Premarital Counseling in Maryland, VA, DE, VT, FL & Internationally
What is Premarital Counseling?
As children, fairytales make up the stories that swim in our minds about love and marriage: two people meet, fall in love, merge their lives, and live happily ever after.
It’s only when real life steps in as adults that we come to a powerful truth about love and how hard it can be to sustain it. The reality is that two people come to a marriage with their own histories, their own emotional injuries and sensitivities, as well as their own beliefs about love, marriage, divorce and “happily ever after”
It’s only in these very personal narratives that you find the landmines that wait for couples down the road. Without exploring them, it’s easy to see when stress and challenges show up, couples get derailed.
As we’ve all seen lately when life hits hard (this can include any number of things like bills, arguments, time management problems, work stress, children, in-laws, etc.) that couples start to question their partnership
That’s when the powerful truth sets in: it’s not enough to merely love each other.
A healthy relationship needs more. Healthy relationships thrive when couples have the tools, skills, and patience to work though issues.
Therefore, when you make the decision to share your life with another person, it’s important to ensure that you’ve done as much as you can to make an informed decision.
How Long Is Premarital Counseling?
Great question. Since my counseling practice is in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Florida & Vermont and internationally, my clients bring different issues and require different commitments of time in therapy.
Premarital counseling is conducted for clients across Maryland and many other states on a teletherapy format using a secure video link.
That said, in-person therapy is the preference for many clients and when it’s possible, we will meet at my office in Annapolis. Sessions last for 2-4 hours as I offer an intensive approach designed to get to the heart of the matter quickly to help you produce better results.
As both a Gottman certified couples therapist and Level 3 PACT therapist (highest certification available), I bring lots of tools to our sessions. These tools allow you to access the heart of what you’re experiencing in your relationship so you find a stronger connection or clearer path ahead, whatever that looks like.
For some couples, regular premarital counseling is not enough to make changes as quickly as desired. To help, I also offer intensive couples therapy.
This is one of the most common premarital questions I get: When do we need to come in?
Realistically, couples can start premarital counseling before their engagement or soon after. In fact, sometime couples who are clearly aware that marriage is on their horizon proactively seek out premarital counseling to get themselves prepared for their future. For these couples, their commitment to a thriving marriage runs that deep.
The other time premarital counseling comes up is when couples are entering a second or third marriage. These couples have the great benefit of hindsight and don’t want to make the same mistakes they made the first time around
Whether you just want a premarital checkup, or you’re addressing issues that have already grown in your relationship, I can help
The other reason big reason couples seek out premarital counseling in my Annapolis based practice is when they have “cold feet”.
Cold feet, doubts, uncertainty about your partnership or shared values, is one of the biggest reasons clients in couples counseling look back and say “boy I’m not sure I made the right decision. And, I knew it all along”.
You don’t want to be in this boat. If you have doubts, that is a huge red flag. It absolutely may not mean you’re wrong for each other, but it is a sign that you have some work to do in order for your future to be stable and healthy together.
Premarital Counseling Can Help- Start Premarital Counseling in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Florida & Vermont and internationally.
Nothing will set your marriage on the right footing like a secure foundation. Take this precious time to work through big issues like kids, finances, where you want to live, religion or other spiritual affiliations and more before they become a true issue between you.
To start your premarital counseling journey, please email me at lisar@tsecuremail.com to explore how to get started.