Two years ago, Bronx married couple Ana Clemente-Green and Michael Green argued over little things and some very big things. She was angry because he had committed some “infidelities.”

“She forgave me, but just she and I talking was not enough,” Michael said.

Then Ana was given fliers about a pilot program called University Behavioral Associates Supporting Healthy Marriages at Montefiore Medical Center.

Michael, a 53-year-old school bus driver, set up an appointment. Soon after, Laura Frame, a psychologist with the program, interviewed the couple.

“If this didn’t work, our marriage was done,” said Ana, a 44-year-old social worker.

Supporting Healthy Marriages is a federally-funded program that is studying, for the first time, the effects of marriage education and counseling on a large scale, according to program organizers.

The Bronx is one of eight locations nationwide where selected couples receive group counseling and may receive referrals for individual counseling. The Bronx program is staffed by one licensed social worker, one master’s-level counselor and four psychologists. The result is that many Bronx marriages are being strengthened and saved now and valuable research is being done with the goal of benefiting lower-income couples in the future.  

“Most studies on the benefits of marriage education have used mainly Caucasian, middle-class couples,” Frame said.

In the Bronx, less than a third of Bronx families are married couples, according to the most recent Census data. Bronx married couples are overwhelmingly people of color and one in nine live below the poverty line, Census data shows.

Participants must be at least 18 years old, have or are expecting at least one child, and make less than $50,000. Participating couples range from first-time parents in their early 20s to middle-aged couples with grandchildren.

Half of the couples interviewed are randomly chosen to receive counseling. The program begins with weekly group sessions among 10 to 12 couples for 10 weeks. Couples then graduate to monthly sessions over the next nine months.

Shortly after the program began, program organizers realized they had to give couples money to pay for babysitters and transportation as well as scheduling sessions at night so couples could eat dinner together.

“Couples often need and receive [our] support with removing life barriers, such as assistance with job placement and money management,” said Sam Fasulo, a psychologist with the program.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is funding the program for five years, after which researchers will analyze the data and information. Organizers are hoping the program will continue to be funded after the trial period. The Bronx site has already interviewed 300 couples, with 150 receiving counseling. Organizers hope to interview 500 more couples.

Inside the modern, sun-lit office on East 149th Street, with new chairs and a small kitchen, couples participate in ice breakers, games and role playing to identify the areas that need improvement, which tend to center around communication issues.

“Parents who know how to communicate with each other are physically healthier and more stable,” Frame said. “Kids who have married parents have fewer behavioral problems, and better academic and health outcomes. Kids learn from the parental model.”

For Ana and Michael the program has worked wonders.

“She’s a strong woman, but I took her for granted,” Michael said. “She’s more sensitive than I had thought, and I had to struggle with my male ego. Though we’ve weathered some storms together, we learned that we do have a soulful connection.”

Ed. note: For more information or to apply for the program, call (718) 401-5050.