Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.
~ Corrie Ten Boom
~ Corrie Ten Boom
Pre-Marital Counseling
The season before marriage is an exciting and nerve-racking time. With dozens of decisions to be made all while anticipating huge life changes, this can be an extremely volatile and stressful time for many. Quarreling and disconnectedness is common during what should be one of the most memorable times of your life. Not only does premarital counseling help you to stay grounded during the time leading up to your big day, it is also an invaluable investment in your marital future. Counseling will help minimize surprises and help prepare individuals/couples to work thru the difficult seasons in their marriage.
My process consists of a series of sessions which will address:
In the pre-marital counseling process I utilize two therapeutic tools:
The first is Prepare/Enrich Inventory by David Olson, Ph.D., which assesses relationship areas in his five couple inventories. For more information regarding Prepare/Enrich and David Olson, Ph.D., please go to www.prepare-enrich.com. Receiving four hours of Pre-marital counseling may reduce your marriage license fee.
The second is Emotionally Focused Therapy. EFT is a structured approach to couples therapy formulated in the early 80's by Drs. Sue Johnson and Les Greenberg. A substantial body of research outlining the effectiveness of EFT now exists. The goals of EFT include expanding and re-organizing key emotional responses, creating positive shifts in interactional positions, initiating new cycles of interaction and fostering the creation of a secure bond between partners. EFT is being used with many different kinds of couples in private practice, university training centres and hospital clinics and many different cultural groups throughout the world. These distressed couples include partners suffering from disorders such as depression, post traumatic stress disorders and chronic illness. (1)
Footnotes:
(1) International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT). http://iceeft.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=102&Itemid=82
My process consists of a series of sessions which will address:
- How past relationships will impact marriage and how to manage these influences
- Establishing healthy communication styles that build trust and intimacy
- Verbalizing fears and resolving conflict in honest and respectful ways
- Identifying relationship goals and financial issues
In the pre-marital counseling process I utilize two therapeutic tools:
The first is Prepare/Enrich Inventory by David Olson, Ph.D., which assesses relationship areas in his five couple inventories. For more information regarding Prepare/Enrich and David Olson, Ph.D., please go to www.prepare-enrich.com. Receiving four hours of Pre-marital counseling may reduce your marriage license fee.
The second is Emotionally Focused Therapy. EFT is a structured approach to couples therapy formulated in the early 80's by Drs. Sue Johnson and Les Greenberg. A substantial body of research outlining the effectiveness of EFT now exists. The goals of EFT include expanding and re-organizing key emotional responses, creating positive shifts in interactional positions, initiating new cycles of interaction and fostering the creation of a secure bond between partners. EFT is being used with many different kinds of couples in private practice, university training centres and hospital clinics and many different cultural groups throughout the world. These distressed couples include partners suffering from disorders such as depression, post traumatic stress disorders and chronic illness. (1)
Footnotes:
(1) International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT). http://iceeft.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=102&Itemid=82
Listen to Dr. Sue Johnson addresses what constitutes a healthy marriage.
