Unique Curriculum Improves Family Relationships And Employment Opportunities, Study Shows

SAN DIEGO, March 23, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new study by the Relationship Education experts at Healthy Relationships California (HRC) finds that a recently developed curriculum has a dual impact: helping participants improve their intimate relationships as well as helping unemployed/under-employed individuals better their job prospects and workplace communication.

Read the full study here: http://www.relationshipsca.org/store/free-resources?product_id=202

Published as "The Impact of Relationship Education on Interpersonal Interactions in the Workplace and at Home," HRC examined responses from 3,484 participants who took World Class Relationships for Work & Home™ (WCR-W&H) between 2013 and 2015.

Comparing participants' self-evaluation before and after they attended the course, researchers found statistically significant changes in four areas:

• Increased Workplace Communication Skills—including Empathy, Non-Blameful Confrontation, Conflict Resolution
• Increased Motivation and Confidence in Finding a Job
• Increased Communication Skills at Home
• Increased Relationship Satisfaction at Home

"These results are heartening, because employers want to hire people who show empathy and can communicate well at work, and they want employees whose home life is stable, because instability at home can quickly spill over onto productivity on the job," says HRC President Patty Howell. "This study makes it clear that this Relationship Education program can play a valuable role in helping people thrive in both arenas."

"Business leaders no less than Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg know that fostering empathy in the workplace is just as important as fostering innovation," continues HRC Vice President K. Jason Krafsky. "Unfortunately, many people don't know how to be empathic, especially on the job. Now, there's an evidence-based, workforce-focused curriculum that teaches skills to increase empathy at work."

• WCR-W&H is a 16‐hour curriculum based on the research of John Gottman, Ph.D., and Carl Rogers, Ph.D.
• WCR-W&H is an adaptation of the nationally known World Class Marriage™ program, created by Patty Howell, Ed.M., A.G.C., and Ralph Jones to address the specific needs of job seekers.
• Skills taught include: Setting Goals; Avoiding Blame; Applying Listening Skills; Assuming Self-Responsibility; Resolving Conflicts and Disagreements; Giving Apology and Forgiveness; Growing Yourself.

Learn more about WCR-W&H here: http://www.relationshipsca.org/classes/programs/world-class-relationships-for-work-and-home/

WCR-W&H is the centerpiece of HRC's federally funded Responsible Fatherhood program, the R3 Academy, which launches this spring in metropolitan areas in California, Oregon, and Washington, to equip fathers to succeed at their three most important relationships (the "3 Rs"): with their child, at work, and with their intimate partner and/or co-parent.

Healthy Relationships California (http://www.relationshipsca.org/) offers a wide range of Relationship Education courses through local Partnering Organizations along the West Coast, and has served over 200,000 individuals in evidence-based curricula over the past ten years.

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SOURCE Healthy Relationships California