Give the gift that will last a lifetime.  Premarital counseling has several advantages to a couple as they prepare for the big wedding day and the life they will spend together.

First, the interview process and personality tests followed up by analysis and processing with a therapist can be helpful for establishing basic ingredients for a successful marriage: reasonable expectations, clear communication, conflict resolution, collaboration and cooperation for taking advantage of each other’s strengths while compensating for each other’s blind sides.

Second, when trouble is detected further therapy can help work through the challenges before the couple is caught unprepared for the inevitable.  This can be true when one or both partners have been married before and it is particularly critical when children are involved and the participation of the ex- spouses is needed.  Often times, ghosts from marriages past can haunt fledgling relationships before they have a chance to deal with the pressures and challenges of the present.

Third, premarital counseling can reinforce principles and values that the couple brings to their relationship to assure that choices they make and the ways they relate to each other reflect their personal belief systems.  This component can be particularly critical in the areas of religious faith.  Knowing one’s religious principles for successful marriages and living by them can go a long way towards enhancing compatibility and influence in their daily lives.  When both people are aware of each other’s deeply held values and they respect them they can take potential sources of conflict and transform them into their strongest assets.

The key to premarital counseling is the pre- part.  Once the ceremony is over, the thank you notes are mailed and the honeymoon pictures are posted, it is too late to turn back without significant damage and emotional pain.  The value of preparing for the days ahead and the challenges that will inevitably occur can not be overestimated.  To help a couple along the way, we offer gift certificates for the number of sessions you wish to give (the first session is always free).  For example, five premarital sessions with a licensed marriage and family therapist, would cost $340 with the potential payback of a lifetime.  What a great engagement or wedding shower gift!  For more information, call (734) 676-3775.