3 Reasons Why Every Couple Should Attend Premarital Counseling Before Marriage
When you’ve fallen in love with your significant other, and you’re planning on starting your lives together, ring shopping is what’s on your mind, not premarital counseling. The excitement and happiness you feel being with your person take over and you might not be thinking about how to prepare to have the healthiest relationship possible. I don’t blame you, when things feel right and good you shouldn’t be thinking about the what-ifs. However, there are things that are certain in marriage. There will be conflict and difficulty.
Not only will conflict arise at some points and not only will things be hard but most certainly you will need to be able to express your feelings and needs with your spouse. These are things that most people don’t naturally know how to do unless they’ve learned them from somewhere. This is why premarital counseling can make a huge difference going into a marriage.
Why every couple should go to premarital counseling
There are plenty of reasons to attend premarital counseling. Here are just some of the reasons why I suggest premarital counseling to couples.
To understand expectations in blending your lives together
It doesn’t matter how in love a couple is, blending your lives together is still a challenge. You are two separate people with two different personalities. You both will think differently no matter how similar you are. You will each have different expectations and hopes for marriage and a lot of the time those aren’t spoken out loud to each other. Working with a premarital counselor to address how to do this in a healthy way and with support can make a substantial difference in the course of your relationship.
To learn effective and healthy communication from the start
You might feel like you are a great communicator and your significant other might also feel that way too. You may not have had many struggles with communicating so it feels like it won’t be an issue. There are times when you will have to be vulnerable and communicate your needs in a healthy way. It’s easy to assume that your partner knows what you need or can read your mind. Premarital counseling can help you learn healthy ways to communicate your needs and understand your own thoughts and feelings.
To address important topics with the help of a professional
Going into marriage means there will not only be another person you will be learning to share your life and needs with but likely extended family as well. Your spouse will have grown up in a different family and that will influence how they interact with you. You will also be learning to deal with another family and learning to create and develop boundaries with them is important in preserving a healthy relationship. Discussing topics of religious beliefs, holidays, money, sexual intimacy, and politics can be helpful with the assistance of a relationship professional.
Start working with a premarital counselor in Utah
You can have a healthy marriage from the start. You can learn to communicate your emotions and needs with your partner in a healthy way. Premarital counseling can help. This Utah Counseling Clinic has a premarital counselor specializing in premarital counseling. To begin therapy follow the steps below:
Meet with a premarital counselor in Utah
Begin working on your relationship
Online Couples Therapy in Utah
It’s hard to find time to attend therapy with your spouse when you have two busy schedules. Couples put off focusing on their relationship because it’s hard to make time for it. I know how valuable therapy is and I want to make it more accessible. This is why I offer online therapy in Utah. This means you can focus on your relationship and have access to a couples therapist without having to leave your house.
If you are located in Salt Lake City, Heber City, Provo, St. George, Logan, Cedar City, or elsewhere I can work with you through online counseling.
Other mental health services provided by Marcus Hunt Therapy
Premarital Counseling isn’t the only mental health counseling service provided at this Utah Counseling Practice. Other mental health services provided by Marcus Hunt Therapy include EMDR therapy, PTSD treatment, ADHD treatment, depression therapy, therapy for men, LDS marriage counseling, and marriage counseling. Schedule a phone consultation today to see how I can help.
About the Author
Marcus Hunt is a licensed associate marriage and family therapist at Marcus Hunt Therapy in Utah. Marcus received his bachelor of behavioral science from Utah Valley University. He also has a master's degree in marriage and family therapy. Marcus loves working with couples who are engaged or newly married through premarital counseling to help them create the type of relationship that is healthy, meaningful, and will last. He believes if more couples would invest in their relationship from the start fewer marriages would fail. When Marcus isn’t doing therapy he enjoys spending time with his dogs and taking them on walks on Provo Center Street.