You’re getting married! It’s time to pick a caterer, a photographer, a florist, and a therapist for premarital counseling online. Hold up. Did you say therapist?
Yes, I did!
It turns out there are a whole lot of issues that many couples forget or are too shy to discuss before getting married. Seeing a couples therapist for premarital counseling online is a great way to get these topics out in the open and come to decisions about them before problems arise.
What is premarital counseling? It’s a multi-part process that starts with an assessment of both partners as individuals and as a couple. This helps you and your therapist understand where you are aligned and where you are not.
The premarital counseling assessment then acts as a personalized guide for the topics you’ll discuss in counseling. In your sessions, you’ll learn about each other’s emotional needs, personality types, communication styles and more.
If you’re considering premarital counseling online, questions about how it might impact your relationship are common. But there are many premarital counseling benefits. In fact, couples who engage in premarital therapy prior to their wedding day have a 30% lower chance of divorce than those who don’t.
Let’s dig deeper into some of the common questions we hear about doing premarital counseling online.
Won’t premarital counseling stir things up unnecessarily?
Now, some of you may be worried about seeing a premarital counselor because you don’t want to “rock the boat” or start trouble where there is none. I get that and I want to reassure you that premarital therapy is NOT about creating problems and starting fights.
Premarital counseling is actually about preventing problems, deepening your connection, getting to know each other better than ever, and getting clear on your values and expectations for marriage and your future life together.
Will I be forced to share things I don’t want to share in premarital counseling?
Maybe you’re afraid you’ll find out or be forced to share things about yourself and your soon-to-be-spouse that you’d rather not talk about. Trust me, it’s better to know now!
First of all, most things can be worked out through negotiations and good communication with the help of your premarital counselor. Fortunately, you will learn a lot about healthy and effective communication in premarital therapy. That said, if there is a deal-breaker in your relationship, it’s much better to find out before your big day. I know it sounds extreme and heartbreaking but calling off a wedding is a lot easier than getting a divorce.
What will we do in premarital counseling online sessions?
Ok, enough doom and gloom, geez! If you are considering pre-marriage counseling, you might be wondering what you will talk about with your therapist. Everyone does things a little differently, but here are some of the premarital counseling topics we cover with our online couples therapy clients at Couples Learn.
Premarital Counseling Assessment
Premarital counseling online programs at Couples Learn start with an assessment. This is where you’ll learn about each other’s emotional needs, personality types, communication styles and more using various assessment measures based on your individual needs.
Communication Exercises
It’s always important to set the groundwork of effective communication in premarital counseling before getting into the hard stuff. And trust me, there will be hard stuff that comes up in your marriage no matter how perfect you are for each other. If you know how to talk about issues as they arise, you’ll likely have many fewer and less severe issues throughout your marriage. In premarital therapy we teach couples specific communication techniques that include learning how to empathize with and validate each other to make sure both parties feel heard and understood.
Premarital Counseling Topics
Once you know how to communicate, then we can start getting into some other premarital counseling topics, including the future you envision for yourself and your marriage.
Kids
Do you want kids? How many? Would you be open to adoption if the need arose? How about in-vitro? What kind of parenting style do you think you will use? Would you be okay if your spouse believed in spanking? How will you handle it if your spouse decides after trying for 2 years that they no longer want kids?
Some of these may seem like worst case scenarios, but, again, premarital counseling is all about helping you be better prepared for marriage. Plus, as long as one of you isn’t dead-set for kids while the other is dead-set against them, we should be able to work things out with proper communication.
Money
Premarital counseling is a great place to talk through some of the money issues that often cause issues in marriages. How will money be handled in your relationship? Will you share an account or keep separate ones? If one of you is a saver and the other is a spender, how will you handle these differences? What limits will you put in place (e.g. talk to each other before spending more than $100) to ensure that major decisions are made as a couple?
Different money-styles brings many married couples into couples therapy. Talking about these things in advance during premarital therapy can save you from headaches (and thousands of dollars in fees) later. See, you’re already making good financial decisions together by investing in premarital counseling now!
Sex
How often would you each like have sex once you are married? Will you have regular date nights? What does each of you like/dislike in bed? What are your fantasies? What are you willing/not willing to try? How will you let your partner know if you feel you are letting your romantic life slide?
The busier you get, the more you may need to rely on a bit of planning to ensure that your sex-life stays active. In premarital counseling online, you’ll learn a simple and fun way to make sure you keep having sex no matter how busy you are.
Religion
What religion, if any, do you practice? How about your fiancé? If you plan on having children, will you want religion to be a part of their lives? If so, how much a part? Discussing these topics in premarital counseling can help reduce potential conflicts in this area later on.
Values
A related issue is that of values. Even if you don’t practice a particular religion, are there values that are important to you? For example, do you believe in “The Golden Rule,” of treating others as you’d like to be treated, or are you more of a “fend for yourself” kind of person? A premarital counselor can help you identify how your values – and those of your partner – align or differ, and can work on proper communication to navigate any differences.
Politics
The country has become more and more divided when it comes to politics. Will or does this play a part in your relationship? How would you handle one of you changing political parties? Would it matter? While politics may seem like a small issue when it comes to marriage, discussing it in premarital counseling can ensure it doesn’t become a big issue down the line.
Dreams
It’s important that your partner knows about the dreams that you have for yourself and your family. What are the hopes and wishes you want to achieve one day? How can you support each other in achieving those dreams?
Have you always wanted to live out of the country? Is it your goal to go skydiving one day? Let’s discuss these topics during premarital counseling to make sure that your partner will be on board (pun intended!).
Getting Started with Premarital Counseling Online
This article covers a basic list of the premarital counseling topics you might discuss during a session. But the process should be slightly different for everyone and tailored to your specific wants and needs as a couple.
If you’re interested in finding a premarital counselor to help you prepare for a happy marriage, it’s important to understand your options. Doing premarital counseling online, for example, can be a great way to fit couples therapy into your busy lives – especially when you’re planning a wedding!
If you would like to learn more about how premarital therapy can help your relationship, contact Couples Learn today!
