Pre Marriage Counselling Service

Pre Marriage Counselling

The choice to get married is one of the biggest decisions you will ever make in your life. Deciding whether you want to build a life with your partner is not something that ought to be dived into without thought and preparation. No one gets married expecting the relationship to fail however Australian statistics measure a divorce rate of around 40%. You go into marriage full of hope and excitement with every intention and desire to create a happy and harmonious life together. However, inevitably there are small (or big) issues that haven’t been raised. By taking the time before marriage to talk about issues that could come between you, you will be well placed not to become one of the divorce statistics in the future. Through pre marriage counselling, you can tackle issues with your partner before your big day.

What is Pre Marriage Counselling?

You can work with a therapist before your wedding to make sure that you and your partner are on the same page when it comes to expectations and goals for the marriage. Pre marriage counselling is designed to help couples who are planning to get married build a solid foundation with which to begin their journey to marital bliss. Here are just some of the things you can get from working with our therapists:

Set expectations of your marriage
Create goals for your marriage
Learn how to deal with problems together
Address current problems/issues you have with each other
Decide on roles in the marriage
Talk about parenting/whether you want children
Talk about finances
Learn how to communicate with each other
Avoid resentment and pent-up feelings

What to Expect

Counselling before marriage will help you address issues that could become a problem down the line. It isn’t only for those who are having trouble with their relationship. It’s also for those who want to avoid problems in the future. When you work with a therapist, you will be asked about your relationship and common things that you fight or argue about or have the potential to become a stress on the relationship. It’s important that you are honest with the therapist so that they have a clear picture of what your relationship is really like. The therapist’s office is a safe place where you can speak openly about your fears and feelings. By being open and honest about the challenges in your relationship, you can get a better idea of what you need to do to make the relationship work. After all, marriage is a partnership. It’s about giving and taking and, most importantly, understanding.

While any subjects can be discussed and any questions can be asked in your sessions, your counsellor will spend time specifically discussing issues relating to family, friends, finances, sexual frequency and religious/spiritual compatibility. Additionally, your expectations will be explored and your concerned can be aired in a safe and private environment.

Some common questions include:

What’s yours, what’s mine and what’s ours?
How much debt are you bringing into the relationship and how are you planning on servicing it?
Are you an introvert or an extrovert? What do you do to be energised?
How much time/involvement in your married life do you expect from your, and your partner’s, family of origin?
Where do you intend to live and would you be prepared to move?
What about pets?
Do you intend to have children? How many? What does discipline look like for you?
Are there aging parents to be considered? What would their care look like in the future?
How frequently do you expect to have sex? How will you feel and react if your partner knocks you back?

The reality is that it is usually a culmination of small issues that have built up that cause marital stress. Candid conversations before marriage can go a long way towards ensuring you develop healthy habits of lovingly working though differences of opinion and expectation.

If you’d like to learn more about pre marriage counselling Sunshine Coast, contact Strength & Strategies Counselling Services. Give us a call on 0423 595 716.