Getting married is a huge step for most people. Making a lifelong commitment is a serious decision that changes your life irrevocably, but it’s the only thing that makes sense when you find the person with whom you want to spend the rest of your life. Considering the importance of marriage, it makes sense to prepare for it the best you can. Just as it wouldn’t be wise to simply show up for a marathon without any prior training, it’s important to prepare for marriage. One excellent way to do that is to go for premarital counseling.

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Please contact our reception team at
(424) 438-2888

What Is Premarital Counseling?

Premarital counseling is a form of talk therapy in which committed or engaged couples participate. The couple may be seriously considering marriage, or they may already be engaged and preparing for their wedding and marriage. Premarital counseling can happen with a licensed psychologist or with a spiritual leader such as a pastor or a counselor who is part of a church’s pastoral team. You must seek the form of counseling that works best for you and your convictions.

Premarital counseling is meant to help a couple get ready for their married life together. The counseling space is intentionally designed to be safe and comfortable for the couple, and it’s all to help them discuss issues that couples typically face in marriage. By asking questions of the couple to help them explore the expectations of their marriage and each other, the counselor helps the couple become aware of potential points of friction and conflict.

The point of making the couple aware of their expectations and possible areas of conflict is to help the couple in a few ways. It helps the couple:

  • Become aware of potential issues so they can begin addressing them.
  • Enter the marriage with a clearer and hopefully more empathetic understanding of one another.
  • Get equipped to face the challenges that may crop up in marriage.

It’s better to ask certain questions beforehand rather than to make discoveries about your future spouse after you’ve already made a lifelong commitment to him or her. Premarital counseling empowers couples to make informed decisions about their marriage partner, giving them a stronger foundation upon which to build their lives together. Additionally, premarital counseling can also help couples decide if they want to proceed with the relationship, saving the couple from an unwise marriage.

Children face a wide range of issues, and counseling can provide them with the additional support they need. Some of these issues include:

  • Grief and loss
  • Divorce or separation of parents
  • Trauma
  • Mental health concerns like depression and anxiety
  • Autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, and other conditions that can affect learning and relating well with peers
  • Bullying
  • Abuse, including sexual, emotional, and physical abuse
  • Abandonment and neglect
  • Substance abuse or addiction in their family
  • Anger problems

Several key issues are addressed in premarital counseling, including the following:

  • Finances in your household, including who handles the finances, and how you’ll use your income
  • Roles and division of labor within the family
  • Communication styles and skills
  • Sex and expectations around sex
  • Your walk with the Lord, and how you want to pursue that dimension of your lives
  • Boundaries within the marriage, such as how you use time, and how you’ll relate to in-laws
  • How you handle conflict as individuals and as a couple
  • Children, including whether and how many kids the couple wants, and parenting styles

Conclusion

Marriage is a deep, lifelong commitment that should be entered into thoughtfully. All relationships have their complexities, but the intimacy of marriage adds extra levels of complexity to navigate. While challenges in marriage will inevitably arise, premarital counseling helps your marriage by preemptively addressing key issues. It also develops the skills and tools to meet those challenges when they come. A strong and healthy marriage needs good foundations, and premarital counseling is an essential building block for your future together.

Loma Linda Christian Counseling can help you and your future spouse begin preparing for your lives together. If you want to do Christian premarital counseling in the Loma Linda area, consider Loma Linda Christian Counseling. Please contact us for a risk-free trial session. Through counseling techniques rooted in a Christian faith-based outlook, the counselors at Loma Linda Christian Counseling can help set your marriage off to a great start.

Get connected with a Christian Counselor
Please contact our reception team at
(424) 438-2888