SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES,
COUPLES AND INDIVIDUALS
Suggested online resources to help and support families, couples and individuals in times of relationship difficulty
SMART LOVING ENGAGED
Combining a number of learning methods, the Smart Loving Engaged course is designed to be used in one of four ways – couple to couple mentoring, small home-centred groups, larger groups in parish rooms or online mentored correspondence. Core content is presented on DVD, supported by participant materials with additional take-home activities to stimulate private discussion. Presented by husband and wife teams, the course offers Catholic theology and practical skills and tools for relationships at whatever stage.
MARRIAGE CARE
RELATIONSHIP COUNSELLING
We specialise in helping couples form and sustain healthy marriages & relationships, and in providing support in times of relationship difficulty. Why? Because healthy relationships make for better lives, more stable families and a stronger society. We’re ready to help, whatever your circumstances.
MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER
MARRIAGE ENRICHMENT
We all need to revitalise our togetherness. All too easily we get distracted from the really important things. When we are living the joy of togetherness, then our friends and families are blessed too. The Marriage Encounter experience offers you, as a married couple, the opportunity to refresh, enrich and deepen your relationship; to bring the love, joy and sparkle back into your life.
RETROUVAILLE
FOR MARRIAGES IN TROUBLE
Retrouvaille is the name of a programme designed to help heal and renew marriages. The word "Retrouvaille" simply means "rediscovery". The programme offers the chance to rediscover yourself, your partner and a loving relationship in your marriage.
RESTORED LIVES
SUPPORTING PEOPLE THROUGH SEPARATION OR DIVORCE
Restored Lives helps people recover from relationship breakdown. By supporting people and their children through separation or divorce, when a relationship is beyond repair, we help reduce the negative effects on individuals, children and communities. We are a charity dedicated to creating resources to support anyone going through the breakup of a significant relationship. These resources include an eight-session course for adults, a five-session workshop for teenagers and young adults whose parents have separated, online sessions and abuse support groups, a book, workbooks and how-to guides.
CORAM FAMILY LIVES
EARLY INTERVENTION AND CRISIS SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES
Coram Family Lives understands that family life and parenting can be challenging, and knows that the right support at the right time can make all the difference. They offer a comprehensive suite of resources, including a national helpline, online chat, WhatsApp and email support service. Coram Family Lives has online advice articles and a wide range of free online parenting courses. For families in need of in-person support, they provide a range of direct services across various locations in England and Wales.
NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING
Responsible parenthood will often involve planning when to have children, God willing, and the Catholic Church believes that this should not be by means of contraception that places a barrier between the partners, or that suppresses the healthy working of the body to make the act infertile.
These actions undermine the full human meaning of sexuality and raise other medical and moral questions that should not be overlooked: the long term health implications they may have for women and the serious impact they seem to be having on the environment. In addition to this, some chemical contraceptives do not operate only by preventing contraception, but also work by preventing those embryos that are occasionally conceived from implanting. The need for effective family planning requires a different and more radical approach.
The Catholic Church advocates a reliable knowledge of the cycle of female fertility and a willingness to agree to abstain from sexual union at certain times. The last twenty years have seen great improvements in this area and Natural Family Planning is now regarded by respected medical authorities as being highly effective for those who are instructed by trained teachers and who are strongly motivated.
BILLINGS METHOD ENGLAND
NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING
The Billings Ovulation Method® as developed by the Drs. Billings, Australia, validated by eminent international scientists and successfully trialled by the World Health Organisation. Using the body’s natural signal of fertility to achieve or avoid pregnancy and to safeguard your reproductive health.
LIFE
Life is a UK charity for women and families facing unexpected pregnancy or pregnancy loss, including loss through abortion. Our services include: Free emotional help, counselling, and skilled listening via phone, text, email, or in person. Housing and community support around the country for mums and their babies. Free pregnancy tests and baby supplies. Crafting content that educates the public about pregnancy, pregnancy loss, and our work.
HOW TO HEAL YOUR MARRIAGE AND NURTURE LASTING LOVE
Dr Gregory K. Popcak
God has put you and your spouse together for a reason — and it’s not to argue. You are bonded together to cultivate in each other those virtues that lead to sanctification. That’s why this book isn’t just about saving your marriage — it’s about transforming it into a joyful, loving relationship.
In these pages, acclaimed author and psychotherapist Gregory Popcak shows you how to heal the hurt in your marriage and develop the crucial habits necessary to resolve conflict, renew the love you once had, and discover the passion you have always wanted.
Dr Popcak’s clinical experience and recent research show that the difference between happy and unhappy marriages lies in the habits — both good and bad — that are practised in the home. Here you’ll discover the simple steps needed to root out behaviour that leaves you resentful and demoralised, and to begin practising positive habits that foster mutual respect and cultivate admiration.
Topics of the book: The vocation of marriage as a path to holiness. Healing hurts and restoring love in marriage. Developing healthy habits that strengthen married life. Resolving conflict and improving communication. Building mutual respect and admiration. Overcoming resentment and loneliness. Renewing affection and intimacy. Taking personal responsibility for change. Integrating prayer into married life. Allowing God’s grace to heal and transform marriage.
BE DEVOTED: RESTORING FRIENDSHIP, PASSION AND COMMUNION IN YOUR MARRIAGE
Bob Schuchts
Drawing from his popular healing conferences, forty years of marriage, and decades of clinical work as a couple’s therapist, bestselling author Bob Schuchts presents his first resource for married and engaged couples and those who desire true love in their relationships: Be Devoted. This highly anticipated guide delivers sound Catholic teaching, rich storytelling, and practical tools for healing, along with psychological insights and expertise to help couples create a relationship that is rich in trust, passion, and unity.
Topics of the book: The vocation and beauty of Christian marriage. Marriage as friendship, devotion and communion. Healing the emotional wounds that affect married life. Taking responsibility for our own wounds and actions. Building intimacy and trust between husband and wife. Forgiveness and reconciliation. Resolving conflict and improving communication. Restoring affection and sexual intimacy. Growing together spiritually through prayer.