Premarital Counseling Online is devoted to encouraging couples to include premarital education in their marriage plans.

The dream of a fullfilling marriage is possible and a 50:50 chance of divorce is not a necessity.

HOWEVER, EQUIPING for SUCCESS is a NECESSITY.

Six hours of solid preparation can make the difference.

Definition

Premarital counseling in the process of preparing unmarried couples with the knowledge,skills and attitudes that will be conducive to an enduring and fulfilling relationship.

It has been labeled in various ways like “marriage prep”, “pre-marriage preparation” and “premarital education”. The current practice can be divided into three distinct categories: education, coaching and counseling.

Value and Utilization

In a 2008 phone survey of 2,000 households, it was discovered that couples who had some type of premarital preparation, were 30% less likely to be divorced than the general population.

But only 20% of couples getting married today will engage in any type of premarital education or coaching.

Three Types of Premarital Preparation

Education

Education focuses on knowledge that will be helpful for every couple entering into marriage.

The last thirty years have seen a dramatic increase in what in known about how marital relationships work. The most common factors that enhance or destroy marriages have been identified and constitute a body of knowledge that every couple should know going into marriage.

This would be comparable to knowing how to own and operate a car. Just as there is a body of knowledge about driving safely and maintaining a car over time, there is a body of knowledge about how to grow an enduring and satisfying marriage.

This body of knowledge is easily accessible and makes practical sense once explained. But it is not intuitive. It has to be learned and applied in the context of individual relationships. So there is a process of acquiring this knowledge. Just as there is driver’ education, there is also marriage education.

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Coaching

A second term used to describe this process is “coaching”.

This term highlights a slightly different aspect of premarital preparation. It elicits the imagery of sports in which a skilled trainer works with an athlete to fully develop his/her physical potential.

Dr. Gary Rosberg gives a succinct description of this concept.

So it is in premarital education, the focus is on the wonderful potential the couple dreams of for their future life together. Marriage has the potential to be one of the most satisfying relationships we experience. And realizing this potential may profit from coaching to develop specific skills and attitudes that result in a fulfilling and enduring marriage.

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Counseling

The third term, “counseling” has come to suggest the presence of problems.

Some couples will experience issues or barriers that the process of education and coaching do not resolve. These will require the skill of a trained therapist to both identify and help couples to resolve.

Each of these activities can make a positive contribution to preparing a couple for marriage and the particular amount of each will be dictated by the individual needs of each pair.

Now for Step One

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I have been deeply impressed with Dr. Gary Rosberg’s approach to resolving conflict in marriage.  This is a process he has used in over 12,000 hours of marriage counseling.  I’ve personally found his approach extremely helpful in my relationships with my wife and children, and I think it would contribute to the strength of any marriage.  So, I’m publishing this segment of the Marriage 101 Online Course at no charge.

It is my hope that it will help viewers to build stronger unions and enjoy the freedom from the “open loops” of unresolved hurts.

It consist of five lessons which include a downloadable worksheet, a five minute video segment and three seed questions couples can use as discussion starters.  I’ll include other resources as I develop them.

You can do be a favor by “Liking” the YouTube videos if you think they are helpful.  That will help others find these tools if they are searching for marriage resources.

Here are the Session Titles and Links:

• Tip#1 – Know What Kills a Marriage
• Tip#2 – Know How Conflict Begins and How to Manage It”
• Tip#3 – Know How to Handle Hurt and Anger
• Tip#4 – Prepare for Resolution - Start with You

Sign Me Up for “Resolve Conflict in Marriage” Free E-Course

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