Description of Programs 
offered by Active Relationships Center

...

Programs for Everyday People who love a GREAT life! Texts are in English and two are in Spanish (Active Marriages and Best Best Practices, Communication, Money)!

The Mastery Series






Active Communication  for Greater Connection and Happiness-
A two-day weekend seminar  (or a 16-hour program) 16 hours of class time taught in segments or on two days from for eight hours. 

This workshop is best known for teaching powerful communication and conflict resolution skills/tools that promote team work, respect, joy and intimacy. This is a great event for both dating and engaged couples as well as as long time married partners, (since the skills taught are the fundamentals for all couples to learn).

You can learn behaviors that create love and sustain pleasurable emotions (even if you think you had it once and believe you have lost it forever). Discover a sense of bonding and connection, and how this can keep your relationship a source of pleasure.  You can learn skills to safely address concerns and enhance your relationship because issues can actually be solved! Develop a deeper understanding of yourself and your partner. Speak up for your wants as well as hear your partner, perhaps for the first time. Learn skills for confiding and empathy!

Participants often say this format is far more fun and practical than "counseling" (although both seminars and private counseling have unique benefits).

Men tend to especially enjoy this workshop because it is logical, structured, has a foreseeable endpoint and because it is not shame or blame oriented.

The curriculum includes:

·     understanding the mechanism of love and emotion

·     identifying repetitive behaviors exhibited under stress that sabotage needs being met

·     increasing communication skills, speaking and listening

·     delineating tactics that cause resentment vs. those that are respectful and cause successful connection

·     conflict resolution skills

·     identifying cognitive distortions ("You should know...")

·     understanding of the brain/emotional memory, physiology of triggers

·     identifying emotional hot buttons that distress you and your partner, making effective plans to manage them

·     how to sustain forward progress and intimacy

 Active Couples Romance and Intimacy-Great as an Exclusive Couple's Getaway

Active Romance is a full weekend (Friday evening through Sunday afternoon) for the purpose of delineating myths and for understanding expectations. Learning what is normal for males and females and helping partners understand one another. It is amazing how unspoken issues, that are therefore not resolved, can begin to erode a perfectly wonderful relationship. Romance and intimacy, when in the dating stage, are catalysts for all kinds of goodwill. When romance and intimacy fall away due to normal hectic life stressors, goodwill begins to decline without either partner necessarily knowing why. Robotic functioning gives way to distant feelings and then often results in couples feeling that they don't love each other anymore. Making sure that the romance and intimacy are well cared for in a relationship is essential to the relationship's vitality. Yet most couples of the U.S. states, in their fast pace, innocently let this aspect fall away. This weekend seminar promotes the notion that most of us have the best of intentions and simply lose track of one another. It also encourages the establishment or re-establishment of habits that minister to each person's physical and emotional well-being. This weekend does not promote romance beyond any person's comfort zone and is fun and light-hearted as well as oriented toward all partners' desire for privacy. It is a lecture format, enjoyable, enlightening and allows free time for partners to explore new learnings privately at their own discretion! It has been a highlight event that couples continue to rave about years later--not to be missed! Come, learn, enjoy yourselves! Find your love again (without casting stones at one another) or if you still have an abundance of it, learn what to do to ensure its preservation and growth!



Recent Quotes from participants of Active Romance & Intimacy:
"This seminar should be strongly recommended, if not required for all newly married couples." H.S. (maie married 40+ yeears!)

"This seminar was critical for our relationship although I didn't realize the impact it would have at the beginning of the seminar. I am very grateful that we came." (female)

"Intimacy from every angle." (female)

"A very valuable  seminar  for couples desring more." (male)

"I was skeptical coming to this session, but it has been wonderful...Highlighted the importance of the connectedness, emotion etc. of intimacy..."  (male)

Active Money Personalities/Managing the differences and making cents!

Active Money Personalities...is usually a 16-hour (but can be shorter) workshop that seeks to help participants learn about themselves and their ways of thinking as well as how those ways of thinking are relative in the world. Participants will get a look at the varying ways people view money and hopefully, with a sense of humor and greater perspective, understand how they fit in the "grand scheme." Participants will learn their own money personality type as well as the strengths and growth areas of that type. Couples learn a common language and communication tools to discuss differences in a safe and respectful manner. Time will be allowed for couples to actively practice skills on real-life issues in varying financial areas of their relationship. Coaching by the leader is available to maintain the positive atmosphere required to successfully navigate difficult issues. This seminar involves fun, humor, light heartedness and practical work on behalf of participants to promote a feeling of having truly accomplished valuable progress as intimate partners who are a team.

Active Living to make love last ...

Active Living to make love last is a one day seminar (or can be run in weekly segments for building couple behaviors that are fun and build intimacy, both physical and emotional, for a smart, passionate, enjoyable and lasting relationship. Research suggests that couples/families who have daily and other consistent traditions are far more likely to have successful, lasting relationships. Traditions can be enjoyed in many ways that most of us don't even think about. It doesn't mean rigidity. It means bonding and connection. This seminar seeks to set up the ideas to allow you to think "outside the box" to create easy, fun traditions that ensure the bonds that initially connect you to others are maintained and enhanced over the years rather than lost to neglect. Intentionality matters just as much at home as it does at work. Just think how it would be in business if there was "pomp and circumstance" in the formation of the business, but after that, no intention to keep systems running! Being intentional to keep love alive is absolutely necessary to maintain the chemistry, camaraderie, sense-of-adventure and the sharing of each other's worlds. This seminar also examines common goals and the mission of each couple as they see it, making it more likely that they can continue to achieve their couple's and individual aspirations for a great life! Set your life up for relational success and fulfillment. You don't want to look back later in life and say you could have, but just didn't. Take care of yourself and your needs and protect your family-by creating the glue that fosters those connections!

About the MASTERY SERIES...

The Active Relationships Mastery Series is a modular continuum of four weekend seminars. Each of the four workshops can be taught separately as a module or run in a series of modules meant to take participants from communication and conflict resolution skills through the cooperative skills required to manage financial issues. (The number one rated cause of arguments is "money.") Next the series takes you through the tools to sustain or enhance intimacy, both emotional and physical, and finally to the "how to's" of creating traditions and behaviors that keep love alive for a lifetime. The series contain 60 hours of valuable tools and experience, over period of seven months. Research suggests that couples do best (sustain learning over time) when support is ongoing. The Mastery Series allows enough time and support for participants to achieve and maintain enhanced skills and connection with their partner. Make a great, passionate and lasting partnership! The Mastery Series is a tremendous investment in you future well-being and signing up for the series offers a significant savings over signing up for seminars separately.

The Mastery Series includes the following seminars:

Active Communication!

Active Romance and Intimacy! 

Active Money Personalities! 

Active Living to make love last

Also...

TWO additional programs are authored 
SPECIFICALLY FOR 
MILITARY LIFE: 

Active Military REUNIONS 
(for soldiers, married or single, 
prior to their return home or after)  

Active Military LIFE SKILLS 
for SINGLE TROOPS (or married) taught at any time during their military career- to manage career and 
everyday life with high emotional literacy

MORE ABOUT... Military Life Skills

Military Life Skills... is best described as providing important tactical skills for developing emotional literacy, especially post-combat (although it can be used anytime during the military career).

Used for single OEF and OIF troops, Military Life Skills provides important communication tools, and a heavy dose of techniques for managing anger (based on research of most effective, best practices, techniques), for managing difficult conversations with curious civilians, for seizing the opportunity to live life effectively in money matters and in dating wisely. While allowing for  decompression from deployment, Military Life Skills gives practical situations for troops to relate to and provides practice in skills, BEFORE the troops do something that will not result in their long term success.

Military Life Skills conducts serious business about the "what to" and "what not to do" in life, while making it fun and interesting for participants. Humorous videos from current day media are provide to illustrate key points and activities involve lively discussions and demonstrations for resolving conflict effectively.

NOTE: Some bases use the opportunity to bring Simpson in to present to troops while allowing Family Advocacy, Chaplains and other important military personnel to attend to receive certification to lead Military Life Skills themselves going forward. A two-for-one (troop event and leadership training)!

See current calendar for upcoming trainings at bases that can be attended with permission of the base Chaplains in charge of the trainings. Join the seminar with the troops and gain your certification at the same time!)

If live trainings are not feasible: the next best choice is to purchase the training via correspondence materials. Training materials include: LIVE videos of actual seminars (for the purpose of learning how to present the material), leader's guide and one participant book (for reference), entire powerpoint presentation, transparencies and activity materials. (See "products online.")

Coming soon: Recent Quotes from Military Life Skills events with troops! 
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Quotes from Mastery Series Programs 
used by the armed forces:

"Don't get married, or divorced, before you attend this seminar."    G.H. U.S. Army Commander            

"I highly recommend this seminar to any couple needing a refresher course in the subject of "why I  feel in love with my spouse." Chaplain's spouse"For those young in marriage and in the military, this is the foundation for them to build on. The tools taught can be taken with them for a lifetime. Getting back to the "basics." What basics? I was never told there were basics for romance. This (Romance) course has the answers to your never thought to ask questions! This is a must have for any couple to go to the next level."   Senior Intructor, AMEDDCRS"Good seminars for bringing couples closer together regardless of the length of tme they have been together." B. U.S. Army"We are trained for everything else! This is one training event you should not miss!" J.G. U.S. Army

"Great class, alot of fun, while working out problems."
   SGT. U.S. Army

Quotes from (overseas) Active Reunions Seminar:

"This seminar was good stuff to learn. Helps you realize the things to do, what not to do and what to expect." A.P.

"I thought my marriage was in the wrong direction, unitl I went to the seminar and found out that we're normal!" T.H.

"Extremely informative and made me aware of my own behaviors that were not beneficial to my relationship...and what I can do to change."    B. N.

"After the seminar you will see things different." J.W.

"The seminar was a reinforcement training. It helps you stay focused on your intent mission concerning your family members and loved ones." Anonymous

"It"s great knowning what a difference just a little effort can make in our relationships and families."D.M.

"If you get to do this course, please do it. It worth your time." R.M.

"Eye opening!" S.H.

   Toll free 877.724.7789

Kelly Simpson, MA Psych. LMFT, CSC
Founder/Creator Active Relationships Center 
and Active Relationships programs

It has been our pleasure to serve the U.S. Armed Forces since 2000. For references, please contact ARC.
It is ARC's promise to support you in any way we can. We value you as servicemen and servicewomen, knowing that you work each day to keep our nation and our world safe.

ARC's history with the ARMED FORCES:   Primarily our work has been in partnership with the family advocacy, family support and the offices of chaplains.

Programs are for:

single soldiers 
military couples and families 
officers/chaplains

Our mission with the Armed Services is to provide programs for specific needs. These programs have included:

      *  Active Military Reunions
     *   Active Life Skills
     *  Communication Skills 
     *  Conflict Resolution Skills
     *  Emotional Regulation
     *  Spiritual Health
     *  Money Management
     *  Romance and Intimacy
     *  Intentional Living Skills (that keep love alive and families strong)



Please contact Kelly Simpson, (founder/trainer) to design a program for your specific Armed Forces needs. (toll free 877.724.7789). We welcome the opportunity to create unique programs.