What is premarital counseling?
Premarital counseling is a specialized type of therapy which is done by family and marriage therapists to prepare a couple for marriage. Premarital counseling aims to help the couple understand each other’s expectations from the marriage better, much ahead of the marriage.
How is premarital counseling done?
Different counselors adopt different methods and techniques to carry out a premarital counseling session, based on the couple. Some therapists may offer to meet both the partners individually for a session or two to let them talk about their thoughts openly. It allows the therapist to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the relationship from the point of view of each partner. In other cases, the therapist may have all the sessions with both the partners together.
The couple may be administered a questionnaire with questions such as how the partners feel about one another, their relationship, and the like. Such questionnaires can help in identifying various weaknesses, strengths, and potential areas of problems. In premarital counseling, the couple is encouraged to share their vision and expectations from the marriage, and indulge in discussions on various topics. These topics may include finances, family relationships, desire to have children, each partner’s role in the marriage, and communication among many others.
What are the benefits of premarital counseling?
Premarital counseling helps couples understand one another’s outlook towards marriage better. When a couple enters marriage, both the partners expect it to fulfill their emotional, sexual, social, and financial needs. Opting for premarital counseling can assist the partners in understanding whether their expectations are aligned with one another’s. If this is not the case, then both of them work together as a team to figure out the possible solutions to their problems or come up with a plan to figure out the solution in the future.
Premarital counseling assists couples in exploring three most common problems faced by married couples – finances, intimacy, and children. Discussing these issues beforehand allows both the partners to share their ideas and thoughts about the topics, and understand how to work around them. Apart from this, premarital counseling also helps the couple to improve their ability to communicate with each other, develop skills for conflict resolution, and set realistic goals for their marriage. As both the partners come from different upbringings, there may be a clash of opinions in terms of their beliefs and values. Premarital counseling helps the couple find common ground and solve problems in case of difference of opinion between them. In most cases, premarital counseling aids the couple in having a healthy marriage as they have realized the solutions, or future plan of action to solve most of their conflicts.
Collaborative Therapeutic Services, located in Tampa, FL, offers various kinds of specialized counseling services, including premarital counseling. If you or someone you know wishes to opt for any kind of therapy, you can contact us. Our therapists are trained, and with our numerous services, we are sure that we can help you find the specialized counselor you need.
Collaborative Therapeutic Services (CTS) seeks to maximize clients’ options by offering a variety of services, hours, and service providers with diverse specializations. We offer evening & weekend appointments. Have questions? Contact Us Here or Call 813-951-7346. Located in Tampa, Florida.