Getting Married?  Know Someone Who Is?

By Terry Hefter, MA, LCPC, CMADC 

Getting married?  Know someone else who is?  It is essential to remember that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Marrying couples should give themselves every opportunity for a successful, blissful marriage by participating in pre-marital counseling sessions with a qualified psychotherapist.  No matter how compatible partners are they always have some different opinions, habits, and values.  The best guarantee of working out the inevitable unexpected difficulties that can arise from these differences is taking the time before the wedding to plan how they will be handled.

People tend to deal with differences through argumentation or avoidance (“sweeping problems under the rug”).  Both ways rarely solve these disagreements and can play havoc with a relationship.

Pre-marital counseling addresses each couples’ specific personalities and circumstances.  Sessions help them to predict future obstacles and identify areas of concern focusing on effective communication, conflict resolution and problem-solving.  And, it may surprise you that the process of addressing those financial or in-law challenges or day-to-day differences can actually serve to deepen the intimacy already shared by two people.

Couples should not put off making an appointment because it is the most important wedding planning there is!

 

Back to Articles