The stress of COVID-19, quarantine and social distancing has tested many relationships. It has been especially challenging for parents whose children aren’t under the same roof.

A $15 million grant from the United States Department of Health and Human Services will enable University Behavioral Associates at Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine to create new programs to strengthen relationships between fathers and children who live apart. It will also fund Montefiore and Einstein’s existing Supporting Healthy Relationships program for couples with kids.

“Our relationship education programs teach practical skills that can be applied to any relationship,” said Scott Wetzler, Ph.D., professor and vice chair, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Montefiore and Einstein. “Unlike therapy, which focuses on longer-term behavioral changes, we concentrate on specific skills that can be learned, practiced, and mastered so people don’t feel stuck or make the same mistakes – they can break the cycle.”

Courses in the new Supporting Responsible Fatherhood program teach dads how to effectively co-parent and the best ways to support their children emotionally and financially. These skills are especially important during COVID-19 when families who live apart may spend less time together.

Montefiore and Einstein are also partnering with BronxWorks, a non-profit that works to improve economic and social well-being, to offer workshops that help fathers find and keep jobs. Data on family finances, relationship satisfaction, and skills learned by participants will be collected for research aiming to improve these metrics and test the value of virtual classes.

Montefiore and Einstein's Supporting Healthy Relationships will continue its 14-year run of classes that focus on healthy communication, conflict resolution, and building ­­­­­trust for couples.

“Our workshops are like date nights—they are a rare opportunity to bond with other couples over the challenges we share in our relationships,” said Traci Maynigo, Psy.D., program director, Supporting Healthy Relationships and Supporting Responsible Fatherhood. “With social distancing and fewer in-person events with friends, our goal is to remind couples to, above all, value one another.” 

To learn more, please visit https://www.montefiore.org/supporting-healthy-relationships or call 914-268-7933.

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About Montefiore Health System

Montefiore Health System is one of New York’s premier academic health systems and is a recognized leader in providing exceptional quality and personalized, accountable care to approximately three million people in communities across the Bronx, Westchester and the Hudson Valley. It is comprised of 10 hospitals, including the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, Burke Rehabilitation Hospital and more than 200 outpatient ambulatory care sites. The advanced clinical and translational research at its medical school, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, directly informs patient care and improves outcomes. From the Montefiore-Einstein Centers of Excellence in cancer, cardiology and vascular care, pediatrics, and transplantation, to its preeminent school-based health program, Montefiore is a fully integrated healthcare delivery system providing coordinated, comprehensive care to patients and their families. For more information please visit www.montefiore.org. Follow us on Twitter and view us on Facebook and YouTube.

About Albert Einstein College of Medicine 

Albert Einstein College of Medicine is one of the nation’s premier centers for research, medical education and clinical investigation. During the 2020-21 academic year, Einstein is home to 721 M.D. students, 178 Ph.D. students, 109 students in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program, and 265 postdoctoral research fellows. The College of Medicine has more than 1,900 full-time faculty members located on the main campus and at its clinical affiliates. In 2020, Einstein received more than $197 million in awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This includes the funding of major research centers at Einstein in aging, intellectual development disorders, diabetes, cancer, clinical and translational research, liver disease, and AIDS. Other areas where the College of Medicine is concentrating its efforts include developmental brain research, neuroscience, cardiac disease, and initiatives to reduce and eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities. Its partnership with Montefiore, the University Hospital and academic medical center for Einstein, advances clinical and translational research to accelerate the pace at which new discoveries become the treatments and therapies that benefit patients. Einstein runs one of the largest residency and fellowship training programs in the medical and dental professions in the United States through Montefiore and an affiliation network involving hospitals and medical centers in the Bronx, Brooklyn and on Long Island. For more information, please visit www.einsteinmed.edu, read our blog, follow?us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and view us on YouTube.