We went to school to learn how to read and write, to solve equations. We took classes to learn how to paint and play the piano better, so why is it that when it comes to something as important as our relationships we just assume we’ll know how to do it right?

The truth is that most of us didn’t learn relationship skills from qualified sources. We picked up information and habits from people who may have had good intentions, but lacked expertise. Or worse, from people who passed on information that was just plain wrong.

The curriculum we use—PREP (Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program)—is one of the most comprehensive and well respected divorce-prevention/marriage and relationship enhancement programs in the world.
While therapy can be extremely helpful in some cases, research shows that most of what goes wrong in relationships has a lot to do with never having learned the skills and principles associated with healthy relationships.

PREP is education, not therapy. It is built around enhancing skills and principals to help couples communicate better, say what is on their minds, and deal with problems in a healthy and productive manner, resulting in relationships that are stronger overall.

You can never learn too much about how to love and care for the people in your life!

PREP Couples Succeed!

• PREP couples have lower rates of premarital break-up and post marital divorce.
• In a large-scale study in Denver, PREP couples as compared to control couples had 1/3 the likelihood of breaking up, up through 5 years following the program (combining premarital and post-marital break-up). In a recent study in Germany, 3% of the PREP couples had divorced at a 5 year follow up while 16% of couples who received traditional PMC (or no PMC) had divorced. However, other studies do not show this same level of difference in break-up rates.
• PREP couples have shown a greater likelihood of maintaining relationship satisfaction for a few years following training, in one major long term study.
• PREP couples have lower levels of negative communication and higher levels of positive communication immediately following the program, and maintain these advantages up to 5 years later. (Based on studies in the U.S., Germany, and Australia)
• PREP couples, in one study, have reported lower levels of physical aggression in the years after taking the program.
• PREP couples enjoy taking the program because of the "hands on" skill oriented nature of the material-with PREP couples reporting greater program satisfaction than couples taking other programs offered to couples.
• Higher risk couples receiving an Australian variation of PREP were happier up to four years following the course than high risk couples receiving an alternate, biblio-therapy program. In this study, low risk couples did as well or even better with the alternative program, though in studies at the University of Denver, to date, low and higher risk couples derived similar benefits from PREP.
• Premarital couples taking PREP given by clergy or lay leaders in their religious organization (as well as when given by university staff) communicate more positively and less negatively following training compared to couples taking more typical premarital training in their religious organizations.

Marriage and Relationship Education classes are available at:

Bethel Ridge Family Resources

Family Connections of Yakima Valley

People for People

United Christian Church Yakima

West Side Baptist Church