Marriage is perhaps one of the most important events of a person’s life, and it is natural to be a little nervous beforehand. However, it is also something that takes time, effort, and patience to get right, and one needs to be completely prepared to take such a huge step. Like with many other things in life, getting expert guidance can help you get the right tools for embarking on life’s journey with another person. This is where premarital counseling comes in.
What is premarital counseling?
As the name suggests, premarital counseling refers to individual or couple counseling for people who have decided to get married. The counseling sessions consist of long and productive talks, and other activities under the guidance of a professional counselor. Premarital counseling ensures that the people who are about to do something as pivotal as getting married do it after giving it proper thought and time.
Premarital counseling is not that popular in India yet, even though couples belonging to countries around the world find it extremely useful. Statistics show that couples who went through counseling sessions before getting married reported a 30% higher marriage satisfaction rate than those who did not. Because of the great success rates, 44% of couples who are about to get married now have decided to sit for premarital counseling sessions.
Such statistics show that premarital counseling can only improve your married life, and not damage it in any manner. If your marriage was arranged by your family, or even if you have known your partner for a long time, opting for premarital counseling is a great idea.
What are the benefits of premarital counseling?
The following are five benefits of premarital counseling that you need to know about, so that you can step into married life properly:
- It helps you figure out whether you have made all the right decisions regarding your marriage:
- As you are expected to spend the rest of your life with the one you marry, there should be no doubts in your mind about whether your choice of partner is right. Such issues need to be addressed clearly before the wedding happens. When it gets too confusing, premarital counseling can help you and your partner understand your expectations from the marriage, and thereby confirm whether you have made the right decision. It will give you clarity on matters regarding your choice of partner in specific and your relationship in its entirety. It will remove all the doubts you may have regarding your relationship and your partner before they wreck your marriage in the future.
- It develops a sense of trust and understanding between you and your future spouse:
- As two people who have your own dreams, expectations and opinions, it is natural that there will be conflicts between you and your partner. However, it is crucial to promote a sense of trust, understanding and acceptance between the two of you to ensure a healthy married life. Premarital counseling can help you and your partner understand clearly what each other’s expectations from marriage and life are. Expert counseling leaves no room for doubts or confusions regarding each other’s needs, which will make it easier to tackle problems in the future. It will give you the confidence to become the right partner to your fiance, and vice versa.
- It identifies underlying issues in the relationship and solves them before it is too late:
- It happens too often that people do not discuss their fears with their partners before they get married. Such issues eventually cause the relationship to come across problems frequently. Since many people find it difficult to open themselves to their future partners, especially in arranged marriages, expert guidance becomes the perfect solution to the problem. With an expert’s assistance, it is easier to bring hidden issues to the forefront, and to solve them as necessary. By opting for premarital counseling, you and your partner may even uncover issues that you may haven’t even been aware of in the first place.
- It gives an idea about the tools required to make a marriage successful:
- No marriage is completely perfect, but it can bring a lot of joy, love and happiness into your life if taken care of right. During premarital counseling sessions, an expert therapist, who has years of experience in dealing with marital issues, will provide valuable suggestions on how to deal with common marital issues. The sessions will provide a deep understanding of what it takes to make a marriage work, and what not to do to avoid conflicts. It will help you and your partner learn the secrets of a successful marriage that have been studied and developed across several years.
- It removes unwanted stress and anxieties that might cause trouble in the future:
- Getting married can be extremely nerve-wracking, no matter how well you know your future spouse. While wedding jitters are exceedingly common, it is important to ensure it does not go out of hand. You might make regretful decisions while nervous, and it can even negatively impact your marriage in the long run. During premarital counseling, an experienced therapist will help you overcome your wedding related stress and anxieties, so that you can welcome married life with a clear and worry-free mind. It will help you generate solutions for any fears or doubts that might be troubling your mind regarding your wedding. You will feel much more relaxed and positive while you anticipate one of the most important events of your life.
Thus, it is safe to say that premarital counseling can only cause more good than harm to your relationship. The Marriage Fit’s premarital counseling package could be exactly what you and your partner need at this point of your lives. Even if you and your future partner do not appear to have any threatening issues, you can still benefit from valuable sessions with a knowledgeable therapist. It can help you and your partner make the transition into married life as risk-free and smooth as possible.