frequently asked questions

• Relational skills are brain-based skills that are essential for developing healthy connections and relationships. Ideally, these skills are learned from our families beginning in infancy. However, all of us have gaps, ranging from minor ones to large ones. To fill these gaps we need to intentionally develop the skills that we didn’t receive in our early years. Learn more here: https://thrivetoday.org/relationalskills/
• Ultimately relational skills are about accuracy of perception. The best relational skills allow us to see and treat ourselves and others as God sees and treats us.
• Start with our 10-minute mini series, “How The Relational Skills Address My Biggest Problems?”
• Take our Foundational 5 Introductory Course to get a road map for starting your relational skills journey.
• See an overview of the 19 relational skills.

• Relational skills make all our other skills better! Relational skills are foundational for healthy and joy-filled relationships.
• Maybe you can build connection and joy with other, but you struggle when it comes to calming down from stress or anxiety. Or maybe you know how to focus on the good things in life when all is going well, yet you don’t know how to gain God’s perspective during trials and hardship. We all have relational gaps. Even if you learned essential relational skills growing up, THRIVE resources will equip you to further develop your skills and intentionally pass these skills on to others. The good news is out brains are never too old to change and never too young to learn.
• Relational skills provide the ability and capacity to build meaningful connections with the people in our lives. With practice, relational skills are what we use to maintain our relationships during strain, conflicts and difficulties so we endue hardship well as we stay connected.
• Watch our >2-min video “Why Do We Need Relational Skills?” – Impact your emotional and relational health AND the quality of your relationships by earning simple relational skills.
• Check out our 10-minute mini series “How The Relational Skills Address My Biggest Problems?”

• Take our Free Assessment to measure your ability to stay relationally engaged.
• Get your copy of The Joy Switch to learn the foundation of the 19 relational skills. Practice the skills included at the end of each chapter to begin your skill-building journey. 
• Begin working through our Foundational 5 Resources.
  • Start with the free webinars, then move onto the courses to learn the theory behind the skills and how to practice them.
  • Take The Foundational 5 Introductory Course. This resource was designed specifically to help you get familiar with and begin to develop 5 foundational relational skills that can transform your life and your relationships!a short and easy resource that will introduce you 
• Join our email list for weekly communication on upcoming events, stories that bring inspiration, and resources designed to help you in your relational skills journey.

• To dig deeper into the skill theory, take our most in-depth educational courses – Course 1, Course 2, and Course 3.
• For those who are serious and eager to develop their skill training, our 5-Day Live event is a great place for a skill training intensive and to acquire skills that you don’t have. Learn more at https://thrivetoday.org/premier-training/

• Theory is the understanding and background for each of the 19 skills. Theory brings clarity and awareness for how we are created and how relational skills fit into the way humans think, feel and live.
• Skill practices are the action steps that help our brain and relationships change. We learn, strengthen and spread skills. This is a brain work-out! Here is where we try new things to stretch and grow! 

Relational skills can make a huge difference in helping people cope with anxiety. THRIVEtoday takes a unique approach to reducing and overcoming anxiety. As a Christian ministry we focus on training people in the relational skills we need to connect to God and others in order to live in peace and joy. 

• Visit www.thrivetoday.org/anxiety to read more and discover our resources on this topic.

• Visit www.thrivetoday.org/marriage to read more and discover our resources on this topic.
• Watch this free marriage webinar. 
• Read “The 4 Habits of Joy-Filled Marriages”. This is a short and easy book and provides exercises to help you and your spouse build joy and connection.
• View our Marriage Date Night Series with your spouse or with a group of friends. You can purchase this 3-night series individually or as a bundle.
• Start a Marriage Small Group online or in your community using The 4 Habits of Joy Filled Marriages curriculum.

Developing the relational skills in your own life will inevitably spill over to your parenting capacities. However, the following resources are geared specifically for parents: 

• Visit www.thrivetoday.org/parenting to read more and discover our resources on this topic.
• View our free videos for using the relational skills in parenting and examples of using the skills with infants.
• Check out this free webinar on how to keep sanity in your family during times of crisis.
• Read “The 4 Habits of Raising Joy-Filled Kids” and implement the habit builder sections in the book.
• Join us at our website specifically for moms – thrivingmamas.org. Here you can follow our blog sharing the experience of fellow moms as they implement the relational skills in their homes.
• Download our free resource “4 Steps to Meet your Kids in a Meltdown”. 
• Check out a recorded event for mothers called Encouragement for Maxed-Out Moms. This resource is designed to be taken with a group of fellow moms and is available for group purchase.

Ultimately, relational skills are about equipping people to better manage what they feel. Counseling is, in many ways, the avenue where we guide people to better manage what they feel, so counseling and relational skills intersect! 

• View this free webinar directed specifically toward counselors, pastors, coaches to learn how relational skills can help you and your counseling practice. 
• The Joy Switch is a useful on-ramp to introduce clients to skill training. This book is a quick and easy read that offers 19 practice exercises. The Joy Switch gives a solid foundation on why we need relational skills while the exercises provide hands-on practice. This book is great for individual as well as group practice.
• Visit our YouTube playlist for counselors.
• Take our online course “Why Healing Clients Heal Isn’t Enough”.
• Sign up for our mailing list and be updated first on counseling resources and freebies.
• See our Counseling Resources page for more resources!

Relational skills are for every living human being with a brain. All of us need these important skills! Some of the 19 skills are for the spiritually-minded, based on both neuroscience and Scripture. We find those with an open mind can benefit from learning these particular skills, even if you do not “subscribe” to the Christian faith.

Yes, we do have some opportunities to receive our resources at a discounted rate.

• Often, our live events have a “pick your price” option starting at $10 USD. See upcoming events
• We offer sliding scale rates for most of our online courses (excluding premier theory courses). To apply, select the course you are interested in at https://thrivetoday.thinkific.com/collections and scroll down to see the application link.
• For our in-person premier trainings, full-time missionaries can apply for a discounted rate. Applications need to be submitted three months in advance of the event, and require the purchase and completion of the online preparatory course before the discount can be given. Email us at TPTScholarship@thrivetoday to learn more. 

• We offer two weekend event options. Learn more at https://thrivetoday.org/host-your-own-event/
• Or invite Chris to speak at your own event as a keynote speaker: email groupresources@thrivetoday.org to start that conversation.

Unfortunately this is not a service we currently offer.

• We have a limited list of referrals available. For more information email us at info@thrivetoday.org.
• Check out our friends at Face to Face Ministries.
• If you’re able to find a local counselor to work with, developing your relational skills at the same time will serve as a beautiful supplement and will help make the counseling you receive even more effective. For more information, check out our free Unlock Your Healing webinar series, beginning with part 1.