Workshops Inspire Confidence In Singles

The enthusiasm that radiates from our ShowMe Healthy Relationships (SMHR) team is infectious. Lea Loudon, SMHR manager, is excited about the program's future and has seen first-hand the impact the program has on people's lives. That's why she has become dedicated to increasing workshop participation. 

"People come away from these classes feeling confident in their ability to have a long-term, satisfying relationship, not only romantically, but in other aspects in their lives such as friendships, family, and co-workers," Lea explained.

ShowMe Healthy Relationships is a 5-year project funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. It is a partnership between the University of Missouri Extension, the University of Missouri Department of Human Development and Family Science, and three community family agencies that host the workshops to help single individuals have happy and healthy relationships. Workshops are provided in Missouri's Cass, Clay, Jackson, Johnson, and Platte Counties. 

Designed for singles or those who are not in a committed relationship, the workshop takes place in 2-hour sessions once a week for 8 weeks. During that time, participants will develop valuable skills through workbook activities, role-playing, and discussions designed to dig deep and self-reflect on why we show up in relationships the way we do and help replace maladaptive coping skills with healthy adaptive skills. The programs overarching goals include:

• Helping those in viable relationships to cultivate, protect, and stabilize their unions and to marry if desired. 
• Helping those in damaging relationships to leave safely at some point.  
• Helping those wanting a romantic relationship and/or marriage in the future to choose future partners wisely.
• Supporting deliberate decision-making.
• Preventing children from entering foster care.

We offer open workshops to the general public and closed workshops through partnerships with area agencies and organizations. 

Once registered, participants receive a phone call from the SMHR team to assess their needs and if the program can address them. The call includes a domestic violence screening, questions about relationship status, and a pre-class survey. Once enrolled, participants must attend every session and will receive small incentives to reduce barriers and an incentive at the end for completing the post-program survey. Participants who complete the course will also receive one year of case management and referrals to community resources as needed.

A recent program report from the University of Missouri stated, "On average, participants reported significant improvements in their confidence that they have important skills for forming and evaluating future relationships. They also indicated beliefs about relationships that were more realistic after completing the course." The report went on, "Learning new skills to build relationships may also include improvement in other aspects of participants' lives. This 'spillover effect' was evident. Participants reported significant improvement in their individual feelings of optimism in coping with challenges and their general life satisfaction. For participants who were parents, they also reported improvement in the general harmony of their household after the course."

Lea Loudon, Marin Mayer, and Nicole Pisterzi make up the SMHR team. They bring passion, positivity, and dedication to this program and are excited to connect with more singles invested in enhancing and improving their future relationships.