Photo By Lance Cpl. Katalynn M. Rodgers | Couples went through five different venues while attending Marine Corps Recruit Depot...... read more read more
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SAN DIEGO - Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego’s Family Team Building and Behavioral Health Services held a couples resiliency workshop Oct. 29.
“We face a lot of challenges as military couples,” said Tracy Genica, Marine Corps Family Team Building trainer, MCRD Marine Corps Family Team Building. “It’s a little harder than the average civilian couple, we face deployments and separations.”
This class gave couples tools to revitalize their relationships whether they’ve been married for several years or in the dating stages of their relationships.
“My wife really enjoyed the class,” said Staff Sgt. Bryan Rivas, drill instructor, Company B, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, Recruit Training Regiment. “She believes it will be really helpful for our relationship.”
Throughout the building, there were five venues set up.
Each had different themes and messages for couples to take away and apply to their relationships.
These classes consist of a little bit of everything that couples can take away for their tool box and apply it to their relationships, said Genica.
“This class gave us new tools to be able to communicate better as a couple,” said Rivas.
The first venue was called “Fun and Friendship.” The goal of this venue was for people to understand an important part of a healthy marriage is keeping fun and friendship in their relationship.
Venue two was “Finding Those Connections,” which helped couples maintain connections with their spouse.
“In a busy world with hectic schedules we have to make the time and effort to make and maintain meaningful connections with our spouse,” said Genica.
Venue three was themed like a couple’s life was a journey on a ship and was called “Charting the Course.”
Each couple was given a sheet of paper to relate the following categories to their relationship: setting sail, getting our “sea legs,” anchor watch, dropping anchor, ports of call, view from the crow’s nest and loot.
Under setting sail, couples were to recall how they met and began dating. With getting our “sea legs,” couples had to write down the things they had to adjust to about their partner and how they worked out their everyday routine together.
Anchor watch was where couples had to recall what moment led them to believe their partner was the one they wanted to be with forever. Dropping Anchor was how they came to be a married couple. The ports of call category was their major life-changing decisions together.
The view from the crow’s nest is where they think about their future together and what they expect to happen. Finally the loot represented things they treasure doing together.
“I am not afraid of storms,” said Patricia Kalaye, L.I.N.K.S. trainer, Family Team Building, about rough patches during relationships. “I’m learning how to sail my ship.”
The goal of this venue was to show couples that they have a history, present and future together and that marriage is a journey they share.
Venue four was “Spice up your Relationship,” with this venue couples learned different types of communications and that good communication is key to a healthy relationship.
One form of communication that was really focused on was active listening. This is where someone gives their partner their undivided attention and really listens to what they have to say.
They also outlined some things that could make a marriage more difficult, like poor communication, unrealistic expectations, resentments, money problems, deployment or job demands, day to day routines, blaming, shaming, name-calling, not handling disagreements as a team, intimacy concerns and in-laws.
They also gave some ways to battle these situations that are used in conjunction with active listening.
Couples were to communicate the favorite things their partners do on occasion, or what they would like them to do. They were to focus on the small things that build their relationship. Then they were to pick one thing they could do for their partner next week, and discuss one that they could do together.
Venue five was called “Journey Jars.” Couples were given a mason jar that had strips of paper inside with prompts couples answered in a journal. The prompts had things like, “my most favorite moment when we were first starting out was…”
This venue enabled couples to learn how to stay connected through journaling. In military marriages, couples are often unable to be together and miss out on each other’s lives. One way they can keep a connection during their separation is through a daily journal.
“Preserve your memories, seal them up well,” read a quote on the journey jars couples were given. “What you forget, you can never re-tell. But a journal that’s kept fresh on the shelf will help someone through rough times, maybe even yourself.”
These venues gave couples hand-outs to help with their relationship and also provided the right place to spark important conversations.
“This provides couples an environment to talk about these topics,” said Genica. “You won’t be sitting at home, watching TV and say, ‘you know what’s important, having fun and friendship in your relationship.’ When you aren’t in places like this you’re focused more on life.”
Family Team Building and Behavioral Health Services directors and trainers work together to create classes.
“We take the standardized Marine Corps topics and focus on situations specific to the depot’s personnel,” said Genica. “Many of the personnel don’t see deployments, but do see long term separations.”
Each couple may suffer from different situations, but these classes are here to help them.
“Our command believes that it’s important to have strong relationships while on the drill field,” said Staff Sgt. Robert Phelan, drill instructor, Company B, 1st RTBN. “They give us chances like these to strengthen our relationships with our wives.”
| Date Taken: | 10.29.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 11.21.2011 11:53 |
| Story ID: | 80330 |
| Location: | SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 139 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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