Premarital Christian Counseling and Therapy

The purpose of premarital counseling is to prepare a couple for a lifetime commitment to each other. Many couples who do not prepare for marriage through premarital counseling are handicapped by the blinders of unrealistic expectations and illusions of what they believe will be the "ideal" marriage. One of the goals in Premarital counseling is to unveil these expectaions so that the couple enters into their marriage in a more unified relationship and able to confront previous denial or expectations. Counseling can also help the couple develop the skill of adjusting to circumstances beyond their control - a critical skill for a lasting marriage.

The best time to begin premarital counseling is not before the wedding. Before the wedding is too late. The ideal time to start premarital counseling is when the couple is deciding whether or not to get married. When a couple is fully engaged and planning their wedding, they tend to have blinders firmly in place and counseling is marginally effective at best. Truely effective premarital counseling is really “pre-engagement counseling”. Typically a couple is still open to feedback and information prior to making a final “yes or no” decision. Few couples are wise enough to take the time, before the wedding planning starts, to build a strong foundation for their marriage - unfortunaely, this mistake frequently has devistating effects.

The best preparation for marriage is to discover and dig deep into the couple’s issues up front. Traditional marriage counseling covers several topics, but only at an introductory level. I prefer to partner with couples to identify core strengths and weaknesses. Then, the majority of the time is spent focusing on strengthening the relationship at its weakest points.

Below is a partial list of common areas of conflict that are addressed in premarital counseling with most couples.
              
                * Compatibility
                * Expectations
                * Gender specific needs
                * Roles, responsibilities, decision making
                * In-laws and family
                * Sex
                * Children
                * Finances
                * Communication / conflict management
                * Other issues you may bring

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