For the Newly Married

The first few years of marriage can be among the most challenging for couples. These courses are based on what research tells us are the biggest challenges for couples in the early years.

Together in Harmony

This is a half-day program run by CLMF to support couples in the first two years of marriage. This course covers a range of areas such as common goal setting, keeping romance alive and the marriage relationship cycle. Couples who participate in one of our pre-marriage education programs are automatically enrolled in our Together in Harmony program at no extra charge. However, any couple in the early years of marriage is most welcome.

If you did not do pre-marriage education with our agency, but would like to participate in Together in Harmony, please contact our office on (08) 9278 0253.

Ministry to the Newly Married

A program for couples starting in the first or second year of marriage. It is a five-year mentor program for newly married couples. Every year, you will be allocated a new mentor couple, and the chance to meet with them four times throughout the year. The get-togethers have an informal structure but with a theme for discussion. You mentor couple will share with you experiences about their marriage and ways they’ve addressed the theme in their own relationship. Each year couples get a new mentor couple so that over the five years you will have a chance to discuss 20 different topics and gain an insight into five different marriages. The topics covered in the program have been selected from the feedback of 3000 couples on what they most wanted to discuss.

For more information on this program contact Karen Boylen on 0409 682 923.

Well-established Marriages

For couples who have made it through the early years of marriage and are seeking to take their relationship deeper. Opportunities exist for couples to take either an individual or group course designed to strengthen their marriage.

REFOCCUS and ENRICH

For couples seeking an individual marriage-enrichment program tailored to their particular needs as a couple:

• REFOCCUS (for couples who have previously done the FOCCUS program); and
• ENRICH

These programs have two components that personalise the course to your particular needs as a couple. Firstly, you will complete an online inventory that explores a range of areas and will highlight strength and growth areas in your marriage. Secondly, you will attend two follow up sessions with a marriage educator to explore these areas. Each of these sessions is two hours long and we generally recommended they be a week apart. Feedback from these programs is excellent and it allows you, as a couple, to focus on those areas of your relationship which you would most like to develop.

To find out more please phone us on (08) 9278 0253.

Marriage Encounter and Smart Loving

If you’d prefer a marriage enrichment group program then we recommend either:

• Smart Loving (http://smartloving.org/events/smartloving-marriage/); or
• Marriage Encounter (http://www.wwme.org.au/).

Both programs have been developed in the context of the Catholic Church and both are weekend type format. Each program is quite different in content and design.  Find out more by visiting their websites.