Preparing for the evolution of your relationship from engaged to married is important. Premarital counseling in Bethesda, MD gives you the opportunity to celebrate your strengths as a couple and translate those strengths to other areas of your relationship. Premarital counseling will also help you learn how to:
- improve your communication and conflict resolution skills
- process family issues that may impact your relationship now or in the future
- address financial planning and budgeting
- focus on personal and family goals, including creating and defining a unique “couple culture”
- discuss any other tricky issues, such as wedding stress, work-life balance, cohabiting, or sex and intimacy
Considering premarital counseling in Bethesda, MD, but worried about the investment of time, money, and effort? In this blog post, we bust four myths about premarital counseling. We’re confident you’ll be convinced that premarital counseling is definitely worth it!
Emily Cook Therapy is honored to be a winner of the WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Awards for 4 years in a row! Recognized as one of the best Bethesda, MD premarital counselors in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018!
Our Bethesda, MD premarital counselors offer two types of premarital counseling:PREPARE/ENRICH Premarital Counseling in Bethesda, MD
Prepare/Enrich is a strengths-based program that is completely customized to your couple relationship. It is designed to be used with heterosexual and same-sex couples who are engaged, committed, or newly married. After taking an online assessment and personality inventory, we use a report of your results that includes helpful charts and graphs to guide our premarital counseling conversation around your relationship strengths and growth-areas. An accompanying premarital counseling workbook of fun exercises and discussion prompts helps you continue having interesting and insight-provoking conversations at home. The Prepare/Enrich program is great for couples who know that premarital counseling is important, and who want some structure and guidance on about what to talk about. Jocylynn Stephenson, Shawn Kim, Sammi Steininger, and Kaitlin Doyle are experienced, certified Prepare/Enrich premarital counselors in Bethesda, MD.
Conventional Premarital Counseling in Bethesda, MD
Conventional premarital counseling is a good investment for any engaged couple. Rather than use a structured program or workbook, you will focus your premarital counseling conversations on the relationship areas that are most important to you. From resurfacing family drama to recurring communication issues to finding more time for each other, talking about relationship issues in premarital counseling helps you re-energize your connection so that both your wedding day and future marriage are full of joy. Conventional premarital counseling is best for couples who are crunched for time, or who prefer only a few brief sessions focused on particularly worrisome relationship areas. All of our therapists offer conventional premarital counseling services in Bethesda, MD.
More about premarital counseling in Bethesda, MD
Our Bethesda premarital therapists offer premarital counseling to both heterosexual and same sex couples. The issues that are important to each couple may be different as you prepare for marriage, but they are all important! Our therapists are sensitive, inclusive, affirming, and ready to help all couples build on their relationship strengths. Both types of premarital counseling programs, Prepare/Enrich and Conventional, are offered to all engaged couples.
Read more about choosing Dr. Emily Racic as your wedding officiant here.