Should I Try and Work on My Marriage or Just Get Divorced?


This is a tough question that faces many couples during their marriage.  There are many issues to consider and it is not always easy to find helpful advice.  Alan Hawkins and his colleagues from Brigham Young University have written a very thoughtful guide to help couples think through this process.

They include helpful activities that either (or both) partners can do to get a realistic assessment of where they are.  Hawkins and colleagues also provide information about the effects of divorce on children and adults.

This is a valuable resource for couples.

Presentations on Relationships at NCFR


The National Council on Family Relations had their annual conference in November 2012.  Here are a few papers that address relationship education and divorce education.

Patterns and Predictors of Nonresident Father-child Contact in Ireland

by Elizabeth Nixon & Ann Marie Halpenny

Changes Among Parents Attending a Divorce Education Program: Six & Twelve Months Follow-up

by Jenn Crawford

Summary of Session: Relationship Education for Disadvantaged Young Parents: What Do We Know?

by Alan J. Hawkins

The case for relationship education in adolescence and emerging adulthood and initial data on effectiveness

by Frank D. Fincham

There is a new “Co-Parenting and Divorce Education Focus Group” that has formed within in NCFR.  See the agenda and contact information.

Co-Parenting and Divorce Education Focus Group