CLERGY MARRIAGE ENRICHMENT

Renew your marriage

Enrich your relationship

Strengthen your ministry

Many studies in the field of Marriage and Family Therapy confirm that marital happiness has a profound impact on professional performance and satisfaction as well as physical health. However, within church circles those concerned with clergy wellness focus little attention on the clergy marriage. How does the clergy person’s marriage impact her/his ministry and spiritual, mental and physical health? What unique forms of stress confront clergy marriages and what can be done to manage them? How can clergy marriages be nurtured, strengthened and enriched?

Clergy Care Services’ Clergy Marriage Enrichment addresses those issues. CCS has developed a Clergy Marriage Satisfaction Survey. This instrument is used as part of a three or five day enrichment program. Through the CMSS both members of the clergy marriage (including those where both are clergy) are given opportunities to assess their marital satisfaction in seventeen areas (an eighteenth for the non-clergy spouse/partner) and how that satisfaction/dissatisfaction is affected by the ministry profession, for good or ill. They are also asked to rank possible ways to reduce clergy marital stress. These results along with other relationship inventories are interpreted for the couple by the Clergy Marriage Enrichment staff, Jim and Melissa Leehan, and provide the basis for two-on-two sessions with them as well as personal reflection. To access the Clergy Marriage Satisfaction Survey please click HERE.

Clergy Marriage Enrichmentis offered in three or five day formats for individual couples or small groups (four to six couples). In the small group formats some general interpretation of results is done in the group but each couple has a minimum of two hours in two-on-two sessions and significant time for interpersonal reflection. The team is also available for two telephone or Skype teleconference consultations over the two months after the enrichment experience. CME can be offered at a variety of sites. It can be scheduled at your convenience. We can come to your location or you can sign up for sessions being offered at retreat centers noted here. You can also include it in a personal visit to historic Santa Fe (See below). Costs will vary depending on location and number of couples in a group. Contact us to discuss financial arrangements.

For those who would like to include Clergy Marriage Enrichment in a visit to Santa Fe special rates have been arranged at selected facilities. You can choose depending on the “romance index” you desire and the “budget index” you require. Your discussions and reflections can take place while enjoying restorative leisure time exploring historic (400 years) Santa Fe. We can advise about accommodations.

The Clergy Marriage Enrichment therapy team is the Rev. Jim and Melissa Leehan. Jim is a retired Episcopal priest and Marriage and Family Therapist and Melissa is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. For further information see the staff descriptions or contact them at 505-424-3949 or jimleehan@msn.com or mjleehan@gmail.com.

Endorsements from previous clergy couple participants are attached.

The Clergy Marriage Satisfaction Survey is available through this website. Besides being a copyrighted instrument to assist in clergy marital therapy CCS is also using it as part of a research project to study critical issues faced by clergy marriages. The results will be shared with seminary and denominational leaders to inform their training and clergy wellness programs. Please consider clicking on the link to participate in this anonymous study. Your participation and that of your spouse/partner will help encourage denominational leaders to more seriously address the welfare of clergy marriages. If you are also completing the survey as part of Clergy Marriage Enrichment or another marital therapy program contact us for a therapist code to enter at the appropriate time.