a new beginning booklet

A Turnaround Workshop for Troubled Marriages

www.savemymarriage.com

We were one week away from meeting with divorce lawyers when we attended the A New Beginning workshop. It saved our marriage.” Lisa & Eric “

3A N E W B E G I N N I N G

Husbands and wives face this di-lemma everyday. Somewhere along the way the hopes and

dreams of the wedding day give way to the pressures and strains of life. We be-gin marriage vowing to love for a lifetime. However, most of us never learn how to build the kind of marriage that changes, grows and lasts through the years.

As time passes, couples find them-selves in the daily grind of trying to balance work, chil-dren, money, family needs, and their own needs. The little things become big things. The small irritants become big problems.

Before you know it, they pile up and make marriage hard, many times, too hard. You find yourself feeling hopeless and think-ing, “What do I do now?”

It’s easy to fall in love the first time. Ev-erything is new and exciting. There’s no history, no fears or scars. But to fall back in love with someone who has hurt you

deeply… that is a completely differ-ent story.

Nevertheless, it is that story of falling

back in love with their spouse that hun-dreds of couples who attended A New Beginning tell their friends and families.

Has “I Do” become “What do I do now?”

75% of coupLEs Who AttENd A NEW BEgINNINg

stAy togEthEr!

4 www.savemymarriage.com

A New Beginning is a three day inter-active workshop that educates and empowers you

to begin a new way of communicating, inter-acting, and understand-ing yourself, your spouse and your marriage.

It is not therapy or marriage counseling. It is an educational experience unlike any-thing else you may have tried or encoun-tered before. In an environment of respect and confidentiality, you and your spouse will go on a journey that tackles head on the brokenness of your marriage to arrive at a place where you can make sound deci-sions for your future. For three days, you’ll be challenged to look at life and love from a different perspective.

You’ll examine your own behavior, atti-tudes, thoughts and points of view. You’ll learn the amazing process of how we fall in love and how to stay in love.

You’ll come to understand why things happen the way they do and how to re-

build broken relationships. By the end of the workshop, you’ll be developing skills

necessary to build a strong, healthy rela-tionship that will stand the tests of life.

A New Beginning is so effective that

many counselors and therapists refer their clients to this workshop to “jumpstart” a tradi-tional counseling program.

For over nine years, Fam-ily Dynamics Institute has been conducting this powerful turnaround weekend. We have a unique understanding and know-how that only comes from years of working with couples in struggling marriages. A New Beginning has a long, successful track record of saving marriages.

What is A New Beginning?

3 out of 4 coupLEs Who AttENd

A NEW BEgINNINg stAy togEthEr!


A New Beginning has a unique for-mat that blends together our dis-tinctive educational and interac-

tive learning process. You’ll experience a combination of lecture, group interaction and breakout sessions. You don’t just sit and listen. A New Beginning will engage and involve you throughout the weekend.

Through the experience of small groups, couples realize that they are not alone in the struggles they are having in their marriage.

In an environment of support and re-spect, they help one another towards better understanding, participation and interaction. Because of the in-teractive, hands-on nature of A New

Beginning, we never have more than 24 couples in a workshop.

you’ll examine many topics including:

How couples fall in and out of loveForgiveness and trustInfidelity, emotional and physicalConflicting life desiresThe end of a marriage Communication CommitmentHandling anger and painNegotiationAttraction

our Workshop LeadersAll of our workshop leaders have years of experience conducting A New Beginning workshops. They are all counselors or therapists specially trained to work with couples in marital crisis and certified in this program. They completely understand the participants’ fears and concerns and the need to keep all discussions within the workshop confidential. They are passionate, committed and will deliver the workshop tailored to the needs of the couples attending.

What to Expect


Who Goes To This Workshop?

The couples attending A New Be-ginning come from all walks of life, are of different ages, educational

backgrounds, and religious beliefs. Their marital situations are as varied as the cou-ples themselves. Some have been through affairs, others are dealing with issues from addictions, and many are struggling to manage the demands of jobs, children and finances. Some are trying to get past years of hurt and disappointments while others are coping with the disillusionment of life-long dreams. However unique the situa-tion, most of us experience the same emo-tions and thoughts when our marriage is failing. It doesn’t matter whether you are scared, lonely, embarrassed, angry, hope-less, disheartened, or just don’t care. This workshop helps you move past these de-structive feelings to learn the life skills and tools to develop a healthy, honest, loving marital relationship.

Are you considering divorce?

Are you unhappy in your marriage?

Are you trying to get past or in the middle of dealing with an affair?

Are you suffering through major life issues affecting your marriage?

Have you lost hope or belief in your spouse?

Are you not in love with your spouse anymore?

Are you feeling like your only way to happiness is getting divorced?

Are you done or ready to call it “quits”?

If you can answer yes to any of these questions, A New Beginning can turn your marriage around. Even couples already divorced from one another have reunited and fallen back in love after attending A New Beginning.


Before You Arrive For The Workshop

In the days preceding the workshop, each spouse completes a series of as-signments to lay the groundwork for

the weekend. Each receives personal login

information to complete the confidential pre-workshop homework online.

Included in the pre-workshop materials, each spouse receives and completes:

Personal Behavioral Profiles

Life Maps

Personal assessment questionnaires

Marital assessment questionnaires

Most couples find that it takes approxi-mately two hours to complete all of the information. The results of the homework are immediately available to you. Your personal and marital assessments will be explained and privately utilized through-out the workshop.

In addition to pre-workshop materials, each couple receives:

A New Beginning workbooks

Seven Principles of Making Marriage Work by Dr. John Gottman

Fall in Love, Stay in Love by Dr. Willard Harley

A New Beginning follow-up material


The better rested you are before ar-riving at the workshop, the easier it will be to understand the material

and gain as much knowledge as possible. Try to take a little extra time to unwind the night before. You’re about to have a very busy weekend.

Over the past weeks and months, you’ve probably been under a great deal of stress. During those times you may not have taken care of yourself as well as you should. Remem-ber, your emotional and phys-ical well-being is vital to working through the struggles and rebuilding your life and relationship.

If you’ve not been eating properly, fix your diet. Take the time to exercise. Not only will it help you physically look and feel better, but it’s one of the best ways you can help your body cope with stress. Make sure you are getting enough sleep. Take care of your daily responsibilities.

Take time for yourself. Enjoy the little things in life…they are still there...you just

have to look a little harder for them. Re-member to laugh. No matter how bad you may feel right now, you are working on making life better.

If you have children, try to remember the importance of your role in their ability to cope as well. They are hurt-ing, too. They look to you and your spouse for security in this changing world around them. Try to keep your prom-ises and conduct yourself with emotional integrity. Remem-

ber that although you and your spouse may be divided in your marriage, you’re still partners and common allies of your children. No matter what, they love both of you.

Although A New Beginning is not de-signed to treat addictions, many couples who attend are motivated to get help after-wards. If you have issues you need to work on, we encourage you to seek help in those areas now. The healthier you are person-ally, the better chance you have in develop-ing strong, healthy relationships.

Important Things to Remember


The workshop consists of over 22 hours of interactive lecture and breakout sessions. Your time

throughout the workshop weekend will be occupied with activities and assignments, both day and evening. Please do not make any other plans or time commitments dur-ing the workshop.

The atmosphere at the workshop is laid-back but structured. Casual dress is recom-mended.

friday7:30 am – 8:00 am - Check-in

8:00 am - 6:00 pm (Including breaks)

After 6:00 pm - Evening assignment for

next day’s session

saturday8:00 am - 6:00 pm (Including breaks)

After 6:00 pm - Evening assignment for

next day’s session

sundayDepending on workshop location

12:00 pm - 7:00 pm (Including breaks)Or

8:00 am - 3:00 pm (Including breaks)

Workshop Schedule


By the end of the workshop, you will have a different awareness about yourself, your spouse and

the dynamics of your marriage. Both of you will have a clear understanding of what you need in your relationship. For most couples, their marriage didn’t get in trouble in three days and will take more than three days to rebuild it.

At the end of the workshop, you’ll leave with specific ways to

begin implementing

the skills you learned. You can begin the process of healing immediately. In addition, you’ll receive follow-up materials

that review the tools you’ve learned and help guide conversations about what to do next. Many couples seek the help of a thera-pist for counseling, addiction issues and accountability. Some

couples choose the ongoing support of a mentor couple or their church. Others choose to further study and apply what they’ve learned on their own. By the end of the workshop, you will know the approach that works best for you.

What Happens After the Workshop?

A NEW BEgINNINg Is thE fIrst stEp IN

your jourNEy to rEBuILd your

rELAtIoNshIp INto A stroNg, hEALthy

mArrIAgE.


Our workshops are filled with cou-ples where one or both spouses don’t want to

be there. Whatever the reasons, whether fear of what may happen, a certainty the marriage is over, or simply not believing in these types of programs, wanting to attend is not neces-sary to benefit from the workshop. In fact, it does not affect the out-come. Our experience is that by the second day, even the most unwilling spouse has come to realize the value of the skills they are learning.

Throughout the weekend, each person works on understanding his or her own be-

havior in the marriage and how the combi-nation of both spouses’ behaviors has con-

tributed to the present marriage situation. We don’t criticize, accuse or blame and we don’t use emotional appeals or ulterior methods to manipulate your feel-ings. However, the issues we address are very important and we won’t sugarcoat them. We create a safe envi-ronment to learn and

break down barriers that tear your mar-riage apart. The insights gained during the weekend provide hope and the commu-nication skills learned provide the “tools” necessary to develop a healthy marriage.

What If One of UsDoesn’t Want to Attend?

By AttENdINg thE Workshop, you ANd

your spousE ArE Not commIttINg to thE mArrIAgE,

just thE Workshop. thE oNLy thINg

rEquIrEd Is your WILLINgNEss to

LIstEN ANd pArtIcIpAtE.


If you go to A New Beginning, you will

Gain knowledge necessary to understand where your marriage went wrong

Acquire tools to evaluate your behavior and expectations as a spouse

Develop skills necessary to build a strong marital relationship

Learn how to communicate effectively

Better understand yourself, your wants, and your needs

Become a better person, no matter what choice you make about your marriage

If you don’t go for help, you will

Pass up an opportunity to better understand yourself, your needs, and to learn skills that make those unfulfilled wants a reality in your life

Probably end up divorced

Repeat the same behaviors and mistakes in another relationship

Go through the same pain, loss and struggle you are in now, again and again

Consider Before You Decide…

You have everything to gAin for your mArriAge and nothing to lose for Your life


We have attended many classes, semi-nars and conferences in the past to

help our marriage and they were all very helpful, but none of them was as helpful as the New Beginning Seminar. It had a huge impact on our marriage. It finally put us on the same page, on the same team, and gave us a deep understanding of each other that was unlike anything else we had ever done. Years of well-constructed walls, which prevented true connecting, were brought down. I would highly recommend the New Beginning Seminar to any couple, not just couples whose marriages are in trouble. ~Linda

When my husband and I attended this seminar he had already filed

for divorce and was planning a future out-side our family. The material and counsel we received from A New Beginning was a huge part of the decision to come home, STOP the proceedings and start rebuild-ing our lives together. I would encourage anyone who has ever felt hurt, hopeless, or helpless in marriage to find a way to this seminar. It will, without a doubt, restore hope and provide tools needed to stop fighting each other. ~Sandra

My wife first heard about the A New Beginning workshop and was so ex-

cited she signed us up. I agreed to go but not to save our marriage but for closure. I felt that if I could attend a marriage course that saved 3 out of 4 marriages and it didn’t work for us, I could tell my daughters, guilt free, that we did everything we could…The workshop gave us the tools we need-ed to work on our marriage and SAVE it! Our new marriage is getting stronger and stronger. Our household is one of joy, hap-piness, and forgiveness. Our lives are not perfect but we now have the tools needed to keep our marriage and family strong.~Roger

I just think that if it were not for this weekend we would not be celebrating

13 years of being married…tomorrow. I was not planning to stay! Thanks for help-ing us! ~Samantha

My husband and I are still married and we actually have a promising future.

I didn’t think we would be able to survive the affairs. Thank you. ~Lesley

What Couples Are Saying…


at family dynamics institute, our trained staff is available to provide more information about the workshops and help guide you through the process of attending a new Beginning.

Please contact us at 1-866-262-2729.

record your specific information about the workshop here:

Locations:

Available Dates:

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Other:

Important Notes:


Attend A New Beginning and Have a 75% Chance of Saving your Marriage.

In marriage there are no guarantees… but there are better chances.

Of the hundreds of couples who’ve attended A New Beginning workshops, 3 out of 4 commit to do what it takes to make their marriage work and stay together. That’s why so many couples who thought their marriage was over call it the “Last

Best Chance” for saving your marriage.

In fact, 95% of all couples who attended A New Beginning say they would recommend it to any couple struggling to save their marriage.

Even couples who decided not to stay together still recommend A New Beginning and had no regrets

about attending the workshop. The insights you gain and life skills you learn are invaluable

and life changing!

Call us at 866.262.2729We can help you save your marriage!

www.savemymarriage.com866.262.2729

A New Beginning Workshop is a program developed by the Family Dynamics Institute.

Since 1994 Family Dynamics Institute has been helping couples build stronger and happier marriages. Over 100,000 people have experienced our classes and workshops with proven, positive results. Family Dynamics Institute is committed to remaining a primary force in reducing the national divorce rate. We use the most up to date research available combined with our extensive experience with couples.

We design classes and workshops that provide solutions to real problems for real couples that make a real difference in their marriages and lives.

We have a comprehensive program of classes and workshops that are designed for today’s busy lifestyle that benefit mar-ried and engaged couples as well as fami-lies.

Family Dynamics Institute is committed in its mission to help educate couples to have the best marriages possible for them-selves and their families.

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a new beginning booklet

Documents

family dynamics

breakout sessions

including

evening assignment

days session

workshop materials

life skills

beginning