Premarital counseling is the big step you need to take in your relationship. Couples should introduce this step before taking their relationship to the next stage, get premarital counseling.
What Is Premarital Therapy?
This therapy is the type that occurs before marriage and apparently will ask to revisit your impression and beliefs about marriage before tying the knot. It must be on your checklist while preparing for D-day.
Another thing to note is premarital counseling is different from couple counseling.
Couples counseling is for resolving a particular issue. Premarital counseling will help you to ensure a healthy relationship throughout your life.
Start this counseling at least three months before your big day. However, there is no such thing as starting too early or late.
Counseling will help you prepare for marriage, not just weddings.
What Is Pre-marital Counselling?
Premarital counseling works like therapy to help you prepare for marriage. The counseling builds the base of your relationship. Marriage is a part of life. This form of counseling will prepare you mentally for this occasion and the next big step into your life.
Do You Need Premarital Counselling?
Yes, every couple should consider premarital counseling. It’s better to be safe than sorry. It may be a great way of addressing marital concerns. It can also be called a compatibility test. A premarital counseling session is not something you go for if you think your relationship is in trouble.
What Do You Need for Premarital Counselling?
There is no prior preparation required for premarital counseling apart from a healthy mindset. Remember, there may be differences between you two. Yet, these differences can be dealt with by you. Just look for a reliable licensed therapist, and your job is done.
You require collective efforts for the therapy to work. All human beings have their thought process.
Thus, there is a chance of difference among people. For this purpose, you need mutual beliefs and values in your relationship. It is also vital to come to common grounds to make your relationships last. Be open to your partner’s values and opinions.
What Does Premarital Counselling Look Like?
Getting married is not just about throwing parties or planning for a honeymoon. There is much more than that goes into two people coming together as one.
In the therapy, you will be encouraged to discuss the topics relating to:
- Finances
- Values and beliefs
- Role in marriage
- Children
- Family relationships
- Decision-making
- Dealing with anger/ fights
- Education
- Work-life
- Social life
- Friends circle
- How well you know each other
These are a few topics amongst many others.
Remember to stay patient while going through this process. Premarital counseling is not like magic. This journey may take you 2-3 sessions. Unlike movies, healthy marriages built on trust and love take time, effort, and togetherness.
One needs to keep in mind that the values, beliefs, and opinions you bring in the relationship might not always match your partner’s.
That’s the very reason you must seek premarital counseling.
Benefits of Pre-marital Counseling
Premarital counseling will benefit you in various ways.
- Realistic Expectation
If you are a dreamy person, believe in the fairytale. Or if you have way too high expectations from your partner, Premarital counseling will set your world right. The first benefit would be that you will set your expectations more realistically.
It opens up a whole new person to you and premarital counseling will teach you that every relationship has its peak and downfall and you need to have conversations about dealing with both.
- Solid Foundation
One top advantage is that you are building a strong foundation for your marriage. You and your partner will cherish this foundation forever. If you are reaching for pre-marital counseling it demonstrates that relationship is your priority.
An ill-built foundation will never support a strong house. Thus, let’s reinforce the foundation early on.
- Builds Effective Communication
While discussing, couples learn effective communication. Partners benefit a lot as they are both there to help them understand each other. They learn how to communicate, understand each other, gain compassion and communication skills. These qualities will help them if they ever meet a dark phase.
- Address Issues
Before marrying your ‘soulmate’ you may have some issues, doubts that you would like to discuss and have not got the chance to discuss yet. Premarital counseling is your time to address problems and deal with them beforehand. Addressing these issues will save any conflict in the future.
- Planning Future
Counselors ask about your goals, plans, etc. This questioning can help you analyze your plans. You can easily set future goals or family planning goals or financial goals.
- Learning Conflict Resolving Skills
You also gain skills and ways to get out of any conflict that may arise.
Is Premarital Counseling Worth It?
According to the survey, couples with premarital counseling education reported higher levels of marital satisfaction and experienced a 30% decline in the likelihood of divorce over five years.
Thus we can conclude that premarital counseling is worth it.
In Conclusion
Marriages can be beautiful. Two consenting and respectful partners filled with love for one another can be called soulmates. As the saying goes “When it’s right it is right” but to keep it that way a lifetime takes work.
Accepting counseling with your partner shows the strength and maturity between the two. Taking this step only brings couples closer if it is meant to be!