Free Relationship Checkups Available Through the UK Family Center

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 6, 2020) — Build a healthier relationship with your significant other this Valentine’s Day. Join the University of Kentucky Family Center for its yearly Relationship Checkup from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 10-17 (excluding Sunday, Feb. 16).

Free checkups are offered to couples in the Central Kentucky region and are open to married, engaged, same-sex and dating couples. Each appointment lasts around 60 minutes. Participants of the Relationship Checkup will receive a free copy of "Hold Me Tight," by clinical psychologist Sue Johnson, following their checkup, while supplies last.

"The 'Hold Me Tight' book is a great resource for couples because it is a road map to help them become more open, attuned and responsive to each other," said Tracey Werner-Wilson, director of the Family Center. "Other self-help books tend to focus on solving the issues or creating a contract of give and take, like a bargain, between the couple, aimed at satisfying the individual needs within the relationship but fail to recognize the importance of the emotional bond between the couple. 'Hold Me Tight' focuses on the emotional bond between the couple.”

Each relationship checkup focuses on discovering the couple's strengths. After identifying their specific strengths, each couple learns how they can use those assets to improve their relationship. All couples are encouraged to continue cultivating their relationship.

Couples can schedule an appointment by calling the UK Family Center's office at 859-257-7755 or via email at ukfamilycenter@uky.edu. All checkups are held in the Family Center Clinic on the second floor of Scovell Hall.

After scheduling an appointment, "couples can expect to complete a brief questionnaire that asks them questions about their relationship, including questions about how often they have fun together, level of comfort and respect with partner, etc. Our therapists will review the responses of couples to identify strengths in their relationships," said Ron Werner-Wilson, chair of the Department of Family Sciences.

First- and second-year graduate students in the family sciences master's program facilitate the checkups as a component of their required practicum hours. Each fall, six new students join the two-year graduate program. This program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education.

Students in the master’s program need a total of 300 practicum hours of face-to-face client contact. For students, the relationship checkups provide a great opportunity to gain some of the necessary experience.

“I enjoy leading Relationship Checkups because it gives couples the opportunity to see how beneficial a simple check in with their partner and their relationship can be for anyone, even for couples that aren't in therapy,” said Gabrielle Hadorn, a second-year student.

For more than 30 years, the UK Family Center has offered couple, family and individual therapy addressing a variety of needs in the Central Kentucky region. The center can help with stress and anxiety, parent child interactions, interpersonal relationship issues, and much more.