Grand Rapids, Forest Hills Premarital Counseling that Fits Your Lifestyle
Well, you wouldn’t be on this page if you weren’t engaged (or were not about to be), so let us take a moment to wish you and your significant other warm congratulations! Your life is about to change in so many ways, and we’re here to help coach you through the process while also preparing you for what’s ahead.
At this moment, you might already be neck-deep in wedding plans and all of the details that go into the main event. Who to invite? Where to host the ceremony? Who is going to officiate? Do you really want to sit talkative Aunt Di next to your introverted work friend? Do you want a seating plan at all? What kind of cake do you want? (Maybe turn the whole thing on it’s head and order a PIE — that’ll throw everyone off.)
In all seriousness, all of the planning, decision making, and compromises that go into planning the big day pale in comparison to the much more serious and numerous considerations just around the bend. Will you both work when you have kids? Will you have kids? Whose parents will you live near? What kind of life do you want to see for yourselves in five, ten, fifty years?
The above questions are just the tip of the iceberg. What you’re about to enter into is potentially the single-most transformative relationship of either of your lives, so why not make sure that all of these invested emotions and plans are all pointed towards the same thing: mutual marital bliss.
Do I Even Need Grand Rapids Premarital Counseling?
“Need” might be too strong of a word (unless, of course, your officiator or state requires it), but a better way to put it is that getting premarital counseling in Grand Rapids is a really good idea. Like, a really good idea. Even — if not especially — if things are picture-perfect between the two of you right now.
Many people tend to tie the knot when they’ve been together for exactly enough time to come to the conclusion that they’d rather not spend their time or romantic emotions and affection with anyone else. This blissful period also happens to be the best time for the two of you to sit down and talk human-to-human about who you are and what you expect from your future. It’s way more difficult to discuss these things in a few years, when communication patterns and unsettled scores have set in, and you’ve grown hardened to a certain behavior or personality trait. Just ask any married person (or a divorcee, for that matter), and they’ll back me up on this.
Also, if things are “just peachy” between you two at the moment, you have no idea what either of you is like when major, life-altering stresses and traumas come along. You may have experienced hard times personally, but the game is much different when you have more than just yourself to consider.
At Thriveworks Grand Rapids premarital counseling, we’ll go over all of that and more. Now is the time to talk about your varying perspectives and the challenges just around the bend — which are many, but totally surmountable with some preemptive groundwork and coaching.
What Kind of Topics Will We Discuss in Grand Rapids Premarital Counseling?
Let’s say you or your significant other have some apprehensions about getting married. Perfectly normal. Possibly even more normal than having zero concerns whatsoever. Seeing a premarital counselor is the perfect time to examine and unpack each of these concerns to see what’s going on and what can be done about them.
Some potential concerns include:
- You don’t want marriage to turn your beautiful relationship into one of the less-than-happy marriages you see around you
- You love this person now, but will you always love them?
- What’s the point of getting married in the first place?
- You come from different belief systems
- One or both of you isn’t on a steady career path
- Financial worries
When you meet with one of the professional therapists at Thriveworks Grand Rapids for premarital counseling, you’ll have ample opportunity to discuss all of these things and more in a judgment-free environment with an objective third party to keep the conversation moving in a positive direction.
There’s also a chance that after counseling the two of you might decide to part ways. As strange as it sounds, that more than likely means that the sessions did what they were designed to do: helped you both make the best decision for each of your personal self-interests.
Marriage isn’t something that should be entered into lightly. In your sessions, you might discover things about yourself or your significant other that would make a marriage incredibly difficult, if not painful. You can avoid that. At the same time, finding these things out now can help you both work through whatever issues you have, so they don’t explode a few years down the road and destroy what could have been a lifetime of romantic partnership.
Do yourself a favor. Figure this stuff out now with someone who knows the right questions to ask. You’ll not only save yourself a lot of potential grief, but you’ll set yourselves up for years of happiness and an ever-deepening connection. In fact, studies indicate those who go through premarital counseling experience an average of 30 percent higher relationship satisfaction (WebMD).
Invest in Your Relationship and Your Future
Some people think they’re saving money by skipping the premarital counseling in Grand Rapids and just jumping headfirst into a marriage, when in reality, they’re setting themselves up for thousands of dollars and years’ worth of trouble.
For a relatively small investment in counseling, you’ll potentially save yourself from paying a divorce lawyer or losing half of your assets to a disgruntled ex-spouse.
The professionals at Thriveworks Grand Rapids, Forest Hills Premarital Counseling have worked with a variety of couples from all walks of life—couples who are doing well and couples who are not doing so well. Many of those couples are working to straighten out a mess they could have avoided from the onset by seeking premarital counseling.
Further Reading
Premarital Counseling Builds Better Union. 2003. WebMD.com.
