First Responders’ Marriage Workshop

Relational ruin among first responders is at epidemic proportions. In Fort Worth, for example, Police Department employees have a divorce rate of 87%. Research shows

(1) “The better a marriage, the better one performs at work.” Work performance is essential for first responders and the communities they serve. Our programing makes marriages better. Therefore a first responder’s performance is better which contributes to the communities they serve. (Marriage & Family Wellness: Corporate America’s Business – by Matthew D. Turvey, Psy.D. and David H. Olson, Ph.D.).

(2) Children who come from homes with marital discord are more likely to go to jail, drop out of school, become homeless, do drugs, and experience other tragic outcomes. In other words, when children’s parents’ marriages are better, the children will be better. (TIME, How To Stay Married. June 13, 2016).

(3) suicide among first responders is higher than any time in history. Two in five first responders think about suicide. One in ten attempt it. (Firefighter Close Calls, “Responder Suicide Rates Reach All Time High.” February 26, 2019). Many first responder leaders note that these suicides are more often related to a troubled relationship at home than their vocational work.

The Make Room For Marriage workshop consists of a variety of learning modules, media and kinetic presentations, self-discovery and self-analysis activities, evaluations of relational dynamics and consequences, and provides building blocks for future relational health.