This weekend intensive educational relationship repair process teaches distressed couples the elements of bonding, communication, problem solving, confiding, and how to handle negative emotional energy in a constructive manner.

Couples who attend this weekend where they experienced little to no hope prior to the weekend, express hope when it is over. After the weekend intensive, follow-up with our support groups, marriage coaching, or marriage therapy.

The majority of couples who go to marriage counseling find that it is not helpful.  Sadly, many marriage therapists encourage couples in crisis to divorce.  This message leads the couple to believe that if a trained professional can not help them, then the marriage must be over.  We respectfully disagree.  We have found that many couples lack the essential skills for connection, communication, conflict resolution, and emotional self-awarenes and management.  We have found that teaching couples in crisis HOW to reconnect, listen, talk to teach other in a loving way, how to regulate emotional energy in a constuctive manner, their likelihood of marital success increases. 

HOPE Weekends were developed 5 years ago by Dr. Richard Marks because of his realization that the majority of couples coming to him did not have the necessary relationship skills that led to love, feelings of intimacy, and respect.  Heavily influenced by the work of Dr. Scott Stanley, Dr. Lori Gordon, Dr, Jerry Mungadze, Dr. Ev Worthington, George Doub, and Diane Sollee, MS of Smartmarriages, he understood that if couples developed skills for bonding and attachment and could feel close again, that gave them the hope that they could make it.  So, in 2004, he put together a weekend intensive using his relationship skills curriculum and has found that the majority of couples that attended decided to stay together.  Today, the Marriage for Life Team conducts these weekend intensives for couples monthly.  We take no more than six (6) couples per month and a team of 3-4 is present to help the couples navigate the weekend journey.  We take couples who are separated, seeking a divorce, experiened adultery, have lost feelings of love, and more.  We have even had premarital couples attend as they wanted to learn the skills as prevention.

The HOPE Weekend is NOT therapy, but an educational process for bonding, attachment, and the skills to reconnect and recapture feelings of love.  Thus, we like to say that though it is not therapy, it is therapeutic.  The Marriage for Life Team are individuals and couples who are trained in the educational process of bonding and attachment based on the program written by Dr. Richard Marks, Enriched Christian Marriage.  The objectives of the HOPE Weekend are as follows...

To help couples . . .

• Experience deeper intimacy and connectedness
• Experience deeper levels of knowledge and understanding of each other
• Strengthen communication and conflict resolution skills
• Promote a greater sense of “Us-ness” and bonding
• Remove some of the accumulated relational pain

If you have tried traditional forms of marriage therapy and want to try something different that will teach you the path to reconnecting, then give us a try.  We make no guarantees.  It is the couples responsibilty to save their own marriage.  We will, however, show you a research based, biblically sound path to do so.  Couples may decide to continue a support relationship with one of our Marriage and Relationship Coaches for a fee, or if necessary, seek counsel with Dr. Marks, Dr. Ed Tanner, or Dr. Tabitha Staier.

HOPE Weekends are much cheaper than a divorce, and lead to a lot more happiness for you, your spouse, and your children.  Contact our office or Dr. Marks directly at our office: 904-724-8683.  You can register online as well and turn your marriage around today.