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Musings about Friends Couple Enrichment and the practice of Couple Dialogue
Jess Walcott shares how listening in dialogue gives us the superpower of being able to let go of defensivness.
At home date night idea: have a scavenger hunt for things that represent your love.
You can participate in regular witnessed dialogues without leaving the comfort of your home by participating in FCE's monthly online drop-in dialogues.
Everyone likes a vacation, but what do we mean when we say "I need a vacation"?
This couple activity invites you to take time with your partner to explore more about what makes a vacation a vacation for you.
It's becoming a habit! This year FCE will offer the online retreat "Listening with Love to Strengthen and Deepen our Relationships" for the third year in a row. Join us on Oct. 12 & 13.
For the dialoguing couple the witness holds a safe space for curiosity and exploration. For the witness the discipline of opening the heart creates a space of deep compassion.
Jeff Richman, who leads FCE events with his partner Kathy, enjoys taking old songs and writing new lyrics to them. Check out his latest mashup of using the Holly's 1967 tune Carrie Anne with words about financial health.
In-person events across the usa
In-Person workshops are back! In the next 6 months FCE will offer three in-person workshops -- one in Alaska, one in Texas, and one in Pennsylvania.
Here's a challenge -- interview your partner about some of their experiences and beliefs around money to help gain more financial intimacy.
Jose and Maria, a Leader Couple currently living in Ottawa, Canada, have started an online, ongoing group for Couple Dialogue in Spanish, their native language.
This activity asks us to reflect on how we choose to care for our partner, and how that caring is recieved.
Do you know what your partner's dreams are? This "Bucket List" activity -- along with a dialogue in the sandbox -- might help you learn more!
Couple Enrichment leader Jeff Richman honors equality by rewriting the 1983 Billy Joel classic "Tell Her About It" to make it gender neutral.
An original song written and performed by Jeff Richman, who has been a leading Couple Enrichment events with his partner, Kathy, for more than 25 years.
The October 2022 online workshop brought together 10 couples with no travel!
In September 2022, FCE welcomed its newest Leader Couple.
Sharing stories about what we value during the holidays can reduce conflict.
In August, 2022, Friends Couple Enrichment welcomed Gene Sonn and Jess Walcott as the second couple to complete the new, self-paced, online training. They live in Pennsylvania.
Joan Liversidge reflects on the "Love Tag" activity she and Rich were introduced to 30+ years ago
A testimony from Mark and Daphne, past participants in a Couple Enrichment Workshop
In May, 2022, FCE welcomed Carol & Rick Holmgren, from Meadville, PA, as our newest Leader Couples. They are the first couple to complete our new, self-paced, online training program.
The 3 Leader Couples facilitating the October online workshop (October 22, 23, & 29, 2022) describe what they have in store.
On September 10, 2022, FCE is trying something new - an information session about FCE led by two bilingual FCE Leader Couples.
Research shows that watching movies together (and then talking about how the characters communicate) can improve your own couple communication.
Sometimes the magic of dialogue involves uncovering emotions that lie hidden beneath the surface of the dialogue.
A quick refresher on some of the basics to remember while having a couple dialogue.
Couple Dialogue practices use many of the same skills that help us respond when racism rears it's head.
For a couple with children at home, having a "Dialogue Night" instead of "Date Night" was a way to renew the intimacy of their relationship.
Reflections from a leader couple on what changes in their lives caused by the pandemic that they want to intentionally hang on to.
Friends Couple Dialogue events involve dialoguing with your partner within a community of peers who hold the sacred space.
Cathy Walling and Scott Bell reflect on the activities, learnings, and joy of a workshop held in Hawaii.
PDFs of other articles about Marriage
Patricia McBee, Marriage as a Spiritual Discipline (Friends Journal, July 1994)
Margaret Hope Bacon, Grow Old Along With Me (Friends Journal, March 1994)
David & Vera Mace, Marriage Enrichment Retreats (Friends General Conference, ca 1969)
David Mace, Marriage As Vocation (Friends General Conference, 1968)