The Marine Corps Family Team Building kicked off their first workshop titled, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families," at the Religious and Family Service Annex on April 27.
"The purpose of the workshop is to help families become proactive and take ownership of their shared destiny as a famliy," said Christianne Witten, a LifeSkills/Readiness Deployment Support Trainer from Henderson Hall.
The free class is open to all active-duty, reservists and Department of Defense employees.
"I thought it would be a good tool to have in the tool box," said Staff Sgt. Matt Hansen, the Headquarters and Service Battalion S-4 chief who highly recommends the workshop.
Single parents, newlyweds and blended families are all welcome to attend.
"The workshop requires introspection and clear communication, and helps put couples on the path to success as a team; setting goals and prioritizing time for each other as well as developing a family mission statement based on their shared values, goals and dreams," said Witten.
The trainers take participants through various activities to understand the concepts of each habit. One activity included making a collage of photos that represents what participants want their family to look like. And habits such as putting priorities first and visualizing the end results were discussed.
"The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Military Families' provides invaluable resources to help empower military families and encourage them to take ownership and synergize as a family," said Witten. "Effectiveness as a family is not an end state, it must be earned again and again. This class gives families the tools to do so. In today's military op tempo, it's not about surviving; it's about thriving as a family."
The next class is scheduled to take place on June 16 and 17. Each day consists of two, three-hour sessions. Those interested can register by calling, 703-432-1903 or 703-693-8906.
- Correspondent: judith.willis@usmc.mil