 Dr. David Marine Mabry Encompass Executive Director Most people schedule annual physical checkups.
Very few people schedule a marriage checkup. Yet relationships rarely deteriorate overnight. More often, couples drift gradually—through busyness, stress, unspoken frustrations, or simple neglect. A regular relationship health assessment can help prevent that drift and strengthen your marriage intentionally. If you want a healthy marriage, it’s wise to pause occasionally and ask honest questions. Not to assign blame. Not to create fear. But to build awareness.
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 By Dr David Marine Mabry Encompass Executive Director Every couple argues.
In fact, the absence of conflict is not usually a sign of health. It is often a sign of avoidance. The real issue in marriage is not whether you disagree. The real issue is whether you know how to handle conflict in a healthy way. Over the years at Encompass Connection Center, we have worked with many couples who love each other deeply—but their pattern of arguing slowly damages emotional safety. What begins as a disagreement about finances, parenting, or schedules can quietly become criticism, defensiveness, or withdrawal. Healthy conflict in marriage is not about eliminating tension. It is about learning how to argue without damaging the relationship. There are a few simple, but powerful, principles that make a significant difference.  By Kermit Rowe Encompass Relationship Facilitator The kids are long gone, living their own busy lives. The grandkids are getting older, not so cuddly and openly loving as they used to be. Medicare and retirement loom, and with them, big questions and concerns you never had to think much about before. You begin to face sobering and heart-heavy questions together when your marriage hits and passes the three-decade mark, like:
 By Dr. David Marine Mabry Encompass Executive Director The newlywed years are often filled with joy, hope, and a deep sense of possibility. You’ve said “I do,” begun building a shared life, and stepped into something sacred. Yet for many couples, these early years also bring unexpected challenges. Marriage doesn’t remove pressure—it often reveals it. And that revelation is not a failure; it’s part of formation.
If dating and engagement are about discernment and preparation, the newlywed years are about practice. This is the season where love begins to take shape in everyday rhythms—how you communicate, handle stress, manage expectations, and choose one another when life feels ordinary or overwhelming.  By Dr. David Marine Mabry Encompass Executive Director The holidays have a way of lighting up both the beauty and the rough edges of our relationships. We anticipate the traditions, the good food, the laughter, and the moments with people we love. But we also carry the awareness that the season can stir up tension—old frustrations, unrealistic expectations, or the simple weight of an overloaded schedule.
The good news? With a little intentionality, you can step into this season with more peace, hope, and connection. You can choose to experience the holidays not as a battleground, but as a chance to grow closer, listen deeper, and love more fully. Here are five practical and powerful ways to resolve conflict before it steals the joy from your holidays.  By Kermit Rowe ECC Relationship Coach Probably the greatest danger of taking people or things for granted is that we lose our gratitude for them. Thankfulness is a theme that runs cover to cover through the Bible and is a cornerstone of nearly every moral belief system. Yet gratitude is an attitude that seems to be increasingly losing latitude in our culture.
Why is it such a key ingredient to a happy and successful life? As we continue our year-ending series of Practical Lists for Stronger Connections with Thanksgiving Day on the horizon, let me offer five ways gratitude transforms relationships:  By Theresa Mabry Encompass Director of Operations It’s the small things that make a marriage feel alive. A touch on the shoulder, a shared laugh over morning coffee, a quick check-in before bed — these moments may seem ordinary, but they’re what hold couples together over time. My husband, David, and I have developed these rituals with each other in our 32 years of marriage. A touch as we pass each other in the kitchen, a hug in the morning and asking how we slept, and a kiss good night before we fall asleep are all ways to demonstrate connection.
In our work with hundreds of couples through Encompass Connection Center, we’ve seen a clear truth: emotional connection isn’t about big, dramatic gestures. It’s built in the small, consistent rituals that say, “You matter to me.”  By Abby Glaser Encompass Community Advocate Parenting is hard. Full stop! As a mom of five, I’ve done a lot of things well over the years—and made plenty of mistakes too. One of the hardest areas to navigate is parenting during conflict. Anger, frustration, exhaustion, and a dozen other emotions can bring out the worst in any of us. Let’s look at three common mistakes parents make in conflict—and some practical ways to fix them.
The Epidemic of Disconnection: Why Relationship Skills Are the New Mental Health Crisis Response10/29/2025  By Dr. David M. Mabry Encompass Executive Director We are living in what experts are calling an epidemic of disconnection.
Despite being the most digitally connected generation in history, people report feeling more isolated, anxious, and emotionally exhausted than ever before. The numbers are staggering: rates of anxiety and depression have risen more than 25% globally since 2020, and loneliness has become a public health concern on par with obesity and smoking. In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General released a landmark Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community, declaring that the lack of meaningful relationships is now “a major contributor to poor mental and physical health.” Research cited in the advisory shows that chronic loneliness increases the risk of premature death by 26–32%, rivaling the effects of smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Let that sink in: our relationships—or lack of them—are literally a matter of life and death.  By Theresa Mabry Encompass Director of Operations Ahh, September … do you remember? Many of you probably started humming the upbeat tune by Earth, Wind & Fire. The song is light, joyful, and unforgettable—much like the good memories we carry with loved ones.
But there’s another “September Song” written back in 1938 for a Broadway musical. Its words carry a deeper message about the fleeting nature of time and the importance of treasuring every stage of life: “For the days dwindle down to a precious few—September, November. And these few precious days I’ll spend with you; These golden days I’ll spend with you.” This simple chorus invites us to reflect: How are we spending our days, our months, our years? Are we cultivating the kinds of relationships that will sustain us when we reach those “golden days”? |
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HostsDr. David Marine and Theresa Mabry are Co-Directors of Encompass since June 1, 2024. TOPICS
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Funding is provided by Clark County Job and Family Services, Charles L. Shor Foundation, Nehemiah Foundation, Springfield Foundation, Turner Foundation, and private donations and fees.
Program content is the sole responsibility of Encompass Connection Center and does not necessarily represent the views of the funders.
Encompass Connection Center services are provided to all eligible persons on a non-discriminatory basis. Encompass Connection Center complies with all applicable laws and regulations concerning discrimination does not discriminate on the basis of the potential participant's race, gender, gender orientation, age, disability or religion.
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Program content is the sole responsibility of Encompass Connection Center and does not necessarily represent the views of the funders.
Encompass Connection Center services are provided to all eligible persons on a non-discriminatory basis. Encompass Connection Center complies with all applicable laws and regulations concerning discrimination does not discriminate on the basis of the potential participant's race, gender, gender orientation, age, disability or religion.
Registered 501(c)(3). EIN: 37-1485217