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What is Marriage and Relationship Education?
Marriage and relationship education (MRE) programs provide information and teach attitudes, skills, and behaviors designed to help individuals and couples achieve long-lasting, happy, and successful marriages and intimate partner relationships. This includes making wise partner choices and avoiding or leaving abusive relationships.
MRE is based on decades of research into risk and protective factors and laboratory studies identifying couple interactions associated with successful marriages. These led to the pilot testing of demonstration programs that showed relationship skills and behaviors can be learned. The evidence basis of MRE gains additional support from related neuroscientific studies that underpin the concept of "emotional intelligence." In these programs, couples generally learn and practice good listening and problem-solving skills and learn to manage their emotions better in conflict conversations. Many programs also help couples discuss and resolve different expectations about their relationship. Some programs also emphasize the importance of marital virtues such as commitment, loyalty, fairness, and forgiveness. Some address specific topics, such as balancing work and family demands, managing finances, or sexuality.
MRE programs are now being offered at no cost to large numbers of interested individuals and couples from economically disadvantaged populations and from diverse cultural, racial, and ethnic populations. Substantial efforts are being made to customize program design, setting, and curriculum content to be more effective with these diverse populations.
Most commonly, MRE refers to structured programs, classes, and workshops provided to groups of couples, offered on a voluntary basis in the community, churches, campuses, public schools, and social service agencies. The programs vary in intensity, ranging from one half-day meeting or weekend workshop/retreat to weekly two-hour meetings that continue for 6–18 weeks or even longer. However, MRE also can be provided to the general public through media campaigns, website fact sheets, DVDs, self-guided Internet courses, and other outlets.
MRE aims to be preventative in nature—to provide information to enrich, protect, and strengthen relationships before serious problems arise. However, MRE programs often attract couples experiencing stressful transitions and some programs specifically target distressed couples. MRE is generally distinguished from face-to-face, individualized couples counseling or therapy.