Premarital Counseling
The decision to get married is one of the most important decisions a couple can make. Preparing for a successful marriage can include developing a deeper understanding of relationships. Premarital counseling is intended as a beginning exploration of issues couples face in the early phases of marriage (and in the preparation for marriage).
Premarital counseling typically lasts between 6 to 10 weeks. Topic may include:
- Communication skills
- Anxieties and fears about being married
- The complexities of sharing a life
- Losing vs. negotiating one’s independence
- Family of origin issues
- Dependency and Inter-dependency
- The problems of idealization, and the reality of waking up with bad breath
- Ways in which each person’s history comes into play
- Ways in which each partner’s parents’ relationship may affect their experience in the current relationship
- The importance of patience and forgiveness
