5 Benefits of Premarital Counseling

Marriages are no easy task. They require constant hard work and dedication in order to stay healthy. Prior to getting married, many individuals and their partners are now choosing to participate in premarital counseling, regardless of religious affiliation, in order to ensure a successful marriage. The following is a list of benefits that couples can experience by choosing to participate in marriage counseling prior to their big day.

1. Increase in communication skills. One of the most important keys to a lasting marriage is effective communication. Premarital counseling covers open communication and explains how to really listen to your partner as opposed to simply listening to respond. Effective communication will lead to a better understanding and better solutions to any problem that couples may encounter throughout their marriage.
2. Ability to discuss finances. According to CNBC, “finances are the leading cause of stress in a relationship.” In premarital counseling, counselors will focus on the couples’ finances. They discuss debt, combining bank accounts and creating retirement funds, among other financial topics. Learning how to openly discuss finances will help couples down the road when and if money gets tight.
3. Address potential and current issues. With marriage comes different issues that requires decision-making, such as how to raise children, how many children each partner would like to have and the location where each partner sees themselves living, for example. Premarital counseling tackles these issues with the soon-to-be newlyweds before they tie the knot in an effort to solve the issues early on in the relationship rather than down the road. Premarital counseling also tackles any issues that couples already have, which gives them the advantage to work the issues out in a positive, structured environment.
4. Learn something new. Engaged couples often believe they know everything there is to know about their future spouse, but through discussion in premarital counseling, they can learn something they never knew about their loved one. Stonebriar Counseling Associates explains that “counseling gives [couples] a safe space to talk about things that may not have come up in [their] relationship before they impact [their] marriage.” Through open communication in counseling, engaged couples may find something new that they enjoy about their soon-to-be spouse.
5. Reduce risk of divorce. No one wants to spend the money on a beautiful wedding that could end in a costly divorce. The current divorce rate, according to the CDC, is 3.2 per 1,000 population. However, couples who participated in premarital counseling “had a 30% higher marital success rate than those who did not.” With proper premarital counseling, engaged couples could tackle sensitive topics that they wouldn’t otherwise bring up in a typical conversation. Premarital counseling would help couples engage in those difficult topics and encourage them to compromise and come up with a mutual agreement.

Many may think marriage is a walk in the park, but it will be difficult at times. Premarital counseling will help engaged couples jump over hurdles that may come up throughout their lifetime. Don’t hesitate to contact us for more information on marriage, counseling and conflict resolution.