When you and your partner begin premarital counseling, your counselor will want to get to know you both as well as your relationship. In order to accomplish this, they will ask questions around the following:
- Common interests and activities
- Marital expectations
- Budget and Finance
- Children and parenting
- Intimacy
If there is a particular area that they feel needs to be explored further (for example, you note that you and your partner have very different spending habits and views on money), they’ll guide the conversation in the given direction.
Richmond Pre-marital Counseling – Marriage, Couples, Relationships
Most couples that undergo premarital counseling are engaged, but it can also be helpful for those just beginning to consider marriage (in this case, the service is called pre-engagement counseling). It can be difficult to know whether marriage is the best next step. Maybe one partner in the relationship is ready for marriage — the other may be scared or anxious.
A skilled premarital counselor can help couples decide for themselves what is best for both individuals through discussion and knowledge sharing. And at Thriveworks Richmond Premarital Counseling, excellent therapists are ready to meet with you this week. Reach out today to get started.
Why Pursue Premarital Counseling?
As with any form or counseling or therapy, there are benefits to the individuals, as well as to the relationship. Getting to know yourself better, as well as understanding your own desires and goals can help you be a better future spouse.
Planning a wedding is stressful for many couples. There are so many tasks to be accomplished, in-laws to meet, friends to wrangle together in some semblance of a wedding party; the list goes on and on. There are so many choices to be made for the actual wedding and reception; couples can disagree about so many different things during this time. If one partner in the relationship is having doubts about the wedding, they may feel very uncomfortable voicing these once the invitations have gone out. However, there is no better time to explore your fears or doubts than before the wedding.
Even the happiest and most stable of couples are put under a great deal of stress during wedding planning. Taking the time to focus on your relationship is the best way to prepare for your wedding and — most importantly — for your marriage. Thriveworks Richmond Premarital Counseling can also help couples understand what marriage is really like in the first to the fiftieth year of marriage.
Common Topics in Premarital Counseling
- Common interests and leisure activities
- Role expectations
- Communication styles
- Religion and worship attendance
- Household duties and expectations
- Budget and finance
- Children and parenting styles
- Public or private education
- Sexuality and intimacy
- Needs for space and privacy
- Where the family unit will reside
- Finances and debt
- Occupations and careers
- Holiday expectations and travel
- Relationships with extended family and in-laws
You do not have to be worried that if you enter into premarital counseling that you are obligated to get married. The industry-leading therapists at Thriveworks Richmond Premarital Counseling can help you and your partner decide if this is truly the best next step for your relationship. If it is not, we can help coach you through conversations about where the relationship goes from here. The choice will always be up to you; your counselor will simply help you make the process easier to understand by inviting you to engage in judgement-free communication and understanding.
Benefits of Premarital Counseling
Research has shown that premarital counseling can minimize separation fears and pre-marriage anxieties. Better insight into their relationship, and also into one’s self helps improve both members functioning, as well as finding out skills helpful in various other relationships.
As with most types of therapy and counseling, some of the benefits include:
- Confidence and assertiveness
- Patience
- Avoiding dependency and co-dependency
- Having realistic expectations of others
- Contentment
- Developing coping skills
- Establishing goals
You should know that therapy, counseling and coaching do not imply you have a problem. Rather, it indicates that you are conscientious in trying to prevent future problems and create the best relationship possible through self-examination and self-improvement.
Scheduling Premarital Counseling at Thriveworks Richmond
We respect your decision to seek counseling and know that it is time-sensitive. We do not believe in operating with a waiting list. We want to be ready when you are ready to seek help. For that reason, in most cases, we have appointments available for new clients within the week. Plus, we offer evening and weekend sessions, and we accept most major insurances.
Call Thriveworks Richmond Premarital Counseling today at 804-554-0356 or click the button below to start planning yourself for a lifelong, healthy, loving relationship.
