January • 2008 17 Markman, H. J., Stanley, S. M., Jenkins, N. H., Petrella, J. N., & Wadsworth, M. E. (in press). Preventive education: Distinctives and directions. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy. Markman, H. J., Whitton, S., Kline, G., Thompson, H., St. Peters, M., Stanley, S., et el. (2004). Use of an empirically-based mar- riage education program by religious organi- zations: Results of a dissemination trial. Family Relations 53, 504-512. Ooms, T. (1998). Toward more perfect unions: Putting marriage on the public agenda. Washington, DC: Family Impact Seminar. Snow, D., & Newton, P. (1976). Task, social structure and social process in the commnity mental health center movement. American Psychologist, 31, 582-594. Stanley, S. M. (2001). Making the case for pre- marital education. Family Relations, 50, 272–280. Stanley, S. M., Allen, E. S., Markman, H. J., Saiz, C. C., Bloomstrom, G., Thomas, R., Schumm, W. R., & Baily, A. E. (2005). 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Paper pre- sented at the meeting of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management, Washington, DC. Address correspondence to Howard Markman, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Frontier Hall, 2155 S. Race St., Denver, CO 80208; e-mail: hmarkman@du.edu. I n this article, we discuss successful deliv- ery of culturally sensitive variations of empirically grounded strategies for rela- tionship enhancement and divorce preven- tion. This discussion focuses on the importance of religious traditions in cultur- ally sensitive marriage enrichment services. In particular, we highlight our ongoing in- vestigation of the Program for Strong African American Marriages (ProSAAM) and share some of our experiences in dis- seminating ProSAAM to communities in northeast Georgia. As intervention providers continue to explore ways to enhance their programs, a direct focus on dissemination issues is of critical importance. Clearly, access to pre- vention programs and marital therapy dif- fers across regions of the country and among ethnic groups (Stanley, Amato, Johnson, & Markman, in press). Dissem- ination is particularly important for African Americans, who are underserved by typical means of health care delivery. Rural African American families tend to be skeptical of the benefits to be derived from mental health services; therefore, they are not likely to advocate for these services in their com- munities (Brody, Stoneman, Flor, 1996; Murry & Brody, 2004). Reasons for this re- luctance include mistrust of medical re- searchers, contextual factors such as a lack of transportation or means to pay for ser- vices, and culturally irrelevant programs (Murry, Kotchick, et al., 2004). African Americans also have the highest therapy dropout rate of all ethnic groups (Sue, Zane, & Young, 1994). For these reasons, estab- lishing trust and offering programs that take into consideration the racial, socioeco- nomic, and regional characteristics of the populations they serve are critical to effec- tive program delivery. Among African American couples, reli- giosity and church involvement predict re- lationship quality (Brody & Flor, 1996; Taylor, Mattis, & Chatters, 1999), suggest- ing that this population is more likely to re- spond favorably to relationship enhance- ment programs if those programs encour- age couples to draw upon their religious practices. Historically, religious participa- tion has been an important survival strategy for African Americans. During enslave- ment, a strong religious orientation served as a framework for preserving family values and overcoming staggering experiences of injustice in a dehumanizing environment. This legacy of spirituality and religious in- volvement has been passed down through generations, remaining a consistent part of the fabric of African American culture over time, location, and context (Taylor, Chatters, & Levin, 2004). For many African Americans, cultivating a relationship with God remains the ultimate source of inspira- tion and guidance (McAdoo, 1983; Taylor & Chatters, 1991). For this reason, religios- ity plays a significant role in predicting fam- ily outcomes in African American populations. Several key research concepts helped us to incorporate religious elements into a cul- turally sensitive intervention designed to minimize the effects of discrimination on African American couples. First, we noted the link between prayer and dealing with adversities such as health problems (Dunn & Horgas, 2000; Ellison, 1998). Second, we examined the growing body of research on religious forms of coping and the potential for religiously based coping to facilitate ad- justment and well-being (Ellison, 1991) and to reduce depression (Williams, Larson, Buckler, Heckman, & Pyle, 1991). Third, we reviewed studies that integrated reli- gious practice with standard practices in psychotherapy (Tan, 1987) and marriage enrichment (Stanley et al., 2001). Finally, because experiences with discrimination are emotionally disruptive to African Ameri- cans (Murry, Brown, & Brody, 2001), we fo- cused on materials that explicitly help spouses support one another in responding to discrimination. Our incorporation of religious material and prayer into ProSAAM was one means of creating a culturally sensitive vehicle for relationship enhancement that would be fa- miliar and appealing to the participants Dissemination of Couples’ Interventions Among African American Populations: Experiences From ProSAAM Tera R. Hurt, Kameron J. Franklin, Steven R. H. Beach, Velma McBride Murry, and Gene H. Brody, University of Georgia, Lily D. McNair, Spelman College, and Frank D. Fincham, Florida State University Couples SIG Special Series: DISSEMINATION