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’s 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’s 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’s 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 —$6.5 million for three years — 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’s degree in counselor education from Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ and a master’s degree in therapeutic recreation from the University of Florida, where she also earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology. She has been admitted to the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ 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 .

“It opened our eyes to a lot of things. What we thought we knew about each other, we didn’t,” said Chara. “The instructors made it so comfortable for us, it was almost like talking with your best friend. You don’t find that too often.”

Effective communication can decrease stress, build support and strengthen bonds, and it’s 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’s 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.

“By 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,” he said. “We thought we knew each other, but we got to know each other deeper.”

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’s research and honor the staff and couples that have supported the institute in reaching this milestone.

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝â€™s MRFI and DOH-Orange will host a free communication workshop called, “The Fair Fight,” 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.  It is free and open to the public.

“When 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,” 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 – from headaches to stomach disorders to depression– 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.

“Effective communication decreases stress, builds support and strengthens relationships,” 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 CafĂ© workshops on March 1 and 15 will be held at the Marriage and Family Research Institute next to Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝â€™s Recreation and Wellness Center on the main campus. The March 22 workshop will be taught in Spanish and held at the institute’s 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 Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ Marriage and Family Research Institute is part of the College of Education’s 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 .

The project is banking on the notion that there are many future scientists and engineers in Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝â€™s freshman class even if they don’t know it yet. The program aims to dramatically increase the numbers of STEM graduates by identifying first-year students, enrolling them into a special course designed to introduce them to STEM careers and following up with mentoring, tutoring, and job shadowing as well as the support of a community of like-minded students.

“We will recruit freshmen who are strong in mathematics and have an open mind in terms of career paths,” said Cynthia Young, a professor of mathematics, an associate dean in the College of Sciences and the lead researcher on the project called Convincing Outstanding Math-Potential Admits to Succeed in STEM – or COMPASS for short.

Young and her colleague, Michael Georgiopoulos, interim dean for the College of Engineering and Computer Science, have already shown that early academic intervention can greatly boost the numbers of science, math and engineering majors at the university. They have successfully run the EXCEL program, also funded by the NSF, since 2005.  EXCEL helps increase student success in the first two years of their college career in a STEM discipline. While EXCEL has increased the retention rate of students with those majors by 40 percent, the new strategy (COMPASS) focuses on engaging students who may not think science or engineering is for them.

Young is working with a team including Georgiopoulos, Andrew Daire, an associate professor and assistant dean in the College of Education, Chris Parkinson, an associate professor of biology, and Melissa Dagley, the executive director of iSTEM (initiatives in STEM) in the Colleges of Sciences and Engineering and Computer Science, to identify freshmen who have the propensity to do well in mathematics and invite them to enroll into an Explorations of STEM Careers course during their first year at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝.

A pilot program is being run this semester before the full program begins in Summer 2013.

COMPASS uses SAT scores to identify freshmen who have the potential to do well in math and inundates them during their first semesters in college with opportunities to explore what a job in a STEM area might look like. As the researchers found in the EXCEL program, that population will include a disproportionate number of groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in STEM.

“There is a whole pipeline we’re not tapping that we need to pay attention to,” Young said.

All freshmen who enter Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ for the first time will be encouraged to register for the career planning course designed by Daire, who specializes in counselor education, which focuses on the Explorations of STEM Careers .

Following the successful advising model used in the EXCEL program, students will be assigned a graduate teaching assistant to support and mentor them as they matriculate through mathematics classes.

Finding an additional pipeline of students is important to keep the U.S. competitive in the disciplines that fuel innovation. Speakers at the recent U.S. News STEM Summit 2012 focused on how the U.S. can improve upon a 50-year decline in U.S. STEM performance.

There are two ways to increase the number of STEM degrees awarded in the U.S.: either retain more STEM majors or recruit non-STEM majors into STEM. This Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ team has demonstrated a national flagship model for retention. The goal of COMPASS is to increase the numbers of non-STEM students who decide to pursue STEM degrees, Young said.

Extra responsibilities and familial obligations can weigh heavily on couples during the holiday season, especially when children are involved. Parents often put their children ahead of their marital relationship. Money is frequently mismanaged in a season where expectations are heightened under a pressing sense of urgency.

“There are so many additional stresses for those in relationships during the holiday season,” explained Andrew Daire, executive director of the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ Marriage & Family Research Institute.

“Financial times are tough, and you’ve got additional family stressors,” he said. “In trying to handle that stress, unfortunately the person closest to you tends to get the venom that’s spewed out, even if it’s not directed toward them.”

Daire suggests taking a time-out from the hustle and bustle and reflecting on what makes relationships special.

“Especially when you’re heading into a stressful time, it’s important to slow down, remove the sense of urgency and focus on the positive things about those around you,” he said. “Decrease the criticism, and focus on the power of appreciation.”

It’s a concept that Daire and a team of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ researchers and graduate students relay to married and unmarried couples throughout the year. Through the MFRI, the team teaches couples how to strengthen and maintain healthy relationships.

The institute is part of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝â€™s College of Education graduate counseling program. The institute offers a variety of free services and resources for couples and singles, including counseling, education workshops and research opportunities.

Earlier this year the institute received a grant for a new program, Project T.O.G.E.T.H.E.R., which will begin providing relationship education to the community in January. The research study is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Family Assistance.

The focus of Project T.O.G.E.T.H.E.R. is different from traditional counseling in that it focuses on preventing stress and conflict by teaching strategies for healthy and strong relationships.

The project is geared toward low- to moderate-income individuals and couples with or without children. Participation in study-related research and workshops is free. Childcare and meals also are provided at no cost by the institute.

Registration for Project T.O.G.E.T.H.E.R. is ongoing. Sign up at or by calling 407-823-1748.

The Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ is offering couples a free workshop that will teach them to have fun and enjoy one another despite stress and real-world pressures.

Hosted by Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝â€™s Marriage and Family Research Institute, the workshop will cover a variety of topics such as listening skills, conflict resolution and expressing negative feelings.

“Couples today are getting busier and busier with work and other responsibilities that hold high priority,” said Ryan Carlson, the institute’s associate director. “The workshop provides a time to have their relationships come first.”

The two-day workshop will be held on Friday, June 3, from 6 to 9 p.m. and on Saturday, June 4, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Teaching Academy at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝â€™s main campus. It is for married couples who have at least one child age 0-18 living at home.

Free child care will be provided for children on a first-come, first-served basis starting Friday at 5:30 p.m. and Saturday at 9:30 a.m. A free dinner on Friday and a free lunch on Saturday will be provided to workshop participants.

Two trained facilitators will lead the workshop, and couples will practice the techniques they learn in breakout sessions. Individuals will learn to recognize their spouse’s coping style, how to communicate their needs, how to become better listeners and how to better express love and appreciation.

Children also will reap the rewards of the workshop. Research shows that children whose parents have healthy relationships will develop more effective coping skills, attend school more often and achieve better grades.

The workshop is a program of The Together Project, a Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ study led by Associate Professor Andrew Daire, executive director of the Marriage and Family Research Institute. The project is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Family Assistance.

By registering, workshop participants will be enrolled in The Together Project study. Couples will be asked to complete questionnaires before and after the workshop. They also will be invited to a relationship booster workshop in August.

The Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ Marriage and Family Research Institute is part of the College of Education’s graduate counseling program, recently ranked the 12th best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The institute offers a variety of free services and resources for married and unmarried couples, including individual and couples’ counseling, education workshops and research opportunities.

To RSVP, call 407-823-1748 or visit .