3 - (SYM 95) Dissemination and Implementation of a Preventative and Strength-based Relationship Checkup Through the Military Family Life Counselor Program

Behavioral and cognitive therapy scientists have developed a variety of interventions that have been shown to have a positive impact on relationship health (e.g., Christensen, et al., 2004; Cordova, et al., 2014; Doss, et al., 2012). Relationship health has a measurable impact on all other health systems. For example, mental health outcomes such as suicide risk (Stack & Scourfield, 2015), depression (Whisman & Uebelacker, 2009), intimate partner violence (Foran, Slep, & Heyman, 2011), PTSD (Allen, Rhoades, Stanley, & Markman, 2010), and substance use (Whisman, Uebelacker, & Bruce, 2006) have all been shown to be robustly associated with the quality of individuals’ relationship health. Effective dissemination is essential if the interventions we have developed and validated are able to have the maximal positive impact intended.
In this presentation, we will describe and provide program evaluation data for the Relationship Checkup Dissemination Project currently being implemented through the Military Family Life Counselor (MFLC) program around the world. To date, 1077 MFCs have been trained in the Relationship Checkup Protocol, and over 3,800 military couples have participated in the Relationship Checkup. Initial results indicate a statistically significant increase in relationship satisfaction from before the Checkup to after the Checkup (t = -2.86, p < .001). with a Cohen’s d medium effect size (Cohen’s d = .47). These results are in keeping with the results of our larger randomized controlled trials, including that most recently completed with Air Force couples, demonstrating that the Checkup significantly improves relationship satisfaction in participating couples. In addition, we will describe ways in which training and materials have cultivated joy in both couples and mental health providers.