An Integrated Approach to Relationship Education: Supporting Human Services Providers to Strengthen Individuals and Families

Abstract

Healthy relationship education helps ameliorate the cycle of family fragmentation. Although provided in a variety of forms, scholars support that the most efficient way of promoting healthy relationship education is through integration within human services. The National Resource Center for Healthy Marriage and Families uses a workshop approach to assist human services providers to integrate healthy relationship skills into their preexisting service delivery methods. In this study, a “for whom does it work” approach was used to identify workshop participant (N = 40) characteristics that influenced learning impact and transfer of learning. Supervisors reported greater transfer of learning. Personal and agency readiness were predictive of learning impact. Barriers to integration, as well as implications for practice and research, are discussed.