Prevention is Better than Cure!
All couples have differences and disagreements in their relationships, but often couples come to counselling when their relationships have fallen apart and the damage can hardly be repaired.
Pre-marital Counselling therefore, is important to prevent the potential of broken relationships.
WHAT IS INVOLVED IN PRE-MARITAL COUNSELLING?
Pre-marital Counselling helps the couple to prepare for their marriage to be a healthy relationship. It is the time when the couple will look closely at:
- their strengths and growth areas, and how to better themselves
- their expectations on themselves and each other
- their potential problems
- how to handle their differences and disagreements
- their family of origin and family culture
- relationship with the in-laws
- the skills which will help their relationship grow stronger
WHAT DOES PRE-MARITAL COUNSELLING LOOK LIKE?
There are 3 different types of Pre-marital Counselling:
1. Prepare-Enrich Program
This is a resource that is based on research, and has been used by over 2.5 million couples over three decades. This program uses an Inventory Questionnaire, which the couple fills in. The couple then works on their areas of growth based on the results. This program normally takes about 5-6 sessions, depending on the areas of growth that need to be dealt with.
2. Educational Program
This is a program that prepares couples for their future married life and teaches them what to expect, such as learning the different stages of marriage, how to set healthy boundaries, how to communicate better, how to resolve conflicts, negotiation skills, the preparation for parenting, etc. This is done through in a more teaching method that involves the couple’s participation in certain exercises. At the completion of these exercises, the couple’s differences and difficult issues are further discussed accordingly. This program takes 6 sessions.
3. Counselling Approach
There are some couples who have some unresolved issues in their relationship prior to their married life. These unresolved issues may stem from their individual past life or their current relationship. Counselling is recommended for these couples before more damage is done to their relationship. The length of this Counselling Approach depends on how severe their issues are and how long they have the issues.
If you are uncertain which program suits your needs, give us a call and our team will happily answer your questions and concerns and help you in making your decision.