Course Description :

An examination and analysis of professional coaching applications that serve marital relationship concerns. The course covers marital issues from a Christian worldview with special attention given to a biblical foundation of marriage coaching and the differences between coaching and counseling models.

Rationale :

As a basis for their work, marriage coaches should have a thorough understanding of coaching models, theory, and application. This understanding serves to heighten the coaches’ effectiveness in formulating effective coaching strategies and in aiding in the delivery of advice in an efficient and timely manner.

Measurable Learning Outcomes :

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. 1. Examine and explain the contemporary issues addressed within the field of marriage coaching.
   2. Analyze the major theoretical models in marriage coaching and how they relate to the actual practice of coaching.
   3. Appraise marriage coaching and its applicability in the context of couples’ lives.
   4. Compare and contrast marriage coaching with counseling and social work.
   5. Construct a framework from which marriage coaching services can be delivered.
   6. Analyze the difference between secular and Christian models of marriage coaching.

Course Assignment :

Textbook readings and lecture presentations/notes :

Regular readings will be assigned to allow the student to complete the reading of the required texts within each Module: Week allotted for the course. (MLO: A, B, C, D)

Course Requirements Checklist :

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (4) :

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to post 1 thread of 250–500 words and 2 replies of 150–250 words each for each Discussion. For each thread, the student must support his/her assertions with professional resources in APA format. Each reply must incorporate support from the course materials. (MLO: A, B, C, D, E, F)

Article Review Assignments (2)  :

For each Article Review Assignment, the student will critically analyze an article, discussing the methods, results, and discussion of the article. Each Article Review Assignment will contain the student’s review of an empirical research article published within the last 5 years with citation and reference of the article in the current APA format following the Article Review Template provided.

Each review must be 500–700 words. (MLO: A, B, C, D, E, F)

Research Paper: Outline Assignment :

The outline will include a title page, body outline, and reference page in the current APA format. The reference page must include at least 6 empirical, peer-reviewed references. This assignment will prepare the student for the final paper. (MLO: A, B, C, D, E, F)

Research Paper: Final Draft Assignment :

For this paper, the student will choose a subject from the list provided and write a 5-6-page paper (not including the title page, abstract, or reference page) addressing the issue or question. This assignment must strictly adhere to the current APA format. This assignment will enable the student to explore an area of interest in the field of marriage coaching in an in-depth manner and provide the student with practice expressing his/her content knowledge in writing.

The paper must include at least 6 relevant, empirical, peer-reviewed research sources (written no earlier than 2005), in addition to the course textbooks and the Bible. (MLO: A, B, C, D, E, F)

Total Quizzes (4) :

The quizzes will cover the assigned reading. Each quiz will be open-book/open-note, contain 30–50 multiple-choice and true/false questions, and have a time limit of 1 hour and 30 minutes. (MLO: A, C, D)