Current Projects

Project Harmony offers comprehensive relationship education, including skills that support stronger couples and healthier family relationships. Our programs are delivered in person at the University of Central Florida and are available through three tracks:

• Unite – Strengthen your relationship as a couple and deepen emotional connection. Participants will:
  • Master effective communication strategies
  • Enhance listening and communication skills
  • Resolve conflicts effectively
  • Learn to listen and be heard
  • Improve conflict management skills
• Raise – Focus on parenting and family dynamics. Participants will:
  • Gain tools to support your children’s growth and development
  • Learn strategies to manage stress and family challenges
  • Strengthen communication and problem-solving within the family
  • Apply evidence-based skills to create a positive and supportive home environment
• Shield – Designed specifically for first responders, this track provides strategies to protect personal and family relationships from stress and external pressures. Participants will:
  • Gain tools to cope with stressful situations
  • Manage conflict effectively under high-pressure conditions
  • Strengthen resilience in personal and family relationships
  • Apply skills that positively impact both home and personal life

Over the course of up to four weeks, participants will develop practical skills that enhance their relationships, improve family communication, and strengthen overall family well-being.

Our Institute is dedicated to supporting and strengthening healthy relationships for couples and individuals. We provide relationship education and professional development workshops at no cost, with participation incentivized through gift cards. To serve our community, Project Harmony will work to provide services to meet the needs of our participants and reduce participation barriers. Our research shows this program can help you and your relationships by providing new tools to understand and address your biggest challenges.

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of in-person relationship education on couples by comparing participants’ skills and relationship outcomes before and after participation in one of three specialized tracks: Unite, Raise, or Shield.

Eligibility

To participate, you must be:

• 18 years or older
• In a committed relationship
• Motivated to learn about healthy relationships

What to Expect

• You and your partner will meet with a recruitment specialist to begin the enrollment process.
• Each of you will complete a set of enrollment surveys.
• Once enrolled, you will be assigned a family coordinator who will guide you through your program.
• You will attend your in-person workshops at the Marriage and Family Research Institute, located at 12649 Triangulum Court, Orlando, FL, on the dates assigned.
• The total time commitment is up to four weeks, including your surveys.

Will Being in This Study Help Me in Any Way?

While we cannot guarantee benefits, research shows that relationship education can help participants improve communication, strengthen couple satisfaction, and enhance overall relationship quality. These outcomes are possible benefits of participating.

If you are interested in enrolling in Project Harmony, please contact us to learn more.

See what our past participants have to say about their experience with Project Harmony.

Funding for this project is provided by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (Grant #90ZB0058-01-00). Project Harmony is classified as a research study at the University of Central Florida (UCF IRB STUDY00008625).

The Principal Investigator of the project is Dr. Sejal Barden, Executive Director of the UCF Marriage & Family Research Institute, or UCF College of Community Innovation and Education, Department of Counseling and School Psychology, P.O. Box 161250, Orlando, FL 32816-1250, and can be reached at (407) 823-1748, or by email at sejal.barden@ucf.edu.