FOCCUS Pre-Marriage Programme - 2025

About FOCCUS  

Welcome to FOCCUS - a personally-tailored educational course for couples contemplating marriage or long-term commitment! 

You and your partner each complete the FOCCUS inventory, and with the aid of a trained and accredited FOCCUS facilitator, explore skills and strategies that can strengthen and grow the relationship.

Course topics include:

• Couple Match including Lifestyle Expectations, Friends and Interests, Personality Match and Personal Issues
• Basic Skills including Communication, Decision Making and Problem Solving
• Significant Issues including Religion, Spirituality and Values, Parenting, Extended Family, Sexuality, Finance
• Special Issues including Inter-faith Marriages, Second Marriages, Cohabitation, Covenant and Commitment, and Readiness to Marry

FOCCUS inventory use - The FOCCUS Inventory is owned and licenced by FOCCUS USA Inc. FOCCUS facilitators generate and use Individual couple inventories for use in FOCCUS sessions only. Copies of FOCCUS inventories cannot be given to couples during or after their course. Copies of inventories are destroyed by our staff immediately following completion of the course but may be stored on the FOCCUS USA Inc. secure site.
For more information about the FOCCUS inventory - https://www.foccusinc.com/about-us-history.aspx

Booking information

Who attends - Attend together as a couple. We value relationships with children, however this course is not appropriate for children of any age to attend. 

Eligibility – Course must be completed at least two months prior to the wedding. The course is most suited to couples who:

• Have more than three months remaining until their wedding day
• Have a long relationship history
• Already have children
• Are entering a second marriage
• Older couples

Course times – Courses in the schedule below are offered in a package of three one-hour sessions over a period of three weeks. Can’t find a date that suits or need an online option? Contact us, details below.

Special needs - please ensure you add any mobility requirements in the special needs section of your registration.  If you require an interpreter, or are hearing or vision impaired, please contact us prior to booking. Additional fees may apply for interpreters.

Location, parking and transport - Centacare and the Family Relationship Centre, 58 Morgan Street, Fortitude Valley. Map link - 58 Morgan St Fortitude Valley  Accessible via Morgan Street only, we are located on the grounds of St Patrick's Catholic Church, first building to the right of the church

Free car parking is available in front of the Centacare and Family Relationship Centre building.

Please check the Translink website for public transport information.

Letter of attendance- at the completion of your course, you will receive a letter for your priest or celebrant.

Course fees - are per couple

•       Full Fee - $330.00
•       One Concession (Current Commonwealth Government Health Care Card) - $280.00
•       Two Concession (Current Commonwealth Government Health Care Card) - $230.00

      Concession Cards must be verified prior to the commencement of the course.  Please phone the office for verification.

Need to change dates or cancel? Please contact us as soon as possible.

      Date changes are subject to availability. A $60 cancellation fee applies if notification occurs within 10 days prior to start date. No refund given after this date.

      Transfer fee of $30 is applied if couples wish to transfer course dates. No refund given if couples transfer dates and then cancel course.

Your Privacy- is important to us, for more information on our Privacy Policy please click the link to the Centacare Privacy Policy

Pre-course work- is entirely optional. You may like to explore:

• www.gottman.com/about/research/
• Sound Relationship House model - https://www.gottman.com/blog/what-is-the-sound-relationship-house/
• Quick relationship tips - www.gottman.com/marriage-minute/    
• Fostering emotional connections - www.drsuejohnson.com/
• Pastoral care of marriage and family - Pope Francis (2015)  Amoris Laetitia The Joy of Love. Beacon Publishing (Vatican Press)

Please Note: If you or your partner have any current Protection Orders or DVO’s in place, please contact us prior to booking.

Contact us

Centacare Family and Relationship Services

P: 07 3251 5000  (Mon, Wed, Friday 8:45am - 4:30pm and Tues & Thur 8:45am - 7:30pm)

E: cfrs.fvadmin@bne.centacare.net.au

BY REGISTERING FOR THIS COURSE, YOU ARE AGREEING TO THE ABOVE TERMS AND CONDITIONS.

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