There are four options for advanced learning or supervision for those who have attended a two or three-day Couples Relationship Enhancement® (CRE) Program Educator/Leader training workshop (or its previous analog, a Relationship Enhancement® Program Leadership training workshop), or their equivalent in distance learning or other instruction.

Anyone who has taken such a program is already authorized to lead a CRE Program for individual couples or groups of couples and is recognized as an Authorized Couples Relationship Enhancement® Educator/Leader.

Nevertheless, advanced learning is of great value in preparing those with only such basic training to lead their first group or to reach a high level of leadership skill as a CRE Educator/Leader.

Any time accumulated in advanced learning (options 1 and 2 below; up to 13 hours), plus any time spent in supervision (options 3 and 4 below; up to the 26 hours required), is creditable toward certification as a Certified Couples Relationship Enhancement® Educator/Leader even if one is not currently enrolled in the certification program.

The first four sections below describe the opportunities for advanced learning and supervision, whether or not you are interested in certification. The final section describes the process for certification as a Certified CRE Educator/Leader.

Either before or after you begin to conduct the CRE Program, you may arrange to increase your knowledge of procedures and your leadership skills by attending one of NIRE's Couples Relationship Enhancement® Weekend programs as an observer and coach/facilitator. Under this option, you would receive some additional supervision on how to coach and facilitate effectively by an approved CRE Educator-Supervisor.

Alternatively, you may attend the weekend program with a partner in order to learn the RE skills experientially. Or you may do both. Each option counts as 6.5 hours toward certification as a Certified CRE Educator/Leader, and may be combined with option 3 or option 4 below to fulfill the requirements for certification. The cost for each of these options is $350.

For those who have already attended a 2 or 3-day CRE Educator (or Program Leadership) training workshop, or a 3-day RE Therapy training workshop, a video tape of a three-day CRE Program Leadership / Educator training workshop conducted by Bernard Guerney, Ph.D., Certified CRE Educator/Leader-Supervisor, Rob Scuka, Ph.D., M.S.W., Certified CRE Educator/Leader-Supervisor, and Mary Scuka, Certified CRE Educator/Leader is available in the form of a home study program as an advanced learning option and/or as one component creditable toward certification as a Certified CRE Educator/Leader. This home study program will help those completing it learn the CRE Program in much greater depth by watching its creator and two Certified CRE Educator/Leaders conduct CRE Educator/Leader training using a wider variety of methods than is possible within a two-day training program.

A valuable learning option in its own right, completing this home study program also counts as 13 hours of the 26 hours of study/training/supervision required for certification as a Certified CRE Educator/Leader, and may be combined with either option 3 or option 4 below (but not option 1 above). (This option is not available to those who have already used the home study program as a distance learning option in order to become authorized to conduct the CRE Program as an Authorized CRE Educator/Leader.) This option costs $395.00, and includes 2 hours of supervised role-play practice and discussion by an approved CRE Educator/Leader-Supervisor.

Wherever you live, if you have an audio or video tape recorder, and you can muster a group of two or more couples – or even a single couple – for three hours to introduce them to the CRE Program and to see if they would like to continue it, you can begin to hone your skills through supervision and put yourself in prime shape for more independent undertakings. If you are in clinical practice, you should have no trouble recruiting a group or a single couple from your practice.

Otherwise, for now, consider offering the whole CRE Program free, perhaps to members of your church, or to those with whom you come in contact in the course of your daily work. (Your first act of supervision could be to get your questions about recruitment answered.)

This is how the supervision works. Audio- or video-tape your session(s) and mail a copy of the tape(s) to your designated CRE Educator/Leader-Supervisor. At an arranged time prior to your next week's session, your supervisor will meet with you on the phone and give you highly specific and always constructive feedback and instruction, and help you prepare for any future sessions.

One may fulfill all 26 hours of study/training/supervision required for certification as a Certified CRE Educator/Leader via this option, or one may combine 13 hours under this option with any of the other three options. The cost of supervision is $75.00 per hour.

Another option for those working toward certification as a Certified CRE Educator/Leader is to co-lead a Couples RE Weekend program with an approved CRE Educator/Leader-Supervisor. This option provides the invaluable experience of co-leading with, and receiving on-the-spot supervision from, an established CRE Educator/Leader-Supervisor.

Successfully co-leading a Couples RE Weekend counts as 13 hours of the 26 hours of study / training / supervision required for certification as a Certfied CRE Educator/Leader. This option may be combined with any of the three previous options. The cost for co-leading a Couples RE Weekend is $750, and includes one hour of telephone preparation as well as supervisory feedback during the weekend.

As mentioned earlier, anyone who has completed a two-day training program, or its equivalent in the form of a home study program, is authorized to conduct the CRE Program or lead an RE Couples Group as an Authorized CRE Educator/Leader. But for those who wish to conduct the CRE Program as a major part of their vocation or avocation, certification as a Certifed Couples Relationship Enhancement® Educator/Leader has significant advantages. In addition to the more in-depth and comprehensive training, certification:

• Provides you with the self-confidence and assurance that comes from knowing that you have achieved a level of excellence in a highly significant area of service to others
• Permits you to advertise yourself as a Certified Couples Relationship Enhancement® Educator/Leader
• Increases your professional attractiveness to current and future employers
• Provides a certificate and credential impressive to clients and potential clients
• Enters you into NIRE's Certified CRE Educator/Leader data base
• Entitles you to receive referrals from NIRE, and
• Qualifies you to be listed for referrals on NIRE's website

Certification is by invitation only, on the basis of a Certified CRE Educator/Leader's or Approved Supervisor's observation and/or supervision during your basic training or advanced learning. This allows us to maintain a near 100% success rate within the 26 minimum hours required for certification.

Any of the advanced study / training / supervision experiences described above, including those that precede the candidate's invitation or decision to seek certification, are counted toward the additional training required for certification. At least 13 of the 26 required hours must be spent in supervision, either under option 3 (direct supervision) or under option 4 (co-leading a Couples RE Weekend Program). Options 3 and 4 may be combined to meet the 26 hours.

For further information, contact Dr. William Nordling at 301-986-1479 or by email at niremd@nire.org.