Children's Justice Alliance
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Success Story: Paul and Susan
Paul and Susan came to the Healthy Relationships: Successful Families (HR:SF) class because they were “mandated” to be there by the court. Both Susan and Paul told the coach they already had a very good relationship and did not think there was anything for them to learn. HR:SF is a twelve week class covering many aspects of relationships. There are role plays that help parents experience directly what the lesson is all about.
During one lesson about communication and listening skills, Paul and Susan did a role play in front of the class. Susan started her part by asking her husband about his day, what he thought they should do with the children after dinner and about making plans for an outing over the weekend. Susan answered most of her own questions; her husband barely had a chance to speak. They looked at each other in disbelief. Their shock turned into a great “telling” moment for them – they both realized there was indeed a thing or two they could learn during this “mandated” class.
Over the next weeks Susan and Paul were much more open to new ideas and willing to apply the tools presented during class. They would come to class and share how a new technique they had tried over the weekend had helped with their communication. Paul and Susan graduated the HR: SF class proudly. They recommend HR:SF to anyone interested in improving their relationship, adding, couples don’t have to be mandated to take the class to benefit from the great tools!