Anne French Is Among a New Breed of “Marriage Educators”
Dallas, TX April 16, 2004 —- Marriage counseling is undergoing a shift, away from a neutral listening therapy toward a more active advocacy of partnership. The new model is pragmatic, favoring short-term, cost-effective interventions and proven techniques. Anne French, of Dallas, has developed such a program. Called Enhanced Relations, her process is based on traditional business mediation techniques, and couples find it more of a learning experience than a therapy.
Chris and Jody Mills had been married 8 years when Chris heard about French’s technique this fall. “We had one issue that we seemed stuck on, and that was finances,” says Chris. I was intrigued with the idea of using mediation techniques—it just made so much sense to address a problem that way—in a structured format with a beginning and an end.” He didn’t describe the process as therapy to his wife, but “made it sound more like a workshop”, says Jody.
The Enhanced Relations process is structured, and has a specific time limit. As in all mediation, both parties must agree to the process, which generally takes five hours, divided into three sessions. At the conclusion, the couple leaves with a written agreement. “Many of my clients are professional people, and they’re often surprised at how efficient and goal-oriented my process is,” says French. “When everyone agrees to listen without judgement and negativity, they automatically start addressing the problem together, and I provide the tools to help them reach resolution.”
French has used her technique on couples planning to get married, as well as couples who’ve been together many years—facing a big change, or trying to resolve a nagging issue which has seemed impossibly stuck in one spot.
About Anne French
In addition to her mediation practice, Anne French offers seminars and workshops on her techniques of interpersonal mediation for businesses and organizations. Her articles have been published in national journals, and she is a frequent speaker and guest panelist on mediation.
This article courtesy of http://www.curerelationship.com.
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