Do you have concerns about your relationship with your partner and sometimes wonder if you should get married?
Are you curious about your partner’s expectations after marriage?
Would you like to address concerns such as finances, communication, extended family members, affection and sexuality, or spiritual beliefs?
What are your individual and shared goals for the future?
How will you handle disagreements and conflicts after you've tied the knot?
How do you plan to manage your finances?
How do you plan to balance time spent with your families and extended family members?
How will you support each other's career goals or hobbies?
How will you navigate potential differences in values, goals, spirituality, or traditions?
Your wedding day has been set and you've both been busy planning for your BIG DAY! Emotions are high and stressors start to creep in. You begin to argue and feel unheard or misunderstood. You can't seem to agree on anything anymore and are not having anymore fun. You begin to question what it's going to be like after you've tied the knot.
Nurturing Connections Counseling provides an assessment through SYMBIS (Save Your Marriage Before It Starts) to explore and understand your relationship strengths and areas for improvement. It is a tool designed to assist couples gain insight into their relationship dynamics. Our therapists provide you both a safe space with their guidance to address each issue and concern as well as identify each partners strengths that they will be bringing into your marriage. The assessment was created by Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott, who are psychologists and relationship experts. The SYMBIS Assessment is generally utilized for couples who are engaged to be married. This is a comprehensive and thorough assessment that will address all individual and relationship issues including finances, spiritual beliefs, roles in the marriage, time spent together, children, and family relationships.
UNCERTAINTY ABOUT WHAT MARRIAGE LIFE
WILL LOOK AND FEEL LIKE
Many engaged couples are apprehensive as their wedding day approaches. Some may even experience 'cold feet'. Your anxiousness is common, and many others have reported similar experiences. Marriage is a contractual and lifelong commitment that should not be taken lightly. It can be a very scary feeling, especially if this is your first marriage. You may have envisioned marriage to be a certain way and are afraid that the reality may be different. As time draws closer to your special day, you may be praying that God has sent you the best matched partner. You hear from other couples how hard marriage is and that it takes a lot of work! That may sound scary, but when you are prepared
Pre-marital counseling is an integral part of improving and strengthening your relationship prior to making the final commitment towards marriage. Counseling before marriage helps both partners understand the relationship better. Imagine what it will feel like when you gain a deeper knowledge of each other before marriage. You both will have a better understanding of what to expect once you say "I do". Marriage can be unpredictable however the more you know about your partner before your wedding day, the better you will feel. If either partner is experiencing doubt or uncertainties of transitioning into a married couple, they may significantly diminish through this process.
THE EXPERIENCE OF CERTAINTY BEFORE YOUR BIG DAY
Our SYMBIS trained therapists have the knowledge and expertise to facilitate the assessment to our pre-marital couples. They will provide couples with a safe space to gain a deeper understanding of their individuality and how to cultivate their similarities and differences in their future marital relationship. Each partner will be provided with a platform to address their concerns effectively while highlighting their strengths.
Many couples have participated in our Pre-marital Counseling process using the SYMBIS assessment resulting in positive experiences. Our couples felt more at ease, confident, and better prepared to begin their marital life journey together. This can be an exciting process for many as couples discover new information about each other, yet we understand that conflicts may arise which are addressed and worked through.
Understand Your Partner: Premarital counseling can help you develop a better and deeper understanding of your partner. It can help you understand your partner's beliefs, expectations, values, priorities, routines, aspirations, stressors, and challenges.
Realistic Expectations: This type of counseling allows you to dialogue about the important aspects of married life with your partner so that you both know what to expect. It will help identify your strengths and weaknesses as individuals and a couple.
Planning for the Future: Seeing a premarital counselor will help you plan your marriage and life together similar to meeting with your wedding coordinator to plan your special day celebrating your love.
Learn Effective Communication Skills: Partners will learn how to effectively convey their positions clearly without blaming, attacking, or yelling.
Learn how to Focus on Positive Aspects: Premarital counseling will assist in helping partners focus on the positive aspects of your relationship rather than the negative.
Replace Unhealthy Patterns: Premarital counseling can identify unhealthy behaviors and patterns in a relationship and help you correct them.
Pre-marital Counseling Concerns
WHAT IF PRE-MARITAL COUNSELING UNCONVERS ISSUES THAT WE HAVEN'T ADDRESSED YET?
Yes, we understand that this can be very scary and unnerving. However, this is a great opportunity for these issues to arise where it can be navigated in the presence of a professional in a safe manner. The therapist will facilitate a healthy dialogue to assist you both in addressing these issues that may likely result in positive outcomes. It is far better to address uncovered issues prior to marriage and learn how to bring up sensitive topics in the future.
IS PRE-MARITAL COUNSELING REQUIRED TO HAVE A HEALTHY MARRIAGE?
The direct answer is that pre-marital counseling is not required to have a healthy marriage, however it does provide your relationship a stronger opportunity for growth and longevity. Many married couples we have worked with over the years have expressed that their greatest regret is not engaging in pre-marital counseling sessions prior to their wedding date. This is an excellent opportunity to have your relationship diagnosed under a microscope and evaluate the areas that need improvement and enhance your strengths as a couple.
WHAT IF THE COUNSELOR ADVISES US TO NOT GET MARRIED?
You are very excited about getting married. This is a chapter of your life that you have dreamed of since you were very young, especially after watching Cinderella a thousand times. The last thing you want is for someone to tell you that it's not a good idea to get married to your partner. Our therapists are here to guide both partners towards a successful marriage and will not advise whether you should or should not get married. They provide you with the results of the assessment and will go through each section thoroughly to help you both make the best decision. Getting married is the decision of the couple! We are here on your journey and will support your decision.
Call or Book An Appointment Now
You're wedding day is coming up and you're feeling very excited about your special day that you get to celebrate your love for one another in front of your loved ones. However, during the wedding planning process, you begin to think about your married life journey together and try to envision the reality of it all. It becomes difficult to picture and you are uncertain of several aspects and want to learn more. This is the time you should be reaching out to a professional for pre-marital counseling. Please reach out to us by calling our office at 714-617-5955 or book an appointment below. We would love to meet you both and explore your relationship and ways we can guide you to a successful married life together.
