Intensive Training

We now offer training for therapists, pastors, and leaders who desire to enrich couples lives through education and skill building.

Our training program consists of a one-day workshop and it prepares individuals to present The Satisfied Marriage program (a marriage intensive) or the Engaged: the eight fundamentals to lasting love program. Once you have completed the training, you are officially certified to present either of our programs.

Certification gives you the following benefits:

• You become an officially certified Smalley Marriage Coach.
• You get listed in our approved providers section that is promoted nation wide at live events and online through our family of websites that reach tens of thousands of unique people a month.
• You get trained to work with couples in a one-day intensive format that is very powerful compared to traditional weekly counseling.
• You can increase your ministry or practice through one-day or two-day intensives for couples.
• You get to work with couples utilizing our The Satisfied Marriage program or the Engaged program.

Topics covered in our training program include conflict resolution, personal responsibility, validation, communication, handling anger, sexual intimacy, and much more.

The cost of our full-day training program is $1,500 plus travel expenses for an individual. If you are going to have at least 5 or more individuals at your training workshop, the price drops to $300 per person.

Attention professional counselors and therapists

If you are a professional counselor with at least a Masters Degree or Doctorate then you qualify to go through our home-based study that includes the training manual and a supplemental DVD. The cost for this self-study course is $199. You can order this program online here.

Intensive Training Request

1. Your First Name(required)
2. Your Last Name(required)
3. Email(valid email required)
4. Office Phone(required)
5. Cell Phone
6. Home phone
7. Best phone number to reach you
8. Office phone Cell phone Home phone
9. How many people will be receiving the training?(required)
10. Choose your first desired date for training
11. Choose your second desired date for training
12. Website
13. Message

 

cforms contact form by delicious:days

Understanding why you fight

Understanding why you fight is half the battle; actually, it is the battle when it comes to conflict resolution.  Read more

The last image (or word) is sometimes the worst

The reason I am posting these images is two fold: 1. They are hilarious, and frightening! 2. They remind me, believe it or not, of a marriage principle. Read more

Popular columnist suggests an affair to help marriage

The Chicago Tribune’s, Cheryl Lavin, who writes the popular advice column “Tales from the Front” had the following advice to one of her readers’ questions:

Dear Trapped: You’re too young to take a vow of celibacy. I’m afraid the anger you’re suppressing will overwhelm you and one day you’ll do or say something you regret.

No one thinks that an extramarital affair is a good idea, but in your situation, it may save your sanity and, ultimately, your marriage. There’s an enormous difference between having an affair because you’re bored and having one because you’re denying a vital part of yourself.

It’s certainly better than wishing your husband were dead. And no one who isn’t in your shoes should condemn you.

If you were my sister, I’d tell you to find a male friend and have a discreet sexual relationship. I know this advice is controversial and certainly not an ideal solution. But your problem doesn’t have an ideal solution.

Readers, what advice do you have for “Trapped”? (emphasis added)

The woman’s question to Lavin was simply:

I’m a 42-year-old woman. I’ve been married to my husband, who’s 58, for 16 years. We had an extremely active, passionate sex life for the first eight years of our marriage, but none since. I miss sex desperately. I’ve contemplated affairs and divorce many times. I love my husband so much, but I’m miserable without sex.

The reader goes on to share how their sexual relationship originally stopped because of major physical discomfort and even pain from her husband. Hello! She mentions that he’s never gotten any help with the physical issues, which is fairly normal because most men are ashamed when they are not able to perform sexually.

I will say that he is not coping well with his physical issues, and needs to get help. However, the wife is not coping well either by wanting to divorce or have an affair. First things first, a healthy marriage is not just about sex. It is hard to reconcile with someone who says she “loves her husband very much” but then is willing to leave him because he’s hurting or willing to have an affair.

When your marriage comes up against hurt or physical ailment, do not quit. The greatest gift you will ever give yourself is to learn how to love your spouse unconditionally, like Christ loves you. I would never tell this to someone who is in physical danger, but when your spouse is hurting physically or emotionally, the best course of action is to love them through it.

That way, everyone wins.