Marriage Education (ME) is touching the lives of couples, families and children across the country. “I Am ME” profiles people teaching relationship, fatherhood and marriage education classes in their local communities.
“I received life changing skills so my responsibility
is to share them and change lives.”
~ Steffon Josey
Steffon and Audrey Josey trained as PAIRS facilitators in 2007. Through their Practical Relationship Skills company, the couple provide weekend marriage enrichment seminars nationally and internationally using PAIRS curricula, and have helped hundreds of couples, singles and youth discover attitudes, emotional understandings, and behaviors that nurture and sustain healthy relationships. Participants regularly describe Audrey and Steffon Josey as dynamic, knowledgeable, upbeat, professional and personable in their delivery of life-changing experiences.
As pastors, the Joseys are also much sought after speakers by faith-based and community organizations.
Audrey Josey’s studies in the field of psychology and counseling led her to earn her Doctoral Certificate in Biblical Counseling from Trinity College and Seminary. Steffon Josey’s long passion for working with young people and bringing greater happiness to families helped inspire their commitment to marriage education as a path to their mission of creating a safer, saner, more loving world.
1. What led you to want to teach marriage enrichment classes?
I feel like we were pulled along into Marriage Education as couples came to my wife and me asking questions about relationships. Although I was deeply aware of biblical principles, I did not feel adequately prepared to give them the answers they sought for their relationship challenges. I realized that we needed to learn something concrete, practical and proven to offer couples who turned to us at a potential crossroads in their lives. In our pursuit of answers we found the PAIRS program. We received so much more than we could have anticipated, both personally and professionally.
2. What are some of the unique challenges facing couples/families today?
The major challenge I see couples facing today is how do they continue to embrace the concepts of fidelity and commitment when they are surrounded by expectations of instant gratification. It seems that the desire to stay together fades when couples are no longer as happy or facing the typical challenges that arrive with the passages and transitions of our lives. People can get into a cycle of relationship after relationship without ever learning to resolve real issues. I believe that older generations had a different level of “stickability,” where they could work together through issues with a focus on the long-term outcome. Couples today need skills and encouragement to work together, for themselves and their children.
Another challenge that I see is that people who may be quite successful in communicating in their work or profession may need to learn specific skills for communicating in their families. There really are separate sets of skills for different areas of life. People can and should learn both.
3. How has being an instructor affected your life/family?
Being an instructor has made my life so much richer. The more I teach these skills, the more I am reminded to use these skills and strategies personally. Truly embracing what I teach makes it so much more authentic. I try to live what I teach and if I fall short sometimes, I have an opportunity to make corrections in my own relationships with my wife, my children and extended family and friends.
4. What are some favorite hobbies you enjoy as a couple/ family?
As a couple we enjoy teaching together, sharing meals together and because our lives are so busy, just having a little quiet time together. As a family, we enjoy watching movies together.
5. What qualities would you like your family to most admire about you?
My ability to connect to others, to look for and find the positive in people and situations and therefore approaching life in a way that we can feel better about ourselves, others and our environment.
Contact Information:
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