How Many Married People Have Thought About Divorce? *

Written by Alan J. Hawkins and Sage E. Allen Almost everyone wants a happy marriage and wants it to last a lifetime.[i] But most also know the scary U.S. statistics: nearly 50 percent of first marriages and more than 60 percent of second marriages end in divorce. Researchers have discovered a lot about the struggles […]

Before You Tie The Knot

By Michele-Weiner Davis Does knowing one’s fiancée’s values, goals and aspirations increase the odds a couple will live happily ever after?” That’s what reporters often want to know when interviewing me about the questions people should ask before tying the knot. As someone who for several decades has specialized in working with couples teetering on […]

Quad-Skinny-Double-Pump-Mocha-Chino — Marriage Advice — With Foam

By David Schel Like so many other mobile aficionados, I office out of a Starbucks location. It’s a great set-up. Nice working atmosphere, great music, and a full coffee bar. Best of all, free rent!  I still get the full breadth of office chatter too. My landlord Howard actually stirred up some of the office […]

Why Not Conscious Re-coupling?

I find it sad when any couple splits, especially couples with children.  I feel the same way about Gwyneth Paltrow and her soon-to-be ex-husband. When there’s some sort of abuse, it’s equally sad, but it’s also understandable when a spouse calls it quits.  That’s not the case here.  And I’m more than a bit annoyed […]

How to Help Your Friend’s Marriage

By Lori Lowe Did you know that according to a USA Today survey of 1,000 adults aged 25 to 70, almost three-fourths of adults have been marriage confidants?  Indeed, 78% of women and 69% of men have had a friend or family member confide in them about their marriage or long-term relationship struggles. In fact, most people (64%) would […]

What Kids Want Most

 Written by Beverly Willett I’m willing to bet the house that no child who sat on Santa’s knee this past Christmas wished for mommy and daddy to split up and live in separate houses.  And I don’t need a scientific survey to back that up. It’s not complicated, folks.  Unless family life is literally a […]

A Voice For The Children

By Lesli Doares Several years ago, a colleague of my husband’s loaned him the first season of In Treatment.  As a therapist, I appreciated the show but it felt a lot like a busman’s holiday for me.  After watching a few episodes, he turned to me and asked, “Is this what you do all day?”  […]

Facilitating Forever

By Alan J. Hawkins, Ph.D Recently our attention has been riveted on the important debate about who can legally marry. Even with the recent Supreme Court rulings, the debate and legal struggles will continue for some time. As important as the debate over same-sex marriage is, however, I hope it won’t overwhelm an even more […]

The ABCs of Marriage and Relationship Education

Written by Seth Eisenberg Nearly 30 years ago Virginia Satir, called the “Mother of Family Therapy,” encouraged psychotherapists to shift focus from therapy to education as their primary strategy for helping repair relationships. Fifteen years later, Dr. Marty Sullivan of Duke University’s renowned Integrative Medicine Program began integrating relationship skills training into a holistic approach […]

Coalition For Divorce Reform

The Legal Journey of No-Fault Divorce in America

by Matt Johnston Introduction The evolution of no-fault divorce in the U.S. is intertwined with cultural and social transformation. Originating from revolutionary reforms in early 20th-century Russia, the concept of dissolving a marriage without proving or even claiming fault found its way into American discourse, challenging traditional views on marriage and divorce. It is no […]

Navigating Your Child’s First Christmas After Divorce: Tips for Emotional Support

By Cathy Meyer The first Christmas after a divorce can be an emotional rollercoaster for children. It’s a time typically filled with family traditions and comforting routines, but this year, those traditions might feel different—or even broken. As a parent, your heart aches to shield your child from the sadness and uncertainty this season may […]

Standing for Marriage Even After Divorce

By Lisa Ann McKinley My name is Lisa Ann McKinley and I’m standing for my marriage. This is my testimony about where I am in my marriage and how my faith journey changed after attending the November retreat by Catholics for Marriage Restoration and the Archdiocese of Atlanta. I originally wrote this for my family […]

No-Fault Divorce is Bad For Kids. Divorce Justice is the Answer.

By Katy Faust My name is Katy Faust and I am the founder and president of Them Before Us. We are a global movement defending children’s right to their mother and father. That makes us fierce opponents of divorce. “Divorce” is another term for the death of a family. With it often comes the death […]

Strengthening Marriages in Florida: A Template for Divorce Reform, Complemented by the Latest in Technology

By Seth Eisenberg In the spring of 2000, Jane and Michael stood hand in hand at the altar, excited yet mindful of the challenges that lay ahead. They were like any other young couple—full of hope, but also cautious about the realities of married life. Two years earlier, Florida had introduced the Marriage Preparation and […]

Suffer Little Children

by Jason Williams Getting older is weird, at least if you have kids. It’s like doing 30 on the Interstate. Everything else is moving around you so fast that you feel like you’re standing still. I see it the most in my kids’ clothes. Pants, dresses, etc., start out too big so they can grow […]

The Latest Scare Cards to Prop up No-Fault Divorce

By Beverly Willett After a rash of rumors about a Republican plot to end unilateral no-fault divorce, a writer for The Atlantic has weighed in. The piece devotes exactly one paragraph to the claim, asserting that “Texas has a chance of actually doing it” because Republicans occupy top seats in the executive branch and control […]

Talking Points from The Longevity Project

1. Children from divorced families died almost five years earlier than those from intact families [page 80]
2. Facing parental divorce during childhood was the single strongest social predictor of early death, many years into the future [p. 80]
3. Having one’s parents divorce during childhood was a much stronger predictor of mortality risk than was parental death [p. 80]
4. The experience of parental divorce was strongly linked to earlier mortality from all causes, including accidents, cancers, and cardiovascular disease [p. 82]...Read more
 
 

Study Demonstrates Reduction in Military Divorce Due to Marriage Education

Findings from a large, randomized controlled trial of couple education are presented in this brief report. Married Army couples were assigned to either PREP for Strong Bonds (n = 248) delivered by Army chaplains or to a no-treatment control group (n = 228)...

DOWNLOAD FULL STUDY HERE