Common concerns

We often hear the same questions and concerns from couples thinking about taking the Power of Two live-online marriage workshops. Of course, we'll happily respond to your questions directly if you email us at workshops@po2.com.

In the meantime, check out our answers below...

"I'm not down with new age touchy feely."

Concern: "I'd rather step on a nail than listen to Rooty Tooty Fresh 'N Fruity new age gibber-jabber!"

Power of Two Answer: Yes, it is a course about building love and intimacy. However, we teach it more like learning to play a sport or learning a language. We teach concrete skills that will help you build your own personal style of healthy, supportive, fun, loving relationship. No touchy-feely mush here.

"I'm not interested in group therapy."

Concern: My relationship is private. I don't want to hang our dirty laundry out for everyone to see.

Power of Two Answer: This is NOT therapy... although the workshop is likely to reduce the need for a therapist in the future.

Almost all of the exercises in the class focus on learning skills with generic imaginary situations and will not reveal anything about your own private relationship. The very limited number of exercises that include personal discussions will happen privately, in sub-conference rooms with only you and your partner. At the same time, learning with other couples is a great way to see how skills that sound simple in the abstract can be more challenging to actually execute. The group atmosphere also helps prevent couples from slipping into bad habits and keeps everyone on their best behavior.

Many couples comment after the workshop that they're glad they took a group workshop instead of going to a private therapist because they learned so much from hearing their peers' questions.

"Can you teach about relationships online?!"

Concern: Can you really teach about human interaction over a computer?

Power of Two Answer: Yes. In creating this workshop, we carefully adapted our highly successful in-person workshop to take advantage of unique online technologies (chat, interactive media, sub-conference small group breakout rooms, etc). We also changed the timing of the workshop to engage couples at the fast pace people expect from internet media. The result is that couples often tell us that they're glad they took the class online from their own living room rather than dragging themselves out to an unfamiliar place for an in-person workshop.

For more information, see the live-online experience.

"We're already happy together."

Concern: Why take a marriage skills class when we already have a great relationship?

Power of Two Answer: Great marriages start with love. However, just as loving a sport may not be enough to win a game, loving your partner is just the beginning... No one gets married thinking they'll be one of the couples that ends up divorced.

Power of Two live-online workshops teach time-tested and proven techniques to strengthen relationships, overcome challenges, and build strong & loving marriages. Preparing your relationship for everything life throws your way takes real work. By establishing healthy communication habits now, while your biggest argument is about where to go for dinner, means you'll be as prepared as possible for dealing with tougher times when they come -- like when one of you loses a job, or there's a death in the family.

Weddings are short, but hopefully your marriage will be long... Be prepared.

"Does this class have religious content?"

Concern: Some people want religious content, some people don't.

Power of Two Answer: The Power of Two core curriculum was developed and validated through years of clinical experience working with couples in therapy and informed by the most recent academic studies in marriage health. Although the workshop is strictly non-sectarian, many of the same concepts can be derived from biblical sources as well. Power of Two likes to partner with religious organizations to offer versions of the workshop with additional religious content to supplement the core curriculum.

Please contact us directly for more information on how to take a Christian or other religious based version of the workshop.

"Webinars are boring."

Concern: Is this an annoying online training like I do at work?

Power of Two Answer: This is not your mom's old school webinar. Our online course is designed to engage the multi-tasking, short attention spans of real people living in the digital age. This isn't a boring power point with quizzes like an online driving safety class.

The workshop was designed in conjunction with Torque Interactive Media Inc, who specializes in creating highly interactive and humorous media for training. The course combines interactive web media, some brief lecture sections, group discussions, and small group break out exercises.

Most users are surprised by how engrossing the online experience can be. You'll have the opportunity to learn new skills, see them used (or not used), practice using them, and discuss the finer points of how to incorporate the skills naturally into your relationship.

For more information, see the live-online experience.