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Evaluation ViewAttendees 2

Couples / Close Relationships
Session Type:: Symposia

Symposium 15 - Impacts of Relationship Education Delivered Through Community Partnerships to Couples from Various Minoritized and Marginalized Backgrounds

Friday, November 21, 2025
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM CST
Location: Imperial 9, Level 4
CE: 1.5

Keywords: Community-Based, Couples / Close Relationships, Psychoeducation
Level of Familiarity: Basic
Recommended Readings: Hawkins, A. J., Hokanson, S., Loveridge, E., Milius, E., Duncan, M., Booth, M., & Pollard, B. (2022). How effective are ACF-funded couple relationship education programs? A meta-analytic study. Family process, 61(3), 970–985. https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12739,   Stanley, S. M., Barton, A. W., Ritchie, L. L., Allen, M. O., & Rhoades, G. K. (2023). The Stable Low‐Conflict Index: A policy‐relevant outcome in government‐funded relationship education efforts. Family Relations, 72(5), 2647-2663.,   Lavner, J. A., Karney, B. R., & Bradbury, T. N. (2015). New directions for policies aimed at strengthening low-income couples. Behavioral Science & Policy, 1(2), 13-24. https://doi.org/10.1177/237946151500100203,   ,  

Relationships play a critical role in well-being across the lifespan. The benefits of supportive and strong relationships are especially salient for people from traditionally underserved communities (e.g., racial/ethnic minority, socioeconomically disadvantaged groups) who often face higher risks for relationship strains and mental health problems and experience significant barriers to care. Fortunately, research has shown that programs focused on enhancing romantic relationships are effective in improving both relationship and individual well-being. Growing efforts are dedicated to making such programs accessible to underserved communities, which are often underrepresented in the efficacy trials of these programs. A better understanding of the outcomes of these programs in real-world settings for those most in need provides critical insights into ways to further improve program outcomes when working with underserved communities.

The current symposium features four presentations discussing the outcomes of evidence-based relationship education programs implemented through community partnerships. These programs have reached diverse adults from minoritized, marginalized, and under-resourced groups, providing critical insights that inform interventions with these populations. In doing so, the symposium addresses the “interplay of public health and behavioral health treatment,” aligning with the conference theme of “Bridging the Divide: Promoting Rigorous Science and Inclusive, Affirming Therapies.”

The first presenter will share relationship and individual outcomes of an evidence-based relationship education paired with financial well-being education. The program was delivered to 225 couples through a local community organization that primarily serves African American families in Memphis, TN. The second presenter will present relationship and mental health outcomes of a revised, shorter version of an evidence-based relationship education program for low-income expectant couples (N = 912), delivered by a local community organization in Oklahoma City, OK. Using a cohort-control evaluation design, this new cohort of couples will be compared to a previous cohort that participated in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of an earlier version of the program, which was 1.5 times longer than the revised version. The third presenter will share findings from an RCT that examined the effect of augmenting relationship education with virtual practice prompts as booster training following the initial program. The relationship education curriculum used was created and delivered by a local non-profit organization in Colorado for military and first-responder couples (N = 735). The final presentation will share findings from an RCT examining whether additional economic services enhance the effects of relationship education. These services were provided to couples (N = 333) through a local community organization in Fort Worth, TX, the majority of whom are Latino.

Finally, the discussant, an accomplished scholar specialized in developing and testing brief, effective relationship interventions that reach a wide range of couples, will discuss the clinical and research implications of these findings.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session, the learner will be able to:
  1. Name 1-2 existing evidence-based relationship education programs.
  2. Describe the potential benefits couples may experience after participating in a relationship education program.
  3. Describe the differences in outcomes among couples receiving relationship education alone and those receiving it with virtual practice prompts.
  4. Describe the differences in outcomes among couples receiving relationship education alone versus those receiving it with economic services.
  5. This symposium highlights the value of community partnerships in expanding access to relationship education among those in need.
  6. This symposium highlights the opportunity to advance research on better serving those in need through academic-community partnerships.

Presentations:

  • 5:06 PM - 5:27 PM CST
    (SYM 15) Evaluation of Becoming ONE: Effectiveness of a Community-based Relationship Education Program for Black Couples

    Speaker: John V. Miller, Other (he/they) – University of Denver

    Co-author: Adi Rosenthal, Ph.D. – University of Denver

    Co-author: Claire L. Chapman, B.S. (she/her/hers) – University of Denver

    Co-author: Carra Gilson, M.P.H. – University of Denver

    Co-author: Nicholas Perry, Ph.D. (he/him/his) – University of Denver

    Co-author: Galena K. Rhoades, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – University of Denver

  • 5:27 PM - 5:48 PM CST
    (SYM 15) Preliminary Findings from a Relationship Education Workshop Program with Underserved Couples Living in the Bronx Community

    Presenter: Stephan A. Brandt, M.A. – Stony Brook University

  • 5:48 PM - 6:09 PM CST
    (SYM 15) Outcomes of a Briefer Version of Family Expectations: A Community-based Relationship Education Program for Expectant Low-income Couples

    Speaker: Yunying Le, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – University of Denver

    Co-author: Scott Stanley, PhD – University of Denver

    Co-author: Nicholas Perry, Ph.D. (he/him/his) – University of Denver

    Co-author: Daphne Liu, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – University of Denver

    Co-author: Claire L. Chapman, B.S. (she/her/hers) – University of Denver

    Co-author: Galena K. Rhoades, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – University of Denver

  • 6:09 PM - 6:30 PM CST
    (SYM 15) Engaging Military and First-responder Couples in Relationship Education

    Speaker: Galena K. Rhoades, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – University of Denver

    Co-author: Maria-Ernestina Christl, Ph.D. – University of Denver

    Co-author: Yunying Le, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – University of Denver

    Co-author: Nicholas Perry, Ph.D. (he/him/his) – University of Denver

    Co-author: Claire L. Chapman, B.S. (she/her/hers) – University of Denver

    Co-author: Jennifer Lee, B.S. (she/her/hers) – University of Denver