About half of marriages today end up in divorce – whether the issues were money, adultery, or parenting. Some of the details surrounding these issues could be simply avoided by practicing effective communication, while others are more complex. Can premarital counseling help you have a successful marriage?
Although it’s difficult to measure, some studies have suggested that those who participate in premarital counseling have a greater success rate. As someone who works with couples, I see the benefit of premarital counseling. It affords each person the opportunity to discuss and deal with problems early, before they turn into irreconcilable differences.
Each couple is different; some come to therapy at the first sign of a speed bump, others wait until there’s little to no hope left, and others still don’t come at all. Those couples that decide to participate in couple’s therapy at the first sign of trouble are generally the ones who gain the most.
Why is that?
These couples have decided that they need the help of an un-biased third party to help them determine the best way to fix their relationship. This is before the resentment has set in, making the couple more susceptible to making changes in their behavior. It’s important to take control of the issues in your marriage while they’re still relatively small before they turn into something that seems out of your control.
Why Don’t More Couples Seek Premarital Counseling?
Because I can’t answer for every couple in the world, it’s my educated opinion that many couples avoid this out of fear. No one wants to hear that how he or she does things is wrong, or how they communicate is ineffective. But, learning this early increases your chances of a successful marriage.
We all need help from time to time and there’s nothing shameful about that. Making your relationship work is important and should be treated as such. Couples therapy is a great way to get to know yourself and your partner better, and learn how to keep the little things from becoming big things.
Take Care,
Dr. Nicole
