Why is it that couples spend a great deal of time and money preparing for the marriage ceremony, but spend little time preparing for the marriage relationship? Issues that are not discussed or resolved before marriage are often more difficult to resolve after the wedding.
In general, couples who participate in premarital counseling feel more capable and prepared to handle marital issues that commonly arise in marriage. Most couples felt that premarital counseling gave them a deeper insight into their own problem areas. It also helped them be better prepared to deal with potential problem areas.
Premarital counseling can help you and your future spouse address the following issues and areas of your relationship
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Communication
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Conflict Resolution
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Beliefs about roles within marriage
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Financial Issues
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Spiritual Beliefs
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In-law Issues
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Personality Differences
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Family of Origin Issues
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Attitudes towards friendships with the same or opposite sex
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Areas of Disagreement
Premarital Counseling Questions
1. Do you use a specific workbook or assessment in your premarital counseling sessions?
I am quite flexible in this area. Some couples prefer to go through a workbook or take an assessment. Others may feel that they already know what issues they want to address in premarital counseling.
2. How many sessions does it take to complete premarital counseling?
It can take as few as three sessions or as many as eight or more. This really depends on the needs of the couple. If a couple can only do three sessions then I will maximize those three sessions. In general marital counseling entails three to six sessions, but there are exceptions.
3. Which marital and/or personality assessments do you administer?
I use the Prepare & Enrich premarital inventories through www.lifeinnovations.com. Prepare is a premarital inventory that contains 12 relationship scales and the SCOPE personality scale.
It also contains a few other scales. If you have further questions about this assessment please see their website at www.lifeinnovations.com. The Prepare and Enrich inventories have been well researched. The other personality assessment I give couples if they opt to take it is the Taylor Johnson Temperament Analysis.
I sincerely believe that premarital counseling is a very good investment. It can save couples a lot of griefs by helping them understand and address relational issues this side of the marriage. I try to make premarital counseling very affordable. Sessions are $75 each with the exception of the first session which is $90. The Prepare assessment is $75 per couple for those who wish to take it. The Taylor Johnson Temperament Analysis is also $75 per couple. If you have any questions about premarital counseling please call me at 972-838-6290.
If you want more information about marital counseling, please go to the marriage counseling web page.
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