Increase Your Chances of a Happy Marriage
You are in love. You are thinking about committing to spending your life together, or you are already engaged and in the midst of planning your dream wedding.
What about beyond the wedding?
The average amount spent on a wedding these days is about $27,000. Wow. That’s a big investment. It’s a pity that a big percentage of those weddings will be followed at some point by the signing of divorce papers.
Premarital counseling can help increase the chance that the wedding will be followed by a fulfilling, long-term marriage. A small investment in this short-term process can reap big rewards as you grow as a couple and build a family.
Wedding or engagement jitters?
Whether you are already engaged or just thinking about the possibility, your next step can be to get guidance, support, and knowledge from a relationship expert. Contact me via email or by phone (703-651-6626) to find out more about premarital counseling.
Improve your odds through premarital counseling
Watch as relationship expert Dr. Bill Doherty explains research about the value of premarital education and counseling in increasing the odds that you will stay married.
Specifically, premarital counseling can help you:
- Connect at a deeper level
- Develop skills to communicate effectively and resolve conflict quickly
- Clarify shared values and understand differences
- Handle issues with your extended family both during wedding planning and afterward
- Understand ways to keep your relationship safe and secure
Wondering whether premarital counseling is right for you? Answers to common questions:
Question 1: How long will premarital counseling take?
Unlike some premarital counseling that is merely educational and very structured, our counseling sessions will be tailored to your unique needs. Counseling starts with in-depth consultation to identify issues and understand attachment styles. Then number of sessions will depend on what needs to be accomplished to create a solid, secure base for your marriage.
Most couples attend premarital counseling once a week for five to ten sessions. Others decide to have intensive counseling, attending longer sessions in a shorter time-frame. It’s flexible.
Question 2: We get along really well and are madly in love. Will premarital counseling benefit us?
The short answer is a resounding “Yes.”
As much as you love each other and get along well, premarital counseling can give you the skills to work together effectively when you hit inevitable challenges in your marriage. Sometimes what we love most about each other is what eventually causes problems in the relationship. Going into engagement and marriage with eyes open wide and strong knowledge of how to handle issues will benefit you greatly in the long run.
Question 3: What topics will be covered in premarital counseling?
You will focus mainly on understanding more about each other–from biological, psychological, and social perspectives–how you are different and how to thrive even with those differences.
Here are some of the topics that we can cover:
- Life long goals
- Attachment styles and communication styles
- Differences in the way each partner’s nervous system operates
- Children
- Money
- Extended families
- Gender roles and expectations
- Sex
- Conflict resolution
- Spiritual life
- Monogamy and extramarital relations
Help make your marriage great (and long)!
Your marriage will be only as good as you are prepared to make it. Contact me to discuss how I can help you improve the odds of creating a happy, fulfilling, long-lasting marriage.
For more information or to start changing your relationship, call me to ask questions and to set up an appointment — 703-651-6626. Or use the CONTACT FORM to ask questions or request a call.
Susan B. Saint-Rossy is a PACT (Psychobiological Approach to Couple Therapy) Level 2 Clinician who is also trained in EFT (Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy) and the Gottman Approach to Couples Therapy. She is a clinical social worker licensed in Virginia and Washington, DC.
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