Premarital Counseling

I do two types of premarital counseling programs.  The first is a strait forward marriage preparation program.  The second program is for couples who are experiencing problems in their relationship and are looking for solutions.  I work with first married couples and people who have been previously married.

The marriage preparation program is six meetings with me.  Before I was a Marriage and Family Therapist a taught college courses on marriage.  The program covers communication, problem resolution, division of household chores, family economics, boundaries for friends and extended family, importance of shared values, issues concerning children, and sexual relations. I typically meet with couples every other week depending on their schedules.  There is an advantage meeting with a therapist rather than a group that makes the experience far more intimate for the couple. I use the books Fighting for your Marriage and The Five Love Languages as part the instruction.

Sometimes couples need actual therapy as part of their marital preparation.  I approach this as any couple looking for counseling.  We also cover the subject areas listed in the previous paragraph.  The goal the therapy is to help the couple move forward with their marriage.