Best Practices in Relationship Education Focused on Intimate Relationships

Abstract

Best Practices in Relationship Education Focused on Intimate RelationshipsRelationship education is widely used to help people develop and sustain healthy romantic relationships. We first provide a review on the current state of evidence and key issues in the field, laying a foundation for suggesting specific best practices in relationship education. We focus on services provided to couples but also address the burgeoning field of relationship education with individuals. Although there are many gaps in the knowledge informing best practices-such as mechanisms of effect and dose-decades of research and experience provide a strong basis for specific recommendations. The hallmark of an evidence-based, best-practice approach lies in making thoughtful decisions based on current knowledge, the goals of the effort, the population served, and available resources.Healthy romantic relationships and marriages are vital to the well-being of adults, families, and

Individual mental health and couple functioning following couple relationship education participation: Exploring prospective cross‐lagged influences among changes

“…This may be welcome news for practitioners who face challenges with engaging couples in lengthy CRE programs. There are suggestions in the field to move toward more brief, yet meaningful and impactful CRE experiences (Stanley et al, 2020). We acknowledge, however, that while the curricula used in this study primarily focused on couple relationship skills, there was also an emphasis on self‐care that may not exist in other CRE programs.…”

Helping Couples in the Shadow of COVID‐19

“…It is bottom-line safety. We recently wrote a paper on best practices in relationship education, and that paper provides an accessible review of some of the issues in understanding and thinking about the implications of types and intensity of intimate partner violence, as well as issues related to screening (or not) in services such as relationship education (Stanley et al, 2020). Here, we note that large increases in stress and discontinuity will raise the risks for some people to behave aggressively.…”

Supporting Romantic Relationships During COVID-19 Using Virtual Couple Therapy

“…As previously noted, as part of PACT, it is recommended that clinicians teach Time Out to couples at the outset of therapy should a break be needed during a high-conflict scenario in VCT. Escalation in relationships can lead to arguments that get physical (e.g., throwing objects, pushing, shoving; as discussed in ( Stanley et al, 2020 ); see ( Johnson, 2001 , Johnson & Ferraro, 2000 ). If the couple continuously resists the boundaries the clinician puts in place in order to manage such aggression during VCT, or there are signs of intimate terrorism (e.g., controlling behaviors, threat of harm or actual harm; ( Johnson & Ferraro, 2000 , Stanley et al, 2020 )), it is recommended that the clinician provide referrals for other resources better suited to address intimate partner violence.…”