From teaching couples how to prevent conflict to helping singles master strategies for healthy communication, the University of Central Florida’s Marriage & Family Research Institute has spent the past 10 years engaging with the community through relationship education.
During the past decade, the institute has helped more than 3,500 Central Floridians strengthen their relationships through education and counseling. Add in those who have participated in other research and clinical intakes, and that number jumps to more than 6,000.
To celebrate its 10th year, the institute is doing what it does best: extending an invitation to couples and individuals looking to improve their relationships and brush up on their communication skills. The class, as always, is free of charge.
The three-hour workshop will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, July 13, in the Morgridge International Reading Center on UCF’s main campus. Topics will include Brain, Sex & Intimacy; Emotional Stocks & Bonds; and 10 Quick Tips for Relationship Success.
Interested participants must RSVP by July 10 to 407-823-1748 or mfri@ucf.edu [1].
The workshop will be facilitated by Andrew Daire, who co-founded the institute to study relationships and develop strategies for keeping them strong.
“The Marriage and Family Research Institute started in a 120-square-foot office. From there, we moved into a building near UCF’s Recreation and Wellness Center, and just last year, we expanded to a space in south Orlando,” said Daire. “It’s been a decade of momentum and growth for us, and we are pleased to celebrate 10 years facilitating research and clinical initiatives to better support couples, marriages and families.”
Daire also leads a healthy-marriage initiative housed in the institute called Project TOGETHER.
Project TOGETHER is the only healthy-marriage program in Florida to receive support from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Family Assistance. The project is geared toward low- to moderate-income individuals and couples with or without children, and it provides them with free relationship education that focuses on preventing stress and conflict. Click here [2] for a video about Project TOGETHER.
The institute is part of the College of Education and Human Performance’s graduate-counseling program, which earlier this year was recognized in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate Schools list. In addition to the benefits of free services and resources for couples and singles, the institute also offers valuable clinical research experience for undergraduate and graduate students who study counseling and couples education.
To learn more about the Marriage & Family Research Institute or Project TOGETHER, visit http://mfri.ucf.edu [3].