What’s a South Florida single to do on a beautiful spring Saturday in one of the nation’s most romantic hot spots?
Surprisingly, many are spending a day or more finding out what it takes to make a relationship work.
Nearly a third of more than 5,000 people showing up for South Florida PAIRS classes are singles, says Rachel Schindler, Operations Manager of one of the nation’s most popular relationship skills training programs.
“We’re finding more and more singles turning up for programs at places like Nova University and Miami Dade Community College,” says PAIRS CEO Seth Eisenberg.
Eisenberg says a recent study may help explain why.
The study found that participating in nine hours of skills training helped singles gain benefits that would often be much more costly and time-consuming to get from counseling or therapy.
Dr. Paul Peluso, an associate professor at Florida Atlantic University, analyzed outcome data for single participants in PAIRS classes. For many, he found “significant and perceived benefits in reducing the level of disturbance single adults experience around issues of interpersonal relationships, symptom distress and social role functioning, for both clinically distressed and non-clinically distressed people, alike.“
Eisenberg says the study is one of the first comparing the benefits of a brief, group educational program on single participants attending without a significant other using a standard assessment typically used to measure the impact of traditional therapy, counseling, and psychiatric interventions.
A federal grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services makes it possible for singles and couples to participate in many South Florida PAIRS classes at no charge.
For more information, visit www.pairs.com or call (954) 703-4533 x80.