Marriage Encounter: A Critical Examination*

Marriage Encounter is a two‐day marriage enrichment session sponsored by several religious organizations. The following paper attempts to describe one proceeding of a weekend from a participant‐observation perspective, offering objective insight and critical discussion. It is suggested that recruitment to the weekend and various proceedings during the encounter are somewhat questionable, given claims for the session made by its proponents. If the majority of such Marriage Encounter sessions approximate the one described, more serious investigation of theory and practice involved should be a major project supported by the therapeutic professions.