Premarital counseling
A wedding takes a day. A marriage takes a lifetime of small choices. Premarital counseling helps you build the marriage you want on purpose, before old patterns get the chance to build it for you.
Talk about this together
Questions to work through as a couple, before your first session or between them. There are no right answers, only honest ones.
Most couples have talked about the wedding far more than the marriage. These questions come straight from the Hope Method: who you want to be, the patterns you learned growing up, how you handle hard feelings, and who will stand with you.
Bring the ones that were hardest to answer to a session.
You each bring a blueprint from home
Plenty of us learned how marriage works by watching our parents: who kept the peace, who raised their voice, who went quiet. Those patterns feel normal, so they run on autopilot. Premarital counseling brings them into the open while they're still easy to change.
On autopilot
Two different blueprints crossing paths, each person sure theirs is the normal one.
On purpose
Choosing together which patterns to keep, and building new ones where you need them.
How the Hope Method shapes a marriage
The same method every provider here uses, applied to two people starting a life together.
Tolerate uncomfortable emotions
Learn how each of you handles hard feelings, so a bad day doesn't turn into a standoff.
Rethink unhelpful thoughts
Spot the thought traps couples fall into, like assuming, keeping score and “shoulds,” before they harden into habits.
Identify the person you want to be
Name the marriage you want: the values you'll be known for, together. That picture becomes your GPS when things get off course.
Change unhelpful behaviors
Practice working through conflict instead of around it. A marriage grows by having conflicts and working through them.
Keep connected to healthy community
Decide who your community will be as a couple: the people who will encourage you and tell you the truth.
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only.”
James 1:22 (ESV)
Where faith fits
It's not enough in marriage to just say “I do.” If you want a marriage that keeps going and keeps growing, you have to actually do. If you'd like faith and prayer to be part of preparing for that, your provider will gladly include them.
If one of you would rather leave faith out, it won't come up. Couples of every background are welcome.
What "spiritually informed" meansGetting started
The practical details, and the questions people ask most.
- Cost
- $75For 50 minutes, paid at the appointment. The same for individuals, couples and families.
- Insurance
- Not acceptedNo superbills. Cash, check, card, and HSA or FSA cards all work.
- Where
- In person or telehealth3231 Washington Rd., or from home for most concerns.
- Getting in
- Usually this weekEvery provider is taking new clients. We try to see people the week they reach out.
How many sessions do couples usually need?
You and your provider decide together. Some couples come for a few sessions before the wedding, some for longer. We see people as long as they need us and no longer.
Does it cost more for two people?
No. Couples sessions are the same $75 for 50 minutes.
We're not having problems. Should we still come?
Yes. Premarital counseling isn't for couples in trouble. It's for couples who want to build well from the start.
Is premarital counseling a Christian program?
It's clinically based counseling from providers who share a Christian worldview. Faith is included if you'd like it, and left out if you wouldn't.
Can I do this by telehealth?
Yes, for most concerns. You join from the SimplePractice Client Portal app or a web browser.
Start wherever you are
Book a first session as a couple. Or, if you're on your own and thinking about marriage, come by yourself.
Book an appointment
Couples sessions in person on Washington Road or by telehealth. Choose “I'm a new client” when you book.
Already married?
If you're past the wedding and working through conflict, distance or betrayal, our marriage counseling page is the place to start.
Still unsure? Call the office at 762.328.4673.