Why Premarital Counseling is Important
Premarital Counseling at Couples Counseling Associates in Chicago
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Premarital Counseling Can Help You Build a Successful Relationship
Why premarital counseling? Today, more couples want to find out how to prevent divorce. Premarital counseling and relationship education can help couples achieve higher levels of relationship satisfaction, lower levels of destructive conflicts, and higher levels of interpersonal commitment to spouses.
A few hours of relationship education can help couples reduce the risk of divorce by 30 percent. If you plan to marry or take the next step in your relationship, you could find premarital counseling insightful and helpful.
Establishing a strong relationship from the start
The transition to marriage can be a challenge for some couples. So, what makes one couple successful over another? Just a few key characteristics of successful relationships:
- Communication
- Engagement
- Caring
- Empathy or understanding
- Forgiveness and compromise
Premarital counseling can help set you up for success. Listen to Dr. Sara Schwarzbaum discuss how couples can prepare for their wedding and first year of marriage below.
What happens in a premarital counseling session?
Premarital counseling meetings help you:
- Build a solid relationship
- Strengthen effective communication skills
- Manage conflicts
- Create rituals of connections
Additionally, premarital counseling sessions can cover:
- Questions to ask before you say “I Do”
- Relationship stages
- Communication issues
- Financial management
- Role responsibility and accountability
- Fair fighting techniques
- Maintaining physical affection and sexuality
How can you prepare for marriage?
In today’s complex world, relationships are challenging. To get a solid start, invest some time with a couples expert. You can gain new skills for intimacy, good communication, and empathy. A few sessions of with a couples counselor, who will focus on your particular situation, can ease your transition to married life. Sessions also give you the space to talk about concerns, your relationship vision, and learn how to disagree productively. The skills acquired during the process can help your relationship weather the storms that inevitably occur.
Additional Resource: If you’ve recently gotten married—or plan to soon— check out this post with tips for newlyweds.
Of course, these sessions can be useful for any couple—including same sex couples. If you plan to take the next step in your relationship, don’t hesitate to consider counseling.
What about stepfamilies and merged families?
Marrying again is just a big a life change as marrying the first time, especially if you have a family! Premarital counseling can be very helpful before second marriage or to prepare to blend families. A professional counselor with experience in second marriages and stepfamilies can help you manage the common challenges of these relationships.
Try a few couples therapy exercises at home
You may think that you and your partner have talked about everything, but have you discussed what will make your marriage work? Examine the questions you and your partner should answer before you say “I do.”
In any relationship, couples therapy exercises can help open the door of positive communication and openness. If you plan to marry, try these exercises and take this relationship quiz to start talking about this next step in your relationship and what it implies. Then, you can decide to attend a premarital therapy session with an experienced relationship counselor to continue the conversation.
More Resources for You and Your Partner
In our efforts to bring value to your life, or if you are not in the Chicago area, Couples Counseling Associates has developed a series of lessons that could have a major impact on effectively improving your relationship. We encourage you to dive into the series and discover how these resources can benefit you and your partner.
Remember, it’s the positive habits we develop that guarantee us success in all areas of our lives. Discover the seven healthy habits that improve relationships or get in touch with us to learn more about Couples Counseling Associates.
