Top 4 Benefits of Participating in Premarital Counseling/Preparation
There are SO many reasons to attend premarital counseling and/or preparation services prior to getting married! Let’s try to boil it down to the top 4:
Improve communication skills: whether you’re highly skilled at communicating, or struggling, the MOST IMPORTANT skill in maintaining a loving, committed marriage is EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION. In our premarital program, you’ll learn to avoid certain negative communication skills (yelling, cussing, aggression, passive-aggression, etc.) and learn/practice healthy communication skills (active listening, self soothing, expressing thoughts and feelings constructively). These are learned skills, which means we don’t come by them naturally most of the time and must continue to practice these skills to maintain them.
Strengthen Relationship Foundations: addressing topics such as finances, kids, religion, values, and life goals helps make sure that you both are on the same page and have a strong foundation of shared expectations.
Conflict Resolution Strategies: if communication is #1, conflict resolution is the #2 skill in maintaining a healthy relationship. Yes, it’s true, you will not always agree! In fact, you should prepare to have disagreements quite often. The goal is learning how to resolve conflict in respectful, appropriate ways. Practicing empathy (understanding your partner’s point of view) and finding mutually acceptable solutions are crucial when preventing escalation in conflict.
Address Potential Issues Early: premarital counseling/preparation helps address potential issues before they become major problems. Topics such as intimacy, roles and responsibilities, and family dynamics can uncover areas of concern that might need some time to explore to mitigate future problems.
Are there other benefits of Premarital Counseling / Preparation? Absolutely! If you’re interested in learning more, contact me or you can sign up for one of my programs HERE.