Premarital Counselling is on the rise for modern couples

More and more couples these days are choosing to sign up for therapy as a way to strengthen their relationship before getting married. Premarital counselling occurs through a series of deliberate conversations, allowing each partner to learn more about themselves, their partner, and the relationship they have co-created. If you are in an earlier stage in your relationship, maybe living together or engaged, you have the chance to build the skills and understanding that can help strengthen your relationship for the rest of your life.

Historically, Premarital Counselling has been connected to certain religious traditions as a prerequisite for marriage. However in a modern context, faith and spirituality are not the focus of the sessions (unless you want it to be), rather it is used as a template to help couples deepen their conversations in a preventative way. The great thing about preventative counselling, is that usually there is more willingness and openness to learn and grow because the couple is coming in because they want to, not have to! And willingness can be a key factor in the success of couples counselling.

Premarital Counselling to suit your needs

Our counsellors are trained in PREPARE-ENRICH program, considered to be one of the leading relationship and couples assessment tools. It has been scientifically validated and automatically tailors the content of the relationship assessment to fit each couple’s unique relationship needs. In this more structured program, each partner fills in an online questionnaire, designed to measure relationship strengths, growth areas, personality similarities, and differences. Our counsellor then reviews the results and couples are taught skills to enhance their relationship in these key areas. Couples are also provided with a concise report to take home. Learn more about the PREPARE/ENRICH Premarital Program here.

Or, if you prefer you can choose more open-ended premarital sessions, where you may have a focus for your time together but there is perhaps more space to explore and see where you end up. Either way, your counsellor will help you establish goals, facilitate conversations, and teach you practical relationship skills. This can take place in the comfort of your home or in our welcoming North Vancouver space.

Topics that can help you Prepare for Marriage

All sort of topics can come up in premarital counselling – here are some of the most common:

• communication and conflict management
• finances
• intimacy
• family planning
• love languages
• attachment styles
• in-laws and family relationships
• stress management
• division-of-labour
• decision-making
• values and goals

These of course are just a starting point. Premarital Counselling is a journey that a couple goes on with a knowledgeable and safe guide. With your therapist, you can decide what topics are most relevant to your relationship and what you’d like to spend time exploring together.

Conversation Starters to Help Prepare for Marriage

Another great resource which our counsellors developed are our Conversation Starters Before Getting Married. This can help a couple kickstart conversations about their future, as a compliment to counselling or as a standalone exercise.

Get Started with Premarital Counselling, online or in North Vancouver

We have a team of counsellors that can meet with you online or in-person. You can learn more here about premarital counselling and how it can help you strengthen your relationship!