PREPARE/ENRICH Australia Blog

As many organisations close their doors, schools close and public places deserted, many of us are forced to remain home and practice social distancing. With that, anxiety levels rise, fuses become shorter and frustration prevails - our routines are turned upside down and additional stress is placed on relationships and families leading to spikes in demand for family and relationship services.

The need for relationship education is escalating, service access is becoming more limited because of the increased lock-down and social isolation. Providers of support services must adjust to the conditions and search for innovative ways of working, to help those facing adversity - from the comfort of their own homes.

The PREPARE/ENRICH Group Program lends itself well to an online format as it allows for a combination of teaching, demonstrating and discussion. The Group Program outlines ten sessions that may used in sequence, depending on the items that have been raised by the group. The first session is an introductory session and the last as a wrap-up. All other sessions need not be delivered in consecutive order.

The group experience with other couples is designed for couples to learn from each other and to also discuss issues as a couples. Because much of the information is personal, the online experience will create some positive tension. This sharing and learning together can help build a sense of community... even while online.