If you’re preparing to get married, one of the best things you can do for your relationship is to go through premarital counseling. This type of counseling can help prepare you for the challenges that come with marriage and can help you learn how to deal with conflicts and disagreements in a healthy way. Premarital counseling can also help you discuss your expectations for marriage and can give you a chance to build on your communication skills.
Why Get Premarital Counseling?
Marriage is a huge step. It’s a lifelong commitment, and it comes with its own set of challenges, even when you and your partner have already begun to combine some parts of your lives. That’s why premarital counseling can be so beneficial—it can help you prepare for the challenges you may face as a married couple.
Even if you’re not having relationship problems, premarital counseling can help prepare you for this life transition together. Premarital counseling is not at all a symbol that anything is wrong in your relationship; it’s truly just a preparation course for you and your significant other that will help you start your marriage on the right track.
Benefits of Premarital Counseling
There are many benefits to premarriage counseling that will help you and your future spouse through this big life change and transition. Here are just a few of those benefits:
Learn communication skills.
One of the most important things you can do for your marriage is to learn how to communicate effectively. This doesn’t mean that you will agree on everything, but it does mean that you will be able to express yourselves in a way that is respectful and productive, and learn how to fully listen to your partner.
Build conflict resolution skills.
Conflict is inevitable in any relationship, but it doesn’t have to be a negative thing. Learning how to resolve conflict in a healthy way can help you strengthen your relationship.
This is especially crucial if one or both of you grew up in households where conflict was not handled in a healthy way. Premarital counseling can help you recognize habits you may have learned from your parents or upbringing and learn how to change those habits to consciously choose healthy behaviors for your marriage.
Learn emotional mastery skills.
Emotions can be intense, and they can sometimes get in the way of our ability to think clearly and communicate effectively. Learning how to manage your emotions will help you in all areas of your life, including your marriage.
Emotional mastery is especially important if you plan to have children together. Raising children is a challenge that requires you to be emotionally intelligent in order to help your kids work through their own emotions in a healthy way.
Discuss expectations for your life together.
It’s important to have realistic expectations for marriage. This doesn’t mean that you can’t hope for a happy and fulfilling life together, but it does mean that you should discuss your expectations openly and honestly. It’s better to work out any differences on major topics and issues beforehand rather than being surprised months or years down the road.
Learn how to handle combined finances.
Money is one of the most common sources of conflict in marriage. Learning how to handle your finances as a team can help you avoid financial problems and emotional conflicts over money in the future.
Discuss potential problems and resolve past issues.
No relationship is perfect, and every couple has their own set of challenges. Discussing potential problems and resolving past issues, whether personal or within your relationship, can help you start your marriage with a clean slate.
Increase chances of success in your marriage.
Studies have shown that couples who go through premarital counseling are more likely to have successful marriages. If you’re looking for a way to increase the chances of success in your marriage, premarital counseling is a great place to start, as it will help you start developing the skills needed for healthy communication and collaboration.
Looking for Premarital Counseling?
If you’re considering getting married, we encourage you to consider premarital counseling. At Solace Emotional Health, we have professional therapists trained in premarital counseling that can help you prepare for this big life change.
Contact us today to learn more about our services or to schedule an appointment. We look forward to helping you build a strong foundation for your marriage!
