Welcome to The Relationship Center

Rita DeMaria is a distinguished professor, marriage and family therapist, author, researcher and relationship educator who is known for her warmth, compassion and commitment to helping couples in all stages of their relationship.  For more than thirty-five years she has contributed to relationship education and personal development through her books, articles, training programs, speaking engagements and media appearances. Dr Rita, also maintains an active practice at Council for Relationships, helping those who seek her expertise in revitalizing and transforming their relationships, primarily if they are at the ‘brink of divorce’.

Dr. DeMaria has appeared as a relationship and marriage expert on NBC’s Today Show, CBS News, the Hallmark Channel, Comcast’s Newsmakers and It’s Your Call, and CN8’s Your Morning news show. She has been frequently quoted on relationship topics, from the marriage movement to teenagers' self-esteem to infidelity, in such publications as Reader’s Digest, Philadelphia Magazine, Redbook, The Chicago Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer and MSNBC.com.

She is a master trainer for the PREPARE-ENRICH Inventory, a leading relationship couples, researched and scientifically validated, state of the art, on-line assessment tool.  She has trained clergy, counselors, and marriage/relationship education coaches to facilitate these inventories to individuals of all relationships and faiths.

Dr. DeMaria is author and co-author of several books and curricula on the discussion of relationship issues, including:

• The 7 Stages of Marriage (2007, Readers’ Digest)
  A READER’S DIGEST HEALTH AND WELLNESS BEST SELLER which is available in Spanish
  
  
• Focused Genograms:
  Intergenerational Assessment of Individuals, Couples and Families, 2nd edition. (2017), Routledge. The  Attachment Based Focused Genograms Workbook is under contract.
  
  
• Building Intimate Relationships: The PAIRS Program - Integrating Treatment, Education and Enrichment (2002, Brunner-Routledge)
  
  
• Marriage Enrichment: Preparation, Outreach and Mentoring (1998).
  
  
• The 7 Stages of Marriage: A curriculum guide for Leader’s Workshop.  (2008)
  
  
• Love, Marriage and Family Ties: A curriculum Guide for exploring family history and family legacies. (2009)
  
  
• Reversing the Ripple Effect:  Becoming a Response-Able Father
  An integrated fatherhood and relationship education curricula
  
  
• Becoming a Depend-Able Family, A couples companion curricula 
  (DeMaria,R,.& Haggerty,V; Council for Relationships, 2010)

She has also contributed to Preventive Approaches to Couples Therapy (1999, Berger & Hannah), Why Do Fools Fall In Love (2000, Levine and Markman), and The Handbook of Family Therapy (2003, Sexton, Weeks and Robbins.
As a public speaker, Dr. DeMaria offers partial, full or two day seminars on a variety of topics. Some of her keynote topics include:

• The 7 Stages of Marriage
• Saving Distressed Couples
• Creating a Passionate Parntership
• Transforming Patterns of Intergenerational Family Violence
• Bonding – the Heart of Couple’s Therapy
• Men, Women, and Love: Creating Passionate Partnerships
• Here's My Heart’ Seminar: Empathy & Compassion Skill Builder Workshop
• Emotional Healing Workshops
• The Emotional Chemistry of Love

Dr. DeMaria is currently a faculty member of the Post-Graduate Certificate Program in Couple and Family Therapy for Council for Relationships and is an adjunct Assistant Professor at the Jefferson University, School of Allied Health, Couple and Family Therapy program.
For more information on Membership, Affiliations, Awards, contact Rita DeMaria for her full Curriculum Vitae.