Pre-Marital Counseling
You are embarking on your dream life with the love of your life. On cloud 9. Ready to take on the world together, excited about the future and planning of a life full of amazing moments and memories.
I encourage you to consider the importance of the step you are about to take or have recently taken and make an investment in your marriage by working with me to prepare for a loving, supportive marriage. I offer a loosely structured 8 session format that allows for a great deal of customization yet, covers the most critical topics that often make or break a marriage. These are often difficult and uncomfortable conversations to have. A Licensed Therapist guiding you through the conversations and facilitating, structuring, challenging and supporting you through the process is often an essential element to ensure the conversations really address what needs to be both looked at and talked about. Together, we will focus on finding what will be your normal, your way, your path as a couple, borrowing what works from each of your families of origin, your own ideas and vision for marriage and family - to design the family you will create.
Many couples enter into an engagement or marriage knowing they have some veritable challenges to face and work through but are invested in the relationship and truly love each other. Yet, even in the midst of this love and commitment, are unprepared to really overcome and thrive in the face of the existing challenges. In these cases, more extensive premarital or newlywed counseling is essential. This is why the 8 session customizable counseling approach is so vital and effective. Sometimes in the face of extensive initial challenges, more than 8 sessions is appropriate. It typically becomes evident early on in the counseling process if this might be the case, at which point, as your therapist, I will share insights and thoughts with you so that you can make a decision about extending or not.
Many couples enter into an engagement or marriage knowing they have some veritable challenges to face and work through but are invested in the relationship and truly love each other. Yet, even in the midst of this love and commitment, are unprepared to really overcome and thrive in the face of the existing challenges. In these cases, more extensive premarital or newlywed counseling is essential. This is why the 8 session customizable counseling approach is so vital and effective. Sometimes in the face of extensive initial challenges, more than 8 sessions is appropriate. It typically becomes evident early on in the counseling process if this might be the case, at which point, as your therapist, I will share insights and thoughts with you so that you can make a decision about extending or not.
Counseling is most effective as a preventative or proactive approach to grow a thriving marriage relationship. Quite often, marriage counseling is done by the professional conducting the marriage ceremony. This person is often not trained in extensive marriage counseling practices, may be limited in the time they can offer because they are responsible for an entire congregation, and typically offer a few short sessions prior to the ceremony. Some offer nothing, others offer extensive services.
I hope that you will invest in your lifelong relationship, to create a life you will love living together, by contacting me to schedule your pre-marital or newlywed counseling. I would love to work with you.
Topics for Premarital & Newlywed Packages
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- Each partner's family of origin
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- Personality and styles of relating
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- Communication
- Whether you plan to have children or not and if so:
- what would you like for your children's family of origin (the family of origin you create together)
- parenting
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- Trust - what makes trust, what breaks trust, how to repair trust, and how to make effective apologies is included in this part
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- Understanding the influence of shame and the importance of shame resilience
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- Exploring if trauma is present for one or both in the couple and how to navigate that together
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- Finances
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- Intimacy: Sexual, physical and emotional
Pre-Marital Counseling fees and structure
I offer an 8 session premarital package for $960 paid up front or $130 per session if you would like to pay as you go.
Newlywed Counseling fees and structure
Newlywed counseling is available during the first year of marriage in an 8 session package for $960 paid up front or $130 per session for if you would like to pay as you go. I will cover the same items as newlywed program in addition to looking at what you have encountered since your ceremony and receiving support around newlywed challenges.
My office is located at 5010 Lakeland Circle, Suite A, Waco, Texas 76710. Video-based counseling is available upon request. Contact me here to schedule today or call me by phone at 254-300-5339. You will get voice mail. Leave a message and I will call you back.