March 1, 2017

Let Premarital Counseling Help You Build a Strong Foundation for Your Marriage

Written by Rachel Eddins

 

Couple attending premarital counseling

Marriage can be an intimidating thought even when you’re deeply in love. After all, the oft-cited claim is that 50 percent of marriages end in divorce (though some say the true figure is a bit lower).  This can seem like an even scarier prospect if you have friends or family members whose marriages have ended in divorce. But you don’t have to resign yourself to the belief that the success or failure of your marriage is completely left to chance. Premarital counseling is a great way to start your marriage on a strong foundation.

Get on the Same Page

You’ve probably heard the old saying that opposites attract. While this is true, it’s more likely that early in a relationship, we’ll notice and focus on the things we have in common. The significant differences between you may not come up before you get married, or they may not seem like a big deal. Suddenly after marriage, you can be troubled by differences in how to spend money, how children should be raised, or even how often you should visit your family. These issues are all common reasons for divorce. Relationship counseling can help you address these differences and proactively work through them.

Learn Good Communication Techniques

If you could eliminate the one cause of most marital difficulties, wouldn’t you do it? Many of us don’t come into marriage with great communication skills. Even if we consider ourselves good listeners and clear communicators, our unconscious biases lead us to make inaccurate assumptions. Those inaccurate assumptions about our spouse can easily lead to a series of miscommunications, resentments, and even unhealthy patterns that will repeat in the future. Relationship counseling will help you learn techniques to communicate how you feel in accurate, productive ways. You’ll also learn how to truly understand what your partner is saying.

Learn How to Fight Fair

Occasional arguments are inevitable even in the best marriages. Relationship counseling in Houston can help you learn how to have more productive disagreements. You’ll learn techniques about how to “fight fair” by keeping arguments focused on the relevant issues at hand. You also show more respect for your partner by having more productive and fair disagreements.

Heal Your Past

Many people have unresolved issues from their past, whether from family or previous relationships. Even if you are an emotionally healthy person overall, you still may have things you need to address. You may discover in premarital counseling that one or both of you needs individual counseling as well. It’s important to come into marriage in a state of mental and emotional wellness. Sometimes that means you need some help taking the power out of your past.

Invest in the Value of Your Marriage

In Houston, many of us know about good investments. Just as you see the importance of investing in oil or real estate, your marriage is also an asset that requires investment. There is nothing that can guarantee a perfect, pain-free marriage. But the skills you learn in premarital counseling can help you avoid some of the negative actions that are more likely to lead to divorce. Whether it’s learning how to show more respect for your spouse or how to maintain a strong emotional connection, your marriage is worth the effort.

Make Each Other Happier

Even though many people seek relationship counseling to learn how to avoid bad times, it’s also important to maximize the good times. The happy periods in marriage aren’t just random: you can make more of them happen. It takes a little bit of detective work to discover what makes your spouse happy—and which things make them very unhappy as well. When both spouses make the effort to make each other happy, your marriage becomes a safe haven that lasts.

If you think you would benefit from premarital counseling in Houston, click here to schedule an appointment online, or give us a call at 832-559-2622 .

Read this article on the 10 Fun Little Things You Can Do For Your Partner Every Day “Just Because.”

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