose of this presentation is two-fold, (1) offering participants insight into a next step, if they feel they need some more individualized sessions after their workshop skills training, and (2) to dispel the fears and myths that couples have about attending couples education. You will learn about the Prepare-Enrich Couples Education approach, a gentle, collaborative and non-blaming approach to helping couples understand how to communicate with one another.
QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Will we have to share our personal problems and issues with the class?
No. The class does not include sharing problems and issues publicly. Couple's exercises are done privately.
Must both partners attend or can I come alone?
Since the class involves doing exercises together, both partners must participate.
My partner isn't a reader. Can we still come to the class if he/she won't read the book?
Yes, still come to class. While the book provides valuable information, the class lectures will summarise the content of the book. Each person will need the companion workbook however, to do the couple's exercises efficiently.
Should we do the exercises in the book at home or save them for the class?
The class will involve doing some of the exercises from the book so doing them first at home would duplicate some of them. In some cases, the directions for doing the exercises in class have been reviewed and updated from those presented in The Seven Principles book. The Educators also role play how to, and how not to do some of the exercises in order to help participants get the most of each exercise. There are some exercises in the book that the class will not have time to do, and couples are encouraged to do them at home after that chapter has been covered in class.
Where is the workshop held?
We are currently only running the Prepare-Enrich workshop at the office in Victoria Park, Western Australia.