“You can flip [the reaction to thoughts of divorce] away from fear and desperation to a stimulus that says ‘we need to communicate more,’ or, ‘maybe we should read a book together or go and get a little help;’ You can shift it from hiding from the issues to going right at them. Physically, that’s what pain does for you. It says, ‘Oh, you better check that out. There must be something going wrong there.’”
About Our Guest
Dr. Alan Hawkins
Alan J. Hawkins is the Camilla E. Kimball Endowed Professor of Family Life at Brigham University in Provo, Utah. He earned a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies at The Pennsylvania State University in 1990. Professor Hawkins’ has taught and conducted research and outreach at Brigham Young University since 1990. In 2012, he received the university's prestigious Karl G. Maeser Research Award. His scholarship and outreach focuses on educational and policy interventions to help couples form and sustain healthy relationships and enduring marriages. In 2003-2004, he was a visiting scholar with the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services), working on the federal healthy marriages initiative. He is the current Co-Chair of the Utah Marriage Commission.