The first year of marriage is incredibly important for the future happiness of the couple and the family they will create together. You can think of it as the “wet cement year” – a precarious and delicate time, in which a newly married couple lays the foundation for the rest of their life together. In that time, it is important to intentionally set good habits into that wet cement. It’s a time to establish good patterns and ways of being together that should continue for the rest of their marriage.
Setting a strong foundation is very important but not always easy and smooth; it’s merging two lives into one. It’s about developing the ‘we’ of the marriage. Newly married couples get a lot of “never go to bed angry,” and “always tell the truth.” And other random pieces of advice that are not always applicable or accurate. It can be hard to navigate the first year without guidance and support.
Adai Ad gets all sorts of questions from newlywed men and women, covering the gamut from communication to intimacy to talking about money to family issues to how to bring up certain issues. We developed the Newlywed Course to bring answers to a wider audience – in a systemic and organized way. This course is for couples in Shana Rishona. www.adaiad.org/newlywed-course
- Online. 6 Wednesday evenings. beginning May 25 – June 29 2022. 8:30- 10:00 PM (eastern)
- In the course, we will be sharing tools and mindsets for a successful relationship, including: Developing a shared framework for having important conversations; Coming up with your shared dreams and priorities; Discussing what intimacy means to each of you; Deciding together what balance and equal means. And more.
- The course is designed for privacy and strict confidentiality. It is set up as a Zoom webinar, meaning you will not see the other participants and they won’t see you. There is no requirement to disclose anything about your relationship to anyone else.
- The syllabus of the course is based on the many questions that came to Adai Ad and other therapists and mashpiim/os. Dr. Debbie Akerman, PhD, LCSW, CASAP will be presenting the course. She is a highly sought-after therapist who specializes in addiction and marriage and family therapy. She has presented and written extensively on these topics.
- The course style is designed with insights from young couples. There will be the opportunity for Q&A and participants can send questions to Dr. Akerman between sessions to be addressed in upcoming sessions. After each session, participants will get class notes and reflection sheets for the couple to discuss together as they cement their values and priorities and styles as a couple.
- Anything worth building comes with lots of effort and some difficulty. That said, not all difficulties are necessarily helpful to building a solid marriage. In this course, we’ll share some tools and reflections to help you navigate those challenges.
- The course is heavily subsidized and is available for $50/per couple. (There are a few seats that are totally free of cost for those who need; email us info@adaiad.org)
For more information or to register: www.adaiad.org/newlywed-course
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This project is brought to the community by Adai Ad, Crown Heights Jewish Community Council and MASK. This course is part of the education series that has been funded by a grant from New York City Council’s Domestic Violence Empowerment Initiative to Crown Heights Jewish Community Council, on the recommendation of Council Member Mathieu Eugene.
