In an age where most marriages end in divorce, pre-marriage or pre-marital counselling is very significant in preparing couples mentally for marriage and to help them stay happily married. In fact, it is considered to be a kind of therapy that ensures both partners have a healthy relationship and strong bond throughout their married life.
Pre-marriage counsellors usually ask the individuals intending to get married to separately fill up a form or questionnaire. Their responses help in identifying the strengths, weaknesses, and conflict areas. The counsellor then interprets the results along with the individuals and discusses the conflict areas as well. To overcome challenges, goals are set by the couple with the help of the counsellor.
The counsellor also encourages couples to define their individual expectations and beliefs about marriage. This is done to understand if the couple's thoughts are on similar lines as well as to identify potential areas of conflict. Since all these considerations happen before marriage, the couple have time to decide whether their differences in opinion can be resolved in the long run, and whether they should get married in spite of these differences.
When couples discuss their expectations and differences before marriage, they can support each other better once they are married. Many marriages fail simply because of the lack of effective communication. Counsellors help to improve the communication skills of couples since it is a key area in keeping a marriage healthy and stable. Couples are also sensitized on the way to express and manage anger or dissatisfaction without letting the situation get out of hand.
Counsellors also help couples understand the importance of intimacy to develop a healthy physical relationship, and the different physiological and emotional needs of partners. Finance is also a sensitive area that counsellors help couples deal with. Understanding each other’s financial past, present and future goals can help in preventing unnecessary conflict.
The background and experiences of individuals intending to get married are usually very different, and keeping this in mind, they must be willing to make concessions whenever required. Counsellors also advise couples on how the influence of immediate family on the latter’s lives and their choices must always be kept in check to build trust and earn the respect of each other. Pre-marriage counselling can therefore play a major role in building a solid foundation for a successful marriage that will last a lifetime.
Login and start you journey