Getting marriage without pre – marriage prep is like starting a business or any important venture without preparing. Couples now face more demands and have fewer supports than ever before. The typical complex marriage – managing two careers while rearing children – really requires that couples have very strong, well – established abilities to communicate, resolve issues, maintain mutuality and set goals. Without this foundation, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by stress and time pressures. Marriage preparation functions as an immunization that boosts your capacity to handle potential difficulties. Couples need every advantage to succeed in today’s marriages.
Marriage preparation classes, pre marital counseling or workshops are an alternative or supplementary approach to educating engaged couples and newlyweds in the skills, habits, attitudes and enrichment techniques that research shows lead to happy, enduring marriages.
Pre – marriage programs and counselors discuss these important factors:
Compatibility.
Expectations.
Personalities and families – of – origin.
Communication.
Conflict resolution.
Intimacy and sexuality.
Long – term goals.
ere are some questions to help you select the pre – marriage prep that’s right for you:
Does it include an assessment inventory to help you understand your areas of compatibility and strength, as well as areas you may need to address?
How many couples will attend the class or workshops? A group experience can also be more involving and stimulating than individual counseling.
Does the program focus specifically on the needs of engaged couples?
Is the class or counseling approach flexible enough to allow for your relationship and learning style or is it a one – size – fits all program?
Is the content based on marriage research?
Will the counseling or class help you and your partner agree on goals and strategies for managing and continuing to work on your most important unresolved issues?
Premarital or couples counseling, while helpful on it’s own way, usually doesn’t provide the same kind of intensive and comprehensive skill – building and education as marriage prep.[ just as marriage prep doesn’t provide the more extensive exploration of individual problems and underlying issues that longer – term counseling can] The skill building and education are the key factors in long – term divorce prevention and marriage success. Today’s marriages need all the help they can get.
Not all marriage preparation is the same. While the benefits of premarital education are beginning to become more widely known, most couples don’t yet understand that these programs focuses on specific factors that research has shown will boost a couple’s ability to succeed in today’s demanding marriages. Research shows that couples who have skill – based marriage preparation are much happier and more successful in the long run.
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