Premarital Counseling

The divorce statistics in Michigan are especially shocking:

Statistics were taken from the State of Michigan website under the Marriage and Divorce Numbers and Rates by County of Occurrence section.

Deciding to get married is one of the biggest decisions that people face in life, which is why premarital counseling is so important in starting your marriage off on the right track.  For those who are serious about fulfilling the needs of their loved one and making their marriage last, premarital counseling should be a priority.  The decision to spend the rest of your life with someone can be an overwhelming thought, which is exactly why couples should not enter into a marriage without being properly prepared. 

Couples in today's society face even higher demands than ever before and many seem to have less support.  Managing dual careers and raising children at the same time requires that couples have a strong relationship which includes; well-established abilities of communication, competence of conflict resolution, and the facility to set goals together.  Every advantage is needed for couples to survive in today's marriages. 

Comprehensive research on the effectiveness of premarital counseling has shown that couples who go through premarital counseling gain a 30% increase in overall relationship quality and interpersonal skills (Carroll & Doherty, 2003).  The same study also showed that the positive effects of premarital counseling can happen immediately within the relationship. 

The statistics above clearly show that there is a need for extensive marriage preparation.  Those who are serious about making a marriage work should seek premarital counseling rather than going into marriage unprepared.

What To Expect In Premarital Counseling:

Premarital counseling involves counseling couples for approximately 5-10 sessions depending on the nature of the couple.  Some couples may require more sessions depending on the number of issues present. Other couples choose to stay in premarital counseling for extended periods of time until many of their issues are resolved.

Although similar topics are covered with each couple, each program is not run exactly the same for each couple.  The program is customized to focus on the areas that the couple needs the most assistance in.