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Recently engaged or thinking about taking that next step?

Congratulations, it’s an exciting time!

Premarital counseling is a valuable investment for your relationship as prevention is always easier to manage than intervention.   It’s important to enter into your marriage feeling confident, equipped, and prepared. That’s where premarital couples counseling comes in.

Couples counseling is not reserved for couples that are having trouble….in fact, the best time to explore and strengthen your relationship is when you are feeling the most optimistic and loving about one another and your future.  Premarital couples counseling provides a solid foundation for your future together.

Our couples counselors tailor the sessions to your unique relationship.

What do you do in the sessions?

Define your relationship expectations and beliefs

You’re in love.  You know what that means, but do you know what that means for your partner?  We start here. We start by making sure both of you share the same understanding of what you expect and from each other and the relationship.

Look at the past and understand how it can affect your future

This isn’t about recounting meaningless details about past relationships.  Instead, we identify both of your vulnerabilities, assumptions, and fears based on your past romantic and familial relationships.  Our past definitely informs our present and future.  Talking about the past brings the issues into the light and helps prepare you both for the inevitable triggering of negative dynamics in your relationship.

Conflict Resolution

Conflict in a relationship is inevitable.  We come up with a plan to address and resolve conflicts in a way that works for you and promotes positive peaceful communication.

Talk about your communication as a couple.

How do you communicate? Open and direct communication between one another is a vital component of a strong healthy relationship. We explore your communication patterns – both when you’re feeling positive and when you’re angry.  Although we cannot change your patterns, we can identify strategies to build on the strengths.

Talk about the potential the flashpoints in your relationship – including sex and money.

Navigating the issues surrounding difficult topics, including sex and money, are difficult for most.  These are personal topics that can trigger shame – which is an ongoing barrier to a healthy relationship. Learning how to talk about these issues now, while getting clear on history and future goals/expectations, can only benefit your future relationship.

Talk about children and family.

Want to have children? Parenting a child from another relationship? Children can be a deal-breaker for couples.  And blended families have to talk about parenting desires and expectations regardless of addressing any future children.

Premarital counseling is not always fun, as you are talking about potentially difficult things.  But, it is invaluable and extremely beneficial.   Through this focused couples counseling partners build a solid foundation for their future.

Whether you’re preparing for marriage or are finding your current marriage could benefit from a “relationship tune-up”, PeoplePsych couples counselors can help!

PeoplePsych Counselors Offering Marriage Preparation Counseling

Carolyn Cole, LMFTCarolyn Cole is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) who specializes in relationships.

Carolyn, a certified facilitator in the evidence-based marriage preparation program: Prepare/Enrich, draws on her experience to ensure that partners are fully prepared and confident to handle conflict, discuss hopes, dreams, and values, increase closeness, and better understand the underlying reasons behind any distress cycles in your relationship and what to do about this.

Instead of fitting you into a specific couples model, Carolyn utilizes her training to meet the unique needs of each couple she works with.

Are you ready to take your relationship to the next level? Don’t delay. Contact Carolyn to get started.