Dr. Rita DeMaria is Director of Relationship Education at Council for Relationships. Her offices are in Spring House and Wynnewood. A marriage and family therapist since 1974, Dr. DeMaria's practice specializes in marriage education, counseling, enrichment, divorce prevention and premarital assessment and counseling. In addition to counseling and teaching relationship education classes, Dr. DeMaria also offers PREPARE/ENRICH assessments and courses in Sex Education and Anger Management. She has also created the Loving For Life program for couples who are looking for advanced training and support to create a dynamic, loving relationship. 

Dr. DeMaria is a clinical member and approved supervisor for the American Association for Marriage and Family. She is a nationally recognized marriage education expert and Master Teacher & Mentor in PAIRS, a PREPARE/ENRICH Counselor and Seminar Director, a PREP Instructor and an RE Workshop Leader. Dr. DeMaria consulted with the American Bar Association Family Law Section in the development of the PARTNERS program for high school students, which includes PAIRS tools. She is also on the Advisory Board for the Coalition for Marriage, Couple and Family Education. (CMCFE) and is the Director of the Greater Philadelphia Healthy Marriage Coalition (www.pamrc.com). 

Dr. DeMaria is the author of the newly released book, The 7 Stages of Marriage: Laughter, Intimacy and Passion Today, Tomorrow, Forever (2006). She has also authored and co-authored several books discussing relationship issues, including Focused Genograms: Intergenerational Assessment of Individuals, Couples and Families (1999, Taylor/Routledge); Building Intimate Relationships: The PAIRS Program - Integrating Treatment, Education and Enrichment (2002, Brunner-Routledge) and Marriage Enrichment: Preparation, Outreach and Mentoring (1998). Dr. DeMaria 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). 

Dr. DeMaria is a public speaker offering partial, full or two day seminars on a variety of topics. Some of her keynote topics include “Marriage Isn't Just a Piece of Paper”, “’Here's My Heart’ Seminar: Empathy & Compassion Skill Builder Workshop”, “Emotional Healing Workshop”, “Expanding the Continuum of Interventions for Couples”, “Unraveling the Negative Emotional Infinity Loop”, “The Emotional Chemistry of Love”, “Emotional Connection through Behavioral Change”, and “Men, Women, and Love: Creating Passionate Partnerships”. She has also created The 7 Stages of Marriage Leader’s Workshop and Teach Out of the Box Kit for counselors and clergy.

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, Redbook, The Chicago Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer and MSNBC.com. 

An honors graduate in Sociology from Bloomsburg University, Dr. DeMaria earned a master of science degree in Human Behavior and Development from Drexel University and a doctorate degree from Bryn Mawr College School of Social Work and Social Research. She is married to Richard DeMaria and has two children.

Contact Dr. Rita DeMaria for her full Curriculum Vitae.

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