PRE-MARRIAGE COUNSELING

Once the wedding bells ring, most newly married couples expect to live happily ever after in fairy tale bliss. It’s an admirable goal, but not as easy to achieve as you might first expect. Planning the wedding, mailing invitations and hiring a caterer might seem like the hard part of getting ready for a marriage. The truth is that the toughest work begins after you say “I do.”

No matter how much you love your new spouse, marriage is a time of challenges. Many couples spend a lot of time preparing for the wedding day itself, but very little time preparing for life after the marriage. When day-to-day problems arise, many couples are not ready to manage the complications and deal with the stress.

Before you tie the knot, ask yourself if you are ready to handle these issues:

• Communication – Do you listen to each other? Do you know how to communicate your needs and opinions effectively?
• Relationship – How will your habits or weaknesses impact someone living with you? How will you react to your spouse’s habits or unusual behaviors?
• Finances – Have you considered how you will handle budget and financial issues?
• Conflict Resolution – Do you know the best methods for resolving disagreements without causing unnecessary marital conflict?
• Goals – Do you and your spouse share the same goals for your marriage and your future?
• Past issues – Do you have any painful issues from your past that could impact your life together? Have you resolved issues you’ve had as a couple?

Pre-marriage counseling can help you to get a positive head start as you prepare for life together. During counseling, couples can explore positive and negative aspects of their relationship and find ways to make improvements. They also can discuss ways to approach significant decisions in the future, such as having children and managing their money. In addition, counseling can help teach couples important communication and conflict resolution skills.

Benefits of pre-marriage counseling:

• Learn healthy ways to communicate
• Resolve past problems that could affect your interactions with your spouse
• Prepare yourself for relationships with your in-laws and other extended family members
• Discuss the roles you and your spouse will have in the family structure
• Learn how to approach future conflicts in an effective way

Every marriage faces difficulties, but those problems can be overcome if husband and wife learn healthy ways to approach the issues that arise. Through pre-marriage therapy, licensed counselor Jamie Leonard can help couples to work as a team so they can build a strong foundation for their future.