The Marriage Checkup with Gay and Lesbian Couples (2 CE)

Number of credits: 2

This course is for: Clinical Psychologists, Counselors, and Marriage & Family Therapists

Course By: Rachel Schoor, PhD

Course Content: Minten, M., & Dykeman, C. (2020). The impact of relationship wellness checkups with gay male couples. Journal of Counseling Sexology & Sexual Wellness: Research, Practice, and Education, 2(1), 4. Secondary source: Minten, M. J., & Dykeman, C. (2019). The impact of relationship wellness checkups with lesbian couples. The Family Journal, 27(1), 50-57.

Course Description: Few couples regularly seek marital support, despite the impact of relationship health on various outcomes. An early intervention program, the Marriage Check-up (MC), has evidenced improvements in several relationship outcomes, but has never been studied with homosexual couples. Two articles examined this topic, with one focusing on gay male couples and the other on lesbian couples. Both studies examined the impact of the MC on same-sex couples’ relationship satisfaction, by using single-subject multiple-baseline, multiple-probe design. Two of three male couples experienced improvements in relationship satisfaction, while the MC evidenced a medium effect on relationship satisfaction among lesbian couples. Collectively the results suggest that the MC may increase satisfaction for same-sex couples. However, additional research is warranted to investigate the effectiveness of MC on same-sex newlyweds.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify the main purpose and methods of the two studies related to the Marriage Checkup and same-sex couples
2. Identify the principles on which the Marriage Checkup program is based, in addition to its proposed mechanism of action and success rates with heterosexual couples
3. Evaluate the data by exploring the statistical tests used in the studies in conjunction with the discussed findings
4. Identify the study’s strengths, limitations, and implications

Course Outline:

• Read and understand The impact of relationship wellness checkups with gay male couples and The impact of relationship wellness checkups with lesbian couples.
• Review the Course Description and Learning Objectives
• Consider the factors related to the Marriage Checkup program and the relation satisfaction of same sex couples.
• Work through the post-test questions; keep in mind that answer selections should be derived from the respective article
• Return to the referenced article for any missed questions and/or to better understand the relationships between the Marriage Checkup program and the relationship satisfaction of same-sex couples.