Premarital Counseling

Preparing couples for happy and long lasting marriages

Congratulations on your upcoming marriage!

Getting married without pre-marriage prep is like starting a business or any important venture without preparing. Half of all marriages end in divorce, and only half of those that endure are truly happy in the long run. Many happy engaged couples assume that they won't be contributing to these statistics. But, if you just wing it and count on your luck to make your marriage a success, your odds are only one in four. There is another way.

With divorce rates hovering at 50% in the United States, many couples are deciding to become better prepared for the reality and the challenges of marriage before taking the plunge. Pre-marital counseling is often a good first step. While there are many sources for marriage advice, pre-marital counseling on a case-by-case basis is more likely to be effective. Discerning issues of compatibility as well as values each person holds in high regard can be imperative for success.

Most couples just don't realize that good, skill-based pre-marriage counseling or classes can reduce the risk of divorce by up to thirty percent and lead to a significantly happier marriage, according to marriage research. It can also reduce the stress of the pre-wedding period. Just a little effort now can make your odds a whole lot better over the long run. You want to do everything you can to ensure that your dreams of a great marriage and a great life are realized.

A good pre-marital counseling program will acquaint couples with the six areas of conflict that often lead to divorce.  In therapy, we call these “toxic subjects” because they can become toxic for couples to discuss them.  These issues are:

• Compatibility
• Expectations
• Personalities and families-of-origin
• Communication
• Conflict resolution
• Intimacy and sexuality
• Long-term goals

Our premarital counseling program includes taking the PREPARE premarital inventory and receiving feedback during counseling sessions. The PREPARE/ENRICH is a program based on a set of five inventories that examine major relationship issues a couple may experience. Each partner will be asked to complete the Prepare assessment online and the results will identify the couples' similarities, differences, personal strengths, personal weaknesses and expectations of the relationship.

The goals of our premarital program are:

1. To explore Relationship Strengths and Growth Areas
2. To learn Assertiveness and Active Listening Skills
3. To learn how to resolve conflict using the Ten Step Model
4. To help the couple discuss their Family-of-Origin
5. To help the couple with financial planning and budgeting
6. To focus on personal, couple and family goals

The idea behind premarital counseling is that you need to strengthen your relationship before tying the knot so that you will be fully equipped to deal with the challenges and conflicts that every couple inevitably faces at some point in their marriage.

To make an appointment today, call us at 303-933-5800
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