Pre-marriage Counselling

Pre-marriage counselling is not just for those engaged to be married or even thinking on getting engaged but is also relevant for those entering into a de-facto relationship. Choosing to be with someone, live together and even if possible, have children is common thread between married and de-facto relationships so why wouldn’t you invest a little time in giving it the best chance possible.

Pre-marriage counselling is not only about getting one (or both people) ready for what lies ahead, it can also be about clarification & understanding.

Sometimes we need to clarify the situation to be in a better position to make that important decision and other times it’s about understanding not only what the couple want/need in a relationship but also about understanding themselves, what positives (and negatives) they may bring to the relationship to help avoid major conflict in the future.

Remember, conflict isn’t always bad in a relationship, it’s how that conflict is handled, whether criticism, contempt, defensiveness or stonewalling exists and how it’s handled both during and after the conflict. What is done between conflict is extremely important, show appreciation, communicate (which includes listening to your partner), repairing damage done during conflict and rebuilding trust.

It takes ongoing effort and commitment to be with someone for the rest of your lives, it doesn’t have to be hard, it just takes practice, compassion and understanding.