The National Leader in Emergency and Crisis Management

麻豆原创 earned the No. 1 Homeland/National Security and Emergency Management Graduate Program ranking in the nation for the聽 third consecutive year.

At the forefront of this year’s ranking is the College of Community Innovation and Education (CCIE)’s online emergency and crisis management program, signaling 麻豆原创鈥檚 long-standing leadership in programs that keep people safe from disasters of all kinds.

鈥淭o maintain the U.S. News No. 1 ranking of graduate programs in homeland security and emergency management is truly a team endeavor,鈥� Associate Professor of Public Administration Yue ‘Gurt’ Ge says. 鈥淚t reflects our nationally and internationally renowned faculty in education and research, our stellar students and alumni 鈥� who have become the backbone of the emergency management profession in Florida and beyond 鈥� and our signature staff members and advisory board representing government, nonprofit, and business sectors across Central Florida.鈥�

That strong connection to practice is central to the program鈥檚 success. Faculty research influences policy nationwide, while students gain real-world insight through close partnerships with emergency managers at the local, state and federal levels. Graduates leave prepared to respond to complex crises, from natural disasters to public health emergencies, at a time when the need for highly trained professionals continues to grow.

A Top-10 School Preparing Student Counselors

麻豆原创’s College of Community Innovation and Education also earned the No. 9 ranking for Student Counseling and Personnel Services Graduate Programs in the nation.

Recognition for CCIE’s student counseling聽 graduate program reflects 麻豆原创鈥檚 high-touch faculty mentorship model and its emphasis on integrating research, service, and professional preparation.

For Benoit Aubin, a first-year doctoral student in counselor education, that support has been transformative. A former firefighter and medic, Aubin now works as a mental health clinician for his former fire station while serving as a graduate research assistant with 麻豆原创鈥檚 Marriage and Family Research Institute (MFRI).

With guidance from Department of Counselor Education and School Psychology Chair and MFRI Executive Director Sejal Barden, Aubin has conducted clinical research focused on trauma and relationship stress among first-responder couples. His work has already contributed to a funded grant, conference presentations, a published book and the development of a training program 鈥� achievements he credits to a highly supportive learning environment.

鈥溌槎乖� knows how to prepare us to compete professionally,鈥� Aubin says.

A 34-Spot Rise in Advanced Nursing Education

麻豆原创’s College of Nursing jumped 聽34 spots to No. 37 for Doctor of Nursing Practice Graduate Programs in the nation 鈥� the highest ranking in the college鈥檚 history.

麻豆原创’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program (DNP) improved ranking reflects a continued investment in academic rigor, faculty expertise and hands-on clinical training designed to address the nation鈥檚 growing need for nurse practitioners.

Graduates from the DNP program consistently outperform national first-time pass rates on nurse practitioner certification exams. They also often receive job offers before they even complete their degrees, according to Christopher Blackwell 鈥�00 鈥�01MSN 鈥�05PhD, director of 麻豆原创鈥檚 adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner program. All full-time faculty hold at least one doctoral degree, more than half remain actively practicing clinicians and many are nationally recognized fellows. Through partnerships with healthcare organizations across Central Florida students gain applied experience alongside expert preceptors in varied clinical settings.

鈥淭he incredible amount of support I鈥檝e received from 麻豆原创鈥檚 nursing professors and the opportunities to make an impact through my research and clinical practice solidified that I made the best choice in my graduate degree,鈥� says Mimi Alliance 鈥�21, a family nurse practitioner doctoral student who provides care and conducts research on the 麻豆原创 Mobile Health Clinic.

Some of that training is anchored in the college鈥檚 Helene Fuld Health Trust STIM Center, an internationally recognized simulation facility that strengthens clinical skills and decision-making before students enter patient-care environments. The STIM Center, as well as 麻豆原创鈥檚 nursing programs, are housed in the Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion, which opened in Lake Nona in Fall 2025 thanks to generous state and industry support 鈥� a proof point of 麻豆原创’s ability to solve real-world issues.

Building on a Legacy of Aerospace Engineering Excellence

As Florida鈥檚 Technological University, 麻豆原创 continues to build on our strength in technology-driven fields by ranking No. 38 for Aerospace Engineering Graduate Programs in the nation.

The 麻豆原创 College of Engineering and Computer Sciences‘ aerospace engineering graduate program ranking reinforces the university鈥檚 legacy in a field deeply tied to Florida鈥檚 Space Coast and NASA’s recent Artemis II launch.

鈥淚t is gratifying to see the hard work and exciting research of our faculty and students recognized by our peers,鈥� says Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Jeffrey Kauffman, noting that since launching the aerospace engineering doctoral program in 2019, 麻豆原创 has steadily climbed in rankings while program enrollment has grown to more than 100 doctoral students.

Fueling that growth are advances in hypersonic flight, space exploration and defense research, with 麻豆原创鈥檚 HyperSpace Center serving as a catalyst for interdisciplinary collaboration. Faculty success in securing competitive federal research funding has strengthened infrastructure and expanded opportunities for both graduate and undergraduate students.

The result is a vibrant research environment where students engage directly in cutting-edge projects and build industry connections well before entering the workforce.

Across disciplines, 麻豆原创鈥檚 growth in the U.S. News & World Report’s graduate rankings reflects a shared commitment to student success 鈥� driven by faculty who mentor closely, curricula that align with real-world needs and an institutional culture focused on impact. As 麻豆原创鈥檚 graduate programs continue to climb, they reinforce the university鈥檚 role as a national leader preparing professionals to tackle society鈥檚 most urgent challenges.

Project Harmony, a grant-funded research project initially funded and launched at 麻豆原创 in 2015, helps couples connect and strengthen their relationships by equipping them with skills for improving communication and resolving conflict. It uses Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP), an established evidence-based relationship intervention curriculum, to teach core skills but also offers a personalized approach through tailored programming and relationship coaching.

Participants learn strategies for effective communication, hone active listening and conflict management skills, and gain tools for coping with stressful situations 鈥� all taught in a group format with flexible scheduling options to accommodate participants, who also receive free childcare, meals and gift cards to help mitigate barriers to participation.

鈥淲e talk about what healthy relationships look like, the communication pitfalls we can fall into when we feel invalidated or unheard, and understanding love languages and styles,鈥� says , professor of counselor education and Project Harmony鈥檚 principal investigator. 鈥淯ltimately, it leaves couples with a new curiosity for what their needs are and how to meet their partner鈥檚 needs with consideration for who and where they are now. By knowing that relationships are constantly evolving, they can use these skills to position themselves to evolve together as opposed to growing apart.鈥�

Meeting a Need in the Community

Funded by a five-year, $6.25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Project Harmony builds on decades of relationship education research through the MFRI. Couples will be placed in one of three subgroups tailored to their needs: Unite in Harmony for general relationship education, Shield in Harmony for first responders and their partners, or Raise in Harmony for couples who are also parents.

Barden says the tailored programming stems from both research and prior feedback indicating a need for relational support based on specific stressors unique to couples in these subgroups. All couples participate in the core PREP curriculum, but those in the Shield and Raise groups will engage in four to five hours of their own unique curriculum 鈥� something that is being developed with input from members of the first responder community and parenting experts, respectively.

For first responders and their partners, relationship stressors can be more nuanced due to the nature of the job. These can include varying shift schedules, occupational hazards and the stress that often accompanies them. Barden鈥檚 team is currently conducting focus groups with Central Florida-area firefighters, law enforcement officers and paramedics, as well as their partners, to learn more about their experiences.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think we can underestimate the impact of the occupational demands of being a first responder, not only on the individual but on the family dynamic at home,鈥� Barden says. 鈥淭hey keep our communities safe, so the least we can do is provide a service back to them.鈥�

Designed With a First Responder for First Responders

It’s a group that Benoit Aubin, a first-year student in the counselor education doctoral program, is particularly passionate about. A former medic in the U.S. Navy and firefighter/paramedic, Aubin found himself assisting with the peer support team while in the fire service 鈥� an experience that inspired him to pursue further education and a career in clinical mental health counseling.

Now a mental health clinician for the District Fire Department that services the Walt Disney World Resort area, Aubin is not only working on his doctorate, he鈥檚 also a graduate research assistant helping to build the curriculum for Shield in Harmony. He has facilitated outreach and recruitment of focus group members, fostered connections between fire service leadership and MFRI staff, analyzed prior research and educated colleagues on the fire service culture.

鈥淎 lot of what I鈥檓 hearing from participants is that they didn鈥檛 know other first responders were having the same issues regarding the mental health crisis and relationships,鈥� he says. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a powerful stigma with mental health among first responders, but I didn鈥檛 know it was to that extent. It showed me how important this is and fuels me to spend countless hours assisting in curriculum development.鈥�

Under Barden鈥檚 mentorship, Aubin is gaining hands-on experience in synthesizing and incorporating what he鈥檚 hearing in focus groups to ensure the training modules are addressing real experiences in alignment with the core content. For example, he鈥檚 creating a module focused on empowering first responder couples to help their partners decompress after coming home from a stressful shift. He also tailors the language to first responders while being mindful of stigmatizations and other barriers that prevent them from accessing mental health services.

鈥淲hen I started recruiting and telling people about a free relationship education program that鈥檚 being created with a first responder for first responders, people were so enthusiastic about it,鈥� Aubin says. 鈥淚 think of and picture the people that this will help, hold onto those images, and that gives me the motivation to do this because it鈥檚 something that we know is so needed.鈥�

Life-Changing Education

For couples who are also parents, the work lies in not just learning to connect and communicate with each other but also with their children, including navigating how to parent adolescents through the prevalence of social media. This curriculum is being developed through focus groups with parents and feedback from parenting experts around the country.

鈥淲e want to ensure parents have the tools for connecting with each other through the more challenging chapters in life and in parenthood.鈥� 鈥� Sejal Barden, MFRI鈥檚 executive director

鈥淲e want to ensure parents have the tools for connecting with each other through the more challenging chapters in life and in parenthood, which includes helping them translate these skills into building stronger relationships with their children,鈥� Barden says.

Barden and her team hope to begin enrolling couples in the Unite group in the spring, with Raise and Shield to follow shortly after. Although word of mouth is their top source of referral, the MFRI team will also be out in the community recruiting participants at fire stations, police stations, libraries, health departments and wellness events.

鈥淟earning that we can change the trajectory of a couple鈥檚 life and their connection with a short amount of education and intervention is life-changing,鈥� Barden says. 鈥淚f we know that this works, how could we not do it? It feels like a calling and commitment I couldn鈥檛 imagine not being a part of.鈥�

Researcher Credentials

Barden received her Ph.D. in counseling and education development from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and both her master鈥檚 and education specialist degrees in marriage and family therapy from the University of Florida. She joined , part of the , in 2011, and has served as MFRI鈥檚 executive director and the principal investigator of Project Harmony since 2015.

More than 7,000 couples have benefited from the , led by Sejal Barden and Dalena Dillman Taylor, professor and associate professor of counselor education, respectively. According to Barden, 99% of couples indicated being highly satisfied with the services they received.

鈥淥ur main focus is on communication,鈥� Barden says, the executive director of MFRI. 鈥淏ut what’s really at the heart of communication is learning how to listen. What does it mean to listen? How do you respond to your partner in a way that shows that you listened? Teaching active listening skills is a key component of both of our programs. Conflict is inevitable, but how we listen and what we share through conflict is important to learn.鈥�

The work of the institute, funded through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service鈥檚 Administration for Children and Families division, has become even more critical in the past two years.

Day-to-day worries, inflation, supply chain issues and global uncertainty compounded with the strain of the pandemic are significant stressors burdening families across the U.S., according to the American Psychological Association.

“Individuals and couples from economically disadvantaged households face additional barriers,” Barden says. “Not only do they have economic hardships, but they also have less access to resources focused on building healthy relationships and finding ways to communicate daily stressors and resolve conflict. These factors can lead to prolonged chronic stress.”

To support couples from economically disadvantaged backgrounds in the greater Orlando metro area, counselor education researchers at 麻豆原创 established MFRI聽in 2003. Since then, they have secured federal funding to strengthen relationships and families through relationship education workshops at no cost to the Central Florida community.

“Federal funding to study relationship education started in response to the high divorce rate,” says Barden. “Can relationship education make a difference in reducing marriage dissolution, strengthening relationships and, ultimately, providing a stable household for children? Our research says yes.”

Project Harmony 2.0

Since 2015, Barden and Taylor, who is MFRI鈥檚 senior implementation director, have received more than $17 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to study the impact of relationship education on individuals and couples.

鈥淩elationship education is grounded in the idea that we can experience positive outcomes in many areas of our lives if we can learn how to develop and maintain healthy, safe and stable relationships,鈥� Barden says. 鈥淭he research supports that individuals, couples and families can learn specific strategies and skills to engage in happy, healthy relationships relatively quickly.”

The institute鈥檚 current five-year research project, Project Harmony 2.0, will support 1,500 married and committed couples through 2025. Couples from economically disadvantaged backgrounds will participate in a relationship education program in English or Spanish utilizing two delivery options.

The institute transitioned to an online platform during the onset of COVID-19 in 2019 as it was the only viable and safe delivery mode. Now, it will implement an online relationship education program using a specific curriculum designed for virtual learning as well as its traditional face-to-face program. The researchers compare the efficacy of both programs on the couples.

Project Harmony鈥檚 relationship education programs utilize evidence-based curriculums that teach couples how to communicate better, relieve stress and fight less often. Project Harmony鈥檚 relationship education program is considered a preventative framework and also includes financial literacy and career education.

The institute offers face-to-face participants free childcare on-site, catered meals, bus vouchers and gift cards to mitigate financial obstacles. The online participants will receive gift cards and relationship coaching.

MFRI uses a robust recruiting process and collaborates with community partners to increase accessibility and expand the reach of the people served.

“We’ve established ourselves in the community; we are known for providing these services,” Dillman Taylor says. “Relationship education is not as stigmatizing as marital or couples counseling. Our workshops don’t feel as intimidating; couples learn and practice new skills in a group setting. They learn new ways to communicate with their partners.”

Barden received her Ph.D. in counseling and education development from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She has served as MFRI鈥檚 executive director and the principal investigator of Project Harmony since 2015.

Dillman Taylor received her Ph.D. in counseling with a minor in play therapy from the University of North Texas. She has served as MFRI鈥檚 senior implementation director and co-principal investigator of Project Harmony since 2015. Dillman Taylor is also the director of the 麻豆原创 Play Lab.

Recently featured on the Knights Do That podcast, Barden is an associate professor of and executive director of 麻豆原创鈥檚 . She is also the principal investigator for , a five year federally supported research grant that originally launched in 2015 to provide a successful relationship education program to help Central Florida families. In 2020, the project entered a second phase, Harmony 2.0, with a $7.5 million, five-year U.S. Department of Health and Human Services grant to continue its face-to-face sessions and expand to virtual services. She also recently joined a project to study couples-based intervention for Latina breast cancer survivors.

Here Barden discusses love languages, its importance in all types of relationships and how to balance different love language preferences with your partner.

Alex Cumming: Can you explain what love languages are and break each one down?

Sejal Barden: Love languages fundamentally are the ways that we give and receive love. And there鈥檚 not one 鈥� there鈥檚 five of them.

Usually, you have some interest in all of the love languages, but we each have priorities in the ways that we have most availability to feeling love. So, we can typically rank order these from one to five, with one and two being the areas that you would want your partner to put most of their effort in because that鈥檚 really how you feel loved when they do these things.

One of them is words of affirmations, saying positive things to your partner or receiving positive kind of words such as compliments and words of appreciation. Another love language is quality time 鈥� one of my personal favorites. It鈥檚 founded spending quality time together away from distractions, times where you can really connect to fill your bucket, either through meaningful conversations or doing something fun together. Then there are acts of service, which is really taking care of the household responsibilities, filling gas in somebody鈥檚 car and doing the dishes to taking out the trash, picking up the kids from school or taking them to football practice. And so really engaging in service-oriented actions that make us feel loved. Another one of them is gifts, receiving and giving gifts. So being surprised by small things, like notes or flowers, and maybe larger presents, but really that idea that when you buy things or do things that are surprising so someone really feels loved and cared for. And then physical touch is one of the love languages too. From handholding to kissing, hugging and intimate experiences.

AC: How do you determine your love languages and your partner鈥檚?

SJ: So there鈥檚 actually some great assessments or surveys that are free and online that you can take. They may take five minutes or so, but you basically respond to a series of questions and tally up your scores and it鈥檒l show you how it relates to the five love languages.

I think that the thing to pay the most attention to, with any type of survey about love languages is if your partner鈥檚 are relatively similar with yours, maybe varying by a point or two, but you should know that those are all kind of your (collective) predominant love languages. So, I like to pay attention to those as an overall kind of picture. Was there one or two languages that were really trailing and were there 聽one or two languages that felt really predominant from the surveys?

AC: How important or beneficial is it to know your love language and the love language of your loved ones? How is being aware of love language is important in even non-romantic relationships?

SJ: I think love languages are really important. I think in the world that we live in today, where time is limited, we鈥檙e working longer hours and we just have less time together, if you鈥檙e going to spend time, might as well get more bang for your buck, right? Making efforts to show love in a way that your partner can really receive it.

I think that matters for individuals too. Love languages really applies to families. It absolutely applies to children. If you have a child whose love language is quality time, that would motivate a parent to say let me spend 10 minutes of one-on-one time with that child. Versus, if you have a family member 鈥� a mother, a sibling, a partner 鈥� whose love language was really acts of service, like that would probably be motivating to just grab that bag of trash on my way out of the door because that鈥檚 going mean something to them. So, I think it鈥檚 a really helpful schema for how we organize our time and know that the time that we鈥檙e putting in is well received by the person that we鈥檙e trying to help feel our love and care and concern.

AC: The love language someone may use to communicate their love may be different than the one they prefer to receive. Can you tell us how people can balance different love languages in their relationship?

SJ: I think oftentimes our love languages are different from our partner鈥檚. And so, I think the way to kind of balance that is to have the conversation, right? So (sharing) the knowledge of what is your love language is because without knowing that we don鈥檛 really know how to negotiate our time together. And so, a classic example might be one of the partners has quality time as a love language and another partner has physical touch as a primary love language. You can easily put both of those together of having quality time, watching a movie, and making sure that you鈥檙e not sitting on separate chairs, but you鈥檙e choosing to sit on a sofa where you can also have physical touch associated together.

I鈥檝e also seen couples organize their weekends really using love languages as a way to schedule their time. And so let鈥檚 say quality time and acts of service, where the two of them are like, 鈥淲hat鈥檚 one thing this weekend that we can do that will be quality time related? What鈥檚 one act of service, one household thing that鈥檚 really been on like the to-do list that we can knock out?鈥� Maybe they do it together. Maybe they do it separately. But at the end of the weekend, they would both have said they invested some time in areas that are meaningful to both of them in the relationship. So I think if there鈥檚 intentionality behind the way that you spend your time, then it shouldn鈥檛 really be too much of a challenge for couples to compromise and navigate that.

AC: I liked that idea, planning out various ways of using love languages as dates. It鈥檇 be fun to spin a wheel and plan a date based on which love language it falls on.

SJ: And you really can鈥檛 lose in that because, again, we all really have all five of the love languages, there鈥檚 just different preferences for each of them. You could spin a wheel and just make sure that you were engaging in all of them, or slightly tipped the wheel to have multiple quality times, or your preferred love language.

I would reference Gary Chapman鈥檚 book in that there are several love languages for couples and for children. So there are many variations of love languages, and I think all of them are relatively related and important to the context in which we鈥檙e talking about.

Barden earned her doctoral degree in counselor education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and completed her master鈥檚 and education specialist degree in marriage and family therapy from the University of Florida. To learn more about her work with 麻豆原创鈥檚 Marriage and Family Research Institute, visit .

鲍颁贵鈥檚听聽was founded in 2003 on 麻豆原创鈥檚 campus and is open to anyone over the age of 18 in the Orlando community. Run by trained professionals, the institute鈥檚 services are supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, so its resources are offered free to the public.

In October, researchers at the institute were awarded a $7.5 million, five-year grant to continue their work to help keep couples in the Orlando area together through relationship counseling. The program, Project Harmony 2.0 which starts in early April, focuses on improving couple relationships through a that teaches better ways to communicate and manage conflict while emphasizing the importance of spending quality time together.

Sejal Barden, an associate professor of聽counselor education聽and executive director of the 麻豆原创 Marriage and Family Research Institute, offers these date night ideas for you and your partner.

Drive-in movie

If you鈥檙e up for a mini road trip, this is a great option for a once-in-a-while experience. These three theaters are all within 90 miles of 麻豆原创: Lakeland鈥檚 Silver Moon Drive-in Theatre, Ocala Drive-in, and Dade City鈥檚 Joy-Lan Drive-in & Swap Shop.

鈥淎nything in the Fridge鈥� Game

Without shopping for anything new, use what you have in your fridge and pantry and compete to decide who made the better meal.

Complete the 16 Personalities Myers Briggs assessment

This can start a really good conversation about your similarities or differences, or you can discuss about how inaccurate it may be.

鈥淩OLL鈥� Dating Game

Choose a movie, dinner, snack or beverage of choice. Write and number 15 items that correspond with each category. Ask Google or Siri to pick a number between 1 and 15. Whatever she rolls is whatever you do.

鈥淩eminded me of you鈥� game

You and your partner go to a store of your choosing (e.g. Target, Walmart, Dollar Tree) and look for different items that remind you of each other. Consider different categories: Favorite snack, favorite drink, something their favorite color, something they need, something that reminds you of them, something you want them to try, something you need for the house, *bonus: movie you want to watch.

Airbnb Virtual Experience

Since traveling is a bit difficult during the pandemic, Airbnb offers a variety of experiences without ever having to leave your home. Some include ravioli making with an Italian chef or meditation and yoga sessions with an instructor in Spain.

Enjoy a picnic

Bring a blanket or tailgate chairs to your favorite outdoor spot. If you鈥檙e in Orlando, check out some of the City Beautiful鈥檚 parks or gardens, many of which are free.

Tour a museum or attraction virtually

Immerse yourself in museums, such as The Louvre, the Guggenheim, the San Diego Zoo and many more around the world, that are offering free virtual tours of their facilities during the pandemic.

Game night

This could be fun to also do as a virtual double date. You can pick your favorite game and play with your partner or play via Zoom as a double date with other friends and family. The app Houseparty is also group friendly.

Stargaze and s鈥檓ores night

Cozy up by a firepit and indulge in toasted marshmallows or s鈥檓ores. Pro tip: consider peanut butter cups, other chocolate candies or Nutella when building your s鈥檓ores.

Dance in the living room

Learn some new moves by watching YouTube videos, or cue up a slow-dancing playlist.

Have an at-home spa day

Treat yourself to some pampering and offer to give each other massages.

鈥淭he study, funded under the name Project Harmony, aims to enhance relationships and empower careers,鈥� said Sejal Barden, who is the lead investigator and a counselor education assistant professor.

Other 麻豆原创 relationship programs in the past have had success.

Crystal Cedeno, 28, and her fianc茅 Miles Wiseman, 26, participated in a similar relationship education program a few years ago at the institute. They both had different upbringing experiences鈥擟edeno grew up in a single-parent household and Wiseman was raised by both of his parents.

Cedeno expects to graduate with her bachelor鈥檚 degree in international and global studies in May.

Wiseman graduated from 麻豆原创 with his bachelor鈥檚 degree in nursing in Dec. 2014 and is an emergency-room nurse at Florida Hospital Altamonte and works part time at the UF Health Cancer Center in Orlando.

The couple will marry in October.

They were balancing school and taking care of their son Levi when they found out about the relationship education program. The program provided them with the tools for creating a stronger bond and to be better parents.

鈥淐ommitment and safety were very important to me, especially with having a family,鈥� said Cedeno. 鈥淲e also learned what were the most important things that we wanted to pass down to Levi and what kind of person we wanted him to be.鈥�

鈥淭he program definitely improved our communication,鈥� said Wiseman. 鈥淚t taught us how to avoid communication traps like mind reading and projecting. I thought the program was invaluable.鈥�

Project Harmony recruitment specialist Ada Diaz, 30, also participated in the previous federally-funded program and is giving back to other couples.

Her husband had a scheduling conflict, so she attended the sessions by herself. They were raising two children with a third on the way while Diaz was majoring in psychology at Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach.

She was fascinated with the research and psychology aspects of the program and thought it was a great opportunity that would benefit her in the long run.

The experience had a lasting effect on her family.

鈥淚 learned how to communicate and listen better,鈥� Diaz said. 鈥淢y kids are a lot more expressive and they鈥檙e talking about their feelings. Our family is a lot closer now.鈥�

Barden said research has shown that low-income couples experience greater chronic stress. Counselor education and social work students at the institute are making a difference by giving couples enrolled in the Project Harmony program the essentials for developing healthy relationships.

鈥淚ndividuals and couples from economically disadvantaged households encounter additional barriers beyond being in relationships and parenting,鈥� said Barden. 鈥淣ot only do they have economic hardships, they have less access to resources focused on building healthy relationships and finding ways to communicate daily stressors and resolve conflict.鈥�

The stressors lead to a higher prevalence of relationship problems, domestic violence, substance abuse and poor parenting.

麻豆原创 has a long history serving the community in the areas of marriage and parenting. The institute launched with grant money in 2003 to generate research and clinical initiatives that ultimately have helped thousands of couples and individuals.

For example, volunteer families sign up and receive meals, bus passes, retail gift cards and childcare as incentives to alleviate participation barriers, with the goal of helping participants support healthier relationships. The workshops are also conducted in English and Spanish.

Project Harmony aims to engage more than 6,000 people in relationship- and career-related workshops at no cost, Barden said. The curriculum is focused on effective communication, conflict resolution and relationship commitment. A new component is career services, with participants receiving help by creating or revising resumes, and coaching on building skills and selling their strengths in a job interview.

Barden hopes Project Harmony makes a difference in the participants鈥� lives.

鈥淭he MFRI鈥檚 mission is to see you leave better than when you arrived,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his may be the only time our participants seek intervention, so it鈥檚 critically important that we build a relationship with each participant grounded in safety and trust, as we know this is imperative to facilitate a positive learning environment. Relationship skills are life skills. We鈥檙e all in relation to one another whether you鈥檙e partnered or single. Everyone needs to know how to be in a relationship.鈥�

Wheeler takes over from Andrew Daire, who co-founded the institute and has accepted a new position as the associate dean for research in the College of Education at the University of Houston.

The institute was created in 2003 to facilitate the development of research and clinical initiatives to better support couples, marriages and families. The institute also conducts original research and supports scholarly activity of faculty and graduate students interested in marriage, family and child issues.

Under Daire鈥檚 leadership the institute grew to serve more than 7,000 research participants and clients through relationship education programs, free counseling and workshops throughout Central Florida. The institute through the years has received more than $12 million in external funding.

Daire said that the institute is in good hands under Wheeler鈥檚 leadership.

Wheeler has been with the institute since 2010 in a variety of roles, including training and technology coordinator and family services counselor. In 2012 she became the director for the institute and project director for its Project TOGETHER. Wheeler鈥檚 leadership brought the institute recognition from the federal Administration for Children and Families as a best-practice program.

Under her direction, the Project TOGETHER grant 鈥�$6.5 million for three years 鈥� received a funding extension opportunity for another year, bringing in another $2.2 million to the program. The program is geared toward low- to moderate-income individuals and couples with or without children, and it provides free relationship education that focuses on preventing stress and conflict.

Daire said that throughout the years Wheeler has shown a strong commitment to serving the community by providing relationship education and counseling services.

Wheeler has a master鈥檚 degree in counselor education from 麻豆原创 and a master鈥檚 degree in therapeutic recreation from the University of Florida, where she also earned her bachelor鈥檚 degree in psychology. She has been admitted to the 麻豆原创 counselor of education doctoral program, and is schedule to start this fall.

The institute is part of the College of Education and Human Performance. In addition to the benefits of free services and resources for couples and singles, the institute also offers valuable clinical research experience and mentorship opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students who study counseling, social work, or marriage and family therapy.

To learn more about the Marriage and Family Research Institute and Project TOGETHER, .

With the recommendation of a pastor, the couple pursued what they thought would be traditional marriage counseling.

Instead, they learned how to talk through their problems and avoid arguments by listening to couples like them work through their issues with support from researchers from the .

鈥淚t opened our eyes to a lot of things. What we thought we knew about each other, we didn鈥檛,鈥� said Chara. 鈥淭he instructors made it so comfortable for us, it was almost like talking with your best friend. You don鈥檛 find that too often.鈥�

Effective communication can decrease stress, build support and strengthen bonds, and it鈥檚 the key to a healthy relationship, said Andrew Daire, co-founder and executive director of the Marriage and Family Research Institute.

During the past decade, the institute has helped more than 7,000 individuals, including the Johnsons, learn to handle conflict constructively and communicate better.

The institute was started in 2003 by Daire and Mark E. Young, who both wanted to bring together students, researchers and community leaders to create healthy family environments, prevent child abuse and reduce the factors that lead to health disparities. Since then, the institute has received more than $12 million in funding.

Part of the College of Education and Human Performance鈥檚 graduate counseling program, the institute provides free services and resources for couples and singles. It also offers valuable clinical research experience for undergraduate and graduate students who study counseling and couples education.

The institute uses a collaborative, open environment to open the lines of communication among couples and encourage active listening.

Tarell Johnson said that it brought him closer to his wife and helped him better understand her needs, especially during a period when she was unemployed.

鈥淏y going through the program, I could encourage her and understand her in different ways. I could cultivate her spirit, lift her up and tell her not to worry about obstacles. We had to stick together and be one as a team,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e thought we knew each other, but we got to know each other deeper.鈥�

The institute will celebrate 10 years of work Saturday, May 17, at an award ceremony and dinner celebration at the Radisson Hotel Orlando. Festivities will begin at 6:30 p.m., and registration is available.

The event will highlight the institute鈥檚 research and honor the staff and couples that have supported the institute in reaching this milestone.

麻豆原创鈥檚 MRFI and DOH-Orange will host a free communication workshop called, 鈥淭he Fair Fight,鈥� Wednesday, April 23, from noon to 1 p.m. at the health department, 6101 Lake Ellenor Drive in Orlando. The fun, engaging workshop will help participants strengthen communication with spouses, partners, children and co-workers.聽 It is free and open to the public.

鈥淲hen you’re stressed, your body responds by releasing hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline into your bloodstream. Your heart rate, blood pressure, and pulse all rise,鈥� said Dr. Kevin Sherin, director of the Department of Health in Orange County.

According to the American Psychological Association, stress does not merely afflict the mind; it can also affect people on a cellular level. In fact, long-term stress can lead to a wide range of illnesses 鈥� from headaches to stomach disorders to depression鈥� and can even increase the risk of serious conditions like high blood pressure, obesity, stroke, diabetes and heart disease. Understanding the stress-health connection can people better manage stress and improve their health and well-being.

One of the main causes of stress is poor communication in relationships.

鈥淓ffective communication decreases stress, builds support and strengthens relationships,鈥� says Dr. Andrew Daire, executive director of the MFRI and associate dean of Research for the College of Education and Human Performance.

During April, which is National Stress Awareness Month, health care professionals and health promotion experts across the country will join forces to increase public awareness about both the causes and effective coping skills for stress.

The free workshops– held March 1, 15 and 22– will help couples build stronger connections and enhance their relationships. Partners will learn about the best ways to communicate with and understand their mate using strategies such as affirmation, quality time and acts of service.

Couples Caf茅 workshops on March 1 and 15 will be held at the Marriage and Family Research Institute next to 麻豆原创鈥檚 Recreation and Wellness Center on the main campus. The March 22 workshop will be taught in Spanish and held at the institute鈥檚 South Orlando campus, 7200 Lake Ellenor Dr.

Workshops are open to the public, but space is limited. Attendees must be 18 or over to participate. To reserve a space, call 407-823-1748.

The 麻豆原创 Marriage and Family Research Institute is part of the College of Education鈥檚 graduate counseling program. Created in 2003, the institute conducts research and provides free counseling services for individuals, couples and families. To see the institute in action, watch about one of its research studies, Project T.O.G.E.T.H.E.R.

For more information, visit .