Participants use the online platform to access the course content at home. Each part takes 1 - 1.5 hours to complete and includes prayer, video input, and reflection activities. Over the following days the Participant observes their interactions with their spouse through the lens of what they have learned.

After each part is complete, the Participant meets with their Companion to unpack together what they have discovered. Meetings are about one hour in length and may take place in-person or via video/tele-conference. There are three parts, so most Participants with a Companion complete the BreakThrough program in 2-4 weeks.

The cost of meetings varies according to the individual Companion and the policy of the organisation providing them. 

• A mature and active Christian faith.
• A firm commitment to the power of prayer.
• An empathetic, caring, unbiased attitude.
• Attentive listening and appropriate responding skills.
• Life experience in managing difficult relationships.
• An understanding of Catholic teaching and the desire to live one’s own life accordingly.
• An ongoing desire to deepen their personal spiritual life.

Companions may be married, single, religious or clergy. They may work in pairs or singly. Couple Companions provide both a masculine and feminine perspective and bring a sacramental witness to their ministry (which is an advantage but not essential).

Part 1: Trainee Companions initially experience BreakThrough as a Participant to become familiar with the course content. This may be via the on-demand online course (preferred), or as part of a group training workshop.

Part 2: Trainee Companions will then receive formation in:

1. SmartLoving Accompaniment Principles
2. Topic-by-topic meeting guidelines, analysis and tips
3. Safeguarding, signposting, record keeping and other practical matters (as per the policy of their organisation).

This second part of the training may take place via a series of three webinars (allowing time to for trainee Companions to encounter the BreakThrough material between sessions), or in a one-day intensive training workshop.

Training Options:

1. Fully Online Training: Online course participation interspersed with training webinars (3 x ~1.5 hours). Training webinars are held periodically by demand.

   In 2024 there will be training in February and May to register visit: www.smartloving.org/webinars 

2. In-person Group Intensive Training: Part 1 in the morning (3 hours) followed by Part 2 in the afternoon (~4.5 hours). Talk to us about hosting your group training event. 

The SLBT Leader Package includes all the resources you need to run an in-person group workshop. This includes:

• Plug and Play videos with pause points for Participant activities.
• Comprehensive Leader notes, promotional material and hosting tips.
• Printable Participant Notes (PDF) with rights to reproduce for groups.*

*As Participants in a live group experience do not require a login for the SLBT course, Leaders are required to log their participant numbers and make a royalty contribution (within their means) to support the SL apostolate at the conclusion of the course.