The new secretary-general of the Islamic Society of North America, the largest Muslim organization on the continent, said that Imams living in the United States need to embrace the culture better and provide services that are now rarely offered to Muslims. He says that Imams need to offer marriage counseling and pastoral counseling in order to help Muslims who sometimes feel alienated in this country. Traditionally, Imams did not offer marriage counseling mainly because of the large extended families that generally would help with counseling. However, today, Muslims often live far away from any relatives and do not have any type of support. That is where Imams need to step in according to Muneer Fareed, the new ISNA chief.
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Teen Crime Increases in Memphis, So Does Family Counseling
Published by November 2nd, 2006 in Family Therapy, Laws and Parenting. 0 CommentsCrime among juveniles in Memphis, TN is on the rise and the community is looking for solutions. There were 100+ more aggravated robberies in 2005 compared to 2004. Also, aggravated assaults increased by about 150. Shockingly, the murder rate even increased in 2005 from 6 in ‘04 to 18 in ‘05. In an attempt to quell the increase in crime, the community has increased programs focusing on family counseling.
David Callahan is the author of highly-acclaimed books on American history, business and public policy. More recently, he founded the New York based Democratic think-tank, Demos. His most recent book, “The Moral Center: How We Can Reclaim Our Country From Die-Hard Extremists, Rogue Corporations, Hollywood Hacks, and Pretend Patriots,” highlights Mr. Callahan’s vision of a good society. One of his core beliefs is that the government should fund all marriage and fatherhood counseling. Not a bad idea.
Click here to read an article about Mr. Callahan in the New York Sun
Veteran Centers Falling Way Short on Family/Marriage Counseling
Published by October 31st, 2006 0 CommentsA recent report released by the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee says that our Veteran counseling centers are extremely unprepared for the vets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The number of vets seeking counseling DOUBLED between March ‘05 and June ‘06. Almost half of the Vet Centers said they were forced to place people in group therapy who actually needed individual counseling. And 27% said they were restricting family and marriage counseling. There are waiting lists in over 25% of the Centers. The least we can do for people who risk their lives for our safety and freedom is provide them with mental health care. The administration needs to focus on and make sure this problems addressed in this shocking report are resolved.
Pain of the Past: A Psychologist’s Perspective
Published by October 31st, 2006 in Family Therapy and Group Therapy. 0 CommentsI just read a very insightful article written by a psychologist who attended a family therapy workshop and shared his thoughts. He said that all the mental health professionals were asked to explore their past relationships with their families. Practically everybody who participated ended up crying. So he says that if mental health workers, whose job it is to treat people with emotional pain, were crying so severely, “how true it must be that just about everyone has some unresolved hurt or resentment left over from relationships with family members.” He then goes into why he thinks this is so. Really interesting.
God’s Principles of Marriage in the Bible
Published by October 31st, 2006 in Christian Counseling and Faith Based Counseling. 0 CommentsIt’s no secret that there are specific biblical verses that focus specifically on marriage. These are verses that Christian marriage counselors refer to during their sessions. The people over at BodyHealthSoul.com have a convenient list of all the verses that are directed towards marriage in the Bible. Here are a few:
(Ephesians 5:21-33)
5:21 subjecting yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ.
5:31 “For this cause a man will leave his father and mother, and will be joined to his wife. The two will become one flesh.”
Corinthians 7:3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband.
Colossians 3:18-19 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.
Ecclesiastes 4:12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken
Whitherspoon and Phillippe Split Despite Marriage Counseling
Published by October 31st, 2006 in Divorce and Marriage. 0 CommentsHollywood power couple Reese Witherspoon and her husband of 7 years, Ryan Phillippe announced the end of their marriage yesterday. They said there was no specific reason as to why they ended their marriage but that it was a culmination of problems. Witherspoon and Phillippe attended marriage counseling for a few years, according to reports. It seems that there problems were so great that a marriage counselor couldn’t even resolve them!
Tori Spelling and Charlie Shanian recently divorced. They were married only 15 months ago in an uber-luxurious $1 million wedding! Charlie is seeking spousal support from Tori. This is another case of a celebrity couple giving up too early. I can’t help but think that if they tried marital counseling, things could have been different.
‘Today’ Financial Editor Offers Tips for a Successful Marriage
Published by October 25th, 2006 in Marriage. 0 Comments‘Today’ financial editor Jean Chatzky offers pointers for a successful and healthy marriage. In the midst of all the excitement of a wedding, she says it is easy to forget to talk about important issues such as money, religion, in-laws and sex. However, those conversations she says are crucial to the success and longevity of your marriage. Any surprises could shock a spouse and potentially end a marriage. Her first tip is to know your financial self. In other words, make a chart/history of your finances and share it with your partner so that there are no secrets or shocks later on. Also, she says to talk about your spending habits and try to learn from each other. Another important thing to do is to share your dreams and goals. If your wife’s childhood dream is to go to Hawaii for a vacation, then it is important that you know that. Finally, she advises couples to think and plan their accounting together. Bank accounts and balances should be discussed prior to marriage. After all, money is what makes the world go ’round.
Airforce Base Houses Successful Marriage Counseling Center
Published by October 25th, 2006 0 CommentsLuke Air Force Base located in Glendale, Arizona has a surprisingly successful counseling center. The Spiritual Maintenance Center has seen over 15,000 visitors since its inception and now averages 500-600 visits per week! These are shocking numbers, especially when considering the stereotype that military-men are macho and won’t talk about their feelings. The center had a rough start in 2003 but traffic since has picked up on its own. They attribute their success to getting to know people before crisis hits, therefore, when crisis does hit, the center comes to mind and they come running. Capt. James Claggett, the chaplain for the center, says they mainly deal with marriage and premarital counseling. This is what the military needs across the board on all bases!
Community Marriage Builders (CMB) recieved a $530,000 grant from the Administration for Children and Families and Office of Family Assistance. This is big news for the community because more than 2,000 organizations applied for the grant nationwide and it was awarded to only 135. The grant will be used to develop and enhance programs that strenghten marriages and prepare unmarried couples for a healthy, successful marriage. They will offer marriage and premarital counseling. The Executive Directory of CMB said it best, “We will not be reinventing the wheel here, but rather building on a successful framework of programs that have already been well-established and recieved in our community.”
Oklahoma Marriage Intitiative Stepping Up Efforts
Published by October 25th, 2006 in Pre-Marital Counseling. 0 CommentsThe Oklahoma Marriage Initiative is trying to get more couples to undergo premarital counseling. The program has been somewhat of a success attracting more than 80,000 couples since its inception. Now, they are offering a marriage license discount to any couple who undergoes premarital counseling by a minister or an accredited department of human services counselor. Before, discounts were limited to couples who were counseled by an ordained minister.
A new study suggests that teens and people in their early-20’s feel more “authentic” when communicating via instant or text messaging. A growing number of high school and college students say they prefer electronic methods of communication for their speed and brevity as well as for the sense of control and security they can provide. Psychologists say both groups are also part of a new generation of patients who do better with e-therapy than personal encounters in an office setting.
Marriage Counseling is Not a Bad Idea Even If Divorce is Imminent
Published by September 28th, 2006 0 CommentsDenver Post columnist Amy Dickinson says that it is never too late to go to marriage counseling; even if both parties agreed on a divorce.
She says, “It’s never too late for marital repair. It’s never too late to learn how to communicate with someone who has been in your life for more than 22 years.
If your wife is only interested in an amicable breakup, then counseling will help with that too.
“Marriage counseling” might seem completely beside the point when a marriage is ending, but I would urge both of you to continue. An amicable breakup sure beats the other kind of breakup.
It leaves the door open for friendship and reconciliation, and whether or not your marriage is over; reconciliation of the spiritual (not just the marriage-saving) kind will be good for the whole family.”
New Sitcom Explores Comical Side of Group Therapy
Published by September 26th, 2006 in Group Therapy. 0 CommentsHelp Me Help You, a new ABC sitcom, explores the comical side of group therapy. It premieres tonight, Tuesday, September 26th at 9:30 pm EST. The counselor is played by actor Ted Danson of Cheers fame. You can catch a sneak preview of the first four minutes of the show on ABC’s site.
Online counseling of all types is a relatively new phenomenon. Barnabus Christian Counseling Network has taken Christian counseling online. They believe that some individuals are better served “in an environment that preserves anonymity.” Their cost seems reasonable, so, if you’ve been looking for Christian counseling online, look no further.
Scrubs star Zach Braff has a long line of marriage counselors in his family. His biological mother and stepfather are both Ph.D psychologists who practice marriage counseling. Not wanting to feel left out, his father who is a lawyer by trade, married a therapist. They both decided that they were going to get into marriage counseling as well. And as if that weren’t enough, Zach’s stepsister is in the process of getting her degree to become a marriage counselor! Zach must be getting some great advice!
An article on Newsday.com caught my eye; a couple is advised to go to marriage counseling although they are already divorced. I thought it was very bold of the advice giver, Amy Dickinson, to suggest such action to be taken. It is common belief that the main reason people attend marriage counseling is to PREVENT divorce, not to aid in the process of getting over it. However, she says that this will help the ex-couple to communicate more effectively and help raise their child in a more sound manner.
Click here to read the full article
Studies have shown that married couples who are having marriage problems will often wait for 5-7 years before seeking counseling. In this article by Jan Fallon, she articulates how this is similar to ignoring the “Service Engine Soon” light in your car. Why wait for the problems to grow and potentially become much more difficult to overcome when you can attend counseling at the onset so that you can solve the problem as well as save yourself the agony of prolonged marital problems. Couples who want to have a healthy, successful relationship should seek counseling at the first signs of trouble. The article also discusses couples who opt for pre-marriage counseling and discusses the merits of this type of counseling. A really good article that is truly worth a read.
Click here to read the entire article on YourHub.com
A Church near Philadelphia is sponsoring an eight-week Biblically-based marriage course, complete with free childcare provided by church members and a dinner for two. It is being billed as marriage improvement rather than marriage counseling. We here at FixMyFamily couldn’t agree with the concept more. Just as it is better to avoid getting sick than to heal a sickness, it is better to ensure continual marital happiness than to wait for problems to arise and then try to correct them. Here is an excerpt from the article:
“It’s a really good time to have together,” said Sabrina, “and the format is wonderful.” The video-format style covers such topics as effective communication, relating to parents, in-laws and finances, and there’s no form of group discussion, “it’s just you and your spouse” talking privately one-on-one. While some couples may shy away from the thought of a marriage course, Phillip pointed out that, “it’s not marriage counseling. It’s marriage enhancement.” “It isn’t a problem-fixing course,” he said, (and) “you’re only going to get out of it what you put into it.”
Click here to read the entire story on The Neshoba Democrat
