Programs & Pricing

Our 12-Month Marriage Renewal Program

Part 1: Women’s Support Group

Frequency and Duration: This group meets once a week for one hour per session.
Leadership: The group is led by Theresa Abec, a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in the state of Ohio. In this capacity, she acts as a coach rather than a therapist. She brings her extensive experience as a therapist, coupled with her personal insights from being married to an autistic husband for 21 years.
Purpose:
- Provide a safe space for wives to share their experiences, frustrations, and successes.
- Offer mutual support, encouragement, and practical advice from peers who understand the unique challenges of being married to someone with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Core Activities:
- Sharing and Listening: Members discuss their daily challenges and victories, fostering a supportive community.
- Learning and Growth: Education on how to better understand and react to their husbands' emotional states, which might be influenced by ASD traits, with guidance from Theresa.
- Encouragement for Participation: Educate wives on how to gently encourage their husbands to engage in the couples or men’s group, recognizing this can enhance communication and relationship dynamics.

Part 2: Husband's Participation - Acceptance, Anger & Affection

Phase 1: Acceptance
- Goal: Foster an understanding and acceptance of ASD traits, emphasizing the positive aspects like high intelligence, productivity, and accomplishments.
- Approach: Use positive reframing to highlight the strengths of being a high-functioning autistic individual, leading to self-acceptance and mutual respect within the relationship.
Phase 2: Managing Anger and Enhancing Affection
- Anger:
  - Focus on strategies to manage and reduce the intensity and frequency of anger or meltdowns. This includes understanding triggers, developing coping mechanisms, and learning communication techniques.
- Affection:
  - Promote daily habits and routines that foster affection towards the wife, helping to build a more loving and supportive relationship environment.
Support Groups:
- Couples Group:
  - Led by both Theresa Abec and Patrick Abec, this group focuses on working together on communication, understanding, and implementing strategies discussed in both the women's and men's groups. It's a space for practicing what has been learned in a supportive environment.
- Men’s (Husbands) Group:
  - Led by Patrick Abec, who has been a professional businessman all his adult life and for the last four years has dedicated himself to researching autism in men and sharing his personal successes. This group provides a platform for men to discuss their experiences, share insights, and learn from each other about managing ASD in a marital context, with a particular focus on acceptance, anger management, and increasing affectionate behaviors.