Examining facilitator experiences of group dynamics and role of culture in couple relationship education

Given the high degree of marital instability and its adverse consequences, especially for low-income ethnic minority couples, couple relationship educational programs (CREPs) have gained popularity as a means to strengthen marriages and stabilize families. Despite the abundance of CREPs available, research is limited on how to lead effective culturally sensitive programs. This qualitative study explored the perspectives of couple relationship education facilitators who had experience working with diverse groups from one federally funded program, entitled Supporting Healthy Relationships (SHR). Utilizing a semi-structured interview created for this study, eight facilitators were asked about their perceptions of success for the workshops, group dynamics observed, how cultural similarities and differences were navigated between them and the group members, and modifications made to the curriculum. Thirteen themes were developed from their responses utilizing a five-stage model of analysis. Results demonstrated that the participants believe that the SHR workshop successfully improves couple functioning, particularly those in high distress, due to the wraparound approach. This approach included benefits such as meals, transportation assistance, employment services, monetary incentives for program completion, and supplementary events for the participants to further build social support. Per the participants, the power of the workshop appears to come from the curative nature of the group format which revealed that their problems were universal within a cohesive atmosphere and enabled interpersonal learning. The group facilitators tended to enhance the group through the use of self-disclosure, informality, flexibility with group discussions, and their ability to connect and deepen couples' understanding via experiential exercises. The study’s findings also highlight the utility of discussing cultural identity within the context of couple relationship education. When facilitators can successfully navigate challenging moments within the working alliance or within the group, the relationships were strengthened. Conversely, when they avoided discussions of culture, they reported negative responses from the group members. Suggestions for implementing an optimal culturally sensitive CREP are proposed, and limitations and implications for research are discussed.Psy.D.Includes bibliographical reference