The El Dorado Healthy Marriage Coalition wants to make El Dorado County a better place. To do this, we will promote marriage education programs for our coalition members to reduce the rate of teen violence, reduce domestic violence, increase the rate of our children receiving college eduations, reduce teen-age pregnancies, increase couple and family happiness, reduce our divorce rate, and increse the quality of life in our county.
Click on the categories below for information about El Dorado County marriage and family resources:
Want to try online marriage education?
World Class Marriage Online is a six week course available through the Marriage Education Institute. They also offer Big Picture Partnering Online and The Couple's Workstation.
The Policy of Joint Agreement:
Never do anything without an enthusiastic agreement between you and your spouse.
This policy helps men take their wives' feelings into account whenever they make a decision - avoid thoughtless habits,
learn to meet emotional needs with mutual enjoyment and resolve conflicts. This creates marital compatibility and
emotional bonding. Whenever he follows it, he learns to think about his wife's reaction to everything he does. Some
argue that just an agreement would be a big help, why insist on enthusiastic agreement? It's because couples need to
avoid agreements that are coerced or self-sacrificing. Couples need to learn how to come to agreements that take
both of their interests into account at once. I have encouraged couples to continue to negotiate until they arrive
at an enthusiastic agreement because they're the ones that stand the test of time. Joint agreement means that both
must be enthusiastic together, and no one risks losing their identity or subjecting themselves to slavery or control
when they themselves must be enthusiastic about each decision. The goal is to become united in purpose and spirit, not to
overpower or control each other. Think of it as creating a mutually enjoyable lifestyle.
Willard Harley, Ph.D., MarriageBuilders.com
Another view of premarital counseling:
A young couple couple comes to a minister for premarital counseling.
In the midst of the discussions, the minister asks whether they would
prefer the Traditional Service or the Contemporary Service. They
decide the Contemporary Service would be for them. The day of the
wedding arrives and it is pouring down rain. The groom is delayed
by the weather and arrives just before the service is to start.
In the parking lot there is a huge puddle, so he hikes up his pant
leg so he won't get it wet. He gets inside and enters the sanctuary
with the clergyperson and they are waiting for the bride to come
down the aisle. The minister notices that one of the groom's
pantlegs is still hiked up. So the minister leans over to the
groom and whispers, "Pull down your pants." With eyes aghast
the groom responds, "I think we'll have the Traditional Service
instead."