High Profile Affair CC Opportunity

How High-Profile Affair Gave Opportunity for CC Instructor to Share Marriage Education Views

The extra-marital affairs of some high profile political figures have often captured media attention. When this occurs, experts in the field of counseling or marital therapy are sought out for their perspectives on marriage, infidelity, and the likely future for the marriage relationship from such behavior.

Kent MacEachern is a long-time Certified COUPLE COMMUNICATION (CC) instructor and more recently a user of the ThriveSphere Collaborative Marriage “Reflectment” (Inventory). As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) practicing near Charleston, SC, Kent was interviewed by several newspaper writers in his area when the governor of his state confessed publically to an affair. You can find a link below to one of the articles highlighting Kent’s views, yet, we at ICP believe you may find it interesting and helpful to learn more about how he works generally with couples.

Kent says,

“I primarily use the CC course with a couple privately. During my initial assessment, I explain that I offer counseling and coaching (for instance of CC), describe the differences, and explore options.

Couples are pleasantly surprised when I tell them that they don't need counseling, they just need to work on their communication. I explain how they will do this and show them the CC course. They lighten up and get more comfortable with the idea of being in a counseling office. Often as they get more comfortable with me and with doing the course, they open up, and opportunities arise naturally to switch to a counseling session when needed.

I have noticed that men seem to be more comfortable with a structured, educational approach as opposed to talking about their problems or their feelings (if they admit to having either problems or feelings).

I really like using the ThriveSphere Reflectment as part of the approach because it gets people to talk about their issues in a more productive way. I use the ThriveSphere with some very dysfunctional couples just to get them doing something -- anything! – that may be constructive together, including identifying their strengths. In typical counseling sessions they are focused on their problems, which can be very upsetting and can often make matters worse.

I also use the ThriveSphere in my counseling approach as a way to get couples to be more aware of the dynamics in their relationship. There is an amazing amount of information on one page. I often tell people it would take six counseling sessions to get at the same information that they could do in one session by using Thrive. I say it really saves a lot of time and money and is usually a more objective, constructive approach than hashing through history, stirring up bad memories, and leaving sessions hurt, angry and depressed. I have even found that going over some of the worst ThriveSphere results (that show mainly the couple’s problems and very few of their strengths) has often gone surprisingly well. It's been a very useful tool in my work with couples.

Using the ThriveSphere and CC together is also great for premarital counseling.”

See the newspaper article about Kent called, “Commitment and effort required for rocky relationships,” which appeared in the Moultrie News, in South Carolina. Click Here for the article.

For more information on the revised CC program, visit: www.couplecommunication.com

For more information on the ThriveSphere Collaborative Marriage Inventory, visit: www.ThriveSphere.com

Interpersonal Communication Programs, Inc.

30772 Southview Drive, Suite 200

Evergreen, CO 80439

Toll-free: 800-328-5099

Phone: 303-674-2051

Fax: 303-674-4283