A Powerful Third Option for Marriages on the Rocks

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., Jan. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Many married couples dealing with hurt see only two options: painful endurance or divorce. Thankfully, for couples in Southern California, there is now a viable third option available: reconciliation through a powerful program called The Third Option.

OC Marriages, in partnership with California Healthy Marriages Coalition (CHMC), is offering The Third Option classes in multiple locations around Orange County.  The Third Option is a group program that helps couples build better marriages. It is designed for all married couples — hurting or not. For ordinary couples, the program teaches skills that foster even happier, healthier marriages. For couples in crisis, it helps them deal with hurt and find bridges to greater understanding and cooperation.  The Third Option combines skill-building with sharing from mentor couples as well as support from the group. The atmosphere is warm and caring, no RSVP is required, and the classes are offered completely free of charge.

"When people come into the program we can almost visibly see the pain. One of most effective ways The Third Option helps struggling couples comes from our mentor couples. In most situations these are couples who have been there and back with marital distress and emerged stronger on the other side. They bring a powerful infusion of hope for everyone in the class," says Sylvia Palda, LMFT and local instructor of The Third Option.

Classes are ongoing so a couple or individual may join at any time. Current times and locations are:

• North Orange County - Tuesdays, 7:00pm - 9:00pm (English)
  Evangelical Free Church, North Campus, 2904 N. Brea Blvd, Room NC-180, Fullerton, CA 92835

• South Orange County - Wednesdays, 7:00pm - 9:00pm (English and Spanish)
  Relationship Research Foundation, 1400 Bristol St. North, #100, Newport Beach, CA 92660

• Central Orange County - Mondays, 7:00pm - 9:00pm (Spanish) beginning February 7, 2011
  Community Conference Room (off main lobby), 2701 Bristol S., Santa Ana, CA 92704

For more information visit www.ocmarriages.org or email [email protected].

For the past five years, CHMC, through its local partners such as OC Marriages, has taught proven relationship-building skills to more than 62,000 Californians through Marriage and Relationship Education classes for all ages and stages.  A statewide clearinghouse of Marriage and Relationship Education classes including The Third Option is available at www.CaMarriage.com.  

SOURCE California Healthy Marriages Coalition