It is common for couples to want to know how many sessions are in a premarital counseling program before they commit. It’s understandable; you don’t want to be stuck with more therapy than you need, or less if it is what you need. There are different types of programs so let’s take a look at the basics of some of them and see how many sessions they offer.
The number of sessions can vary depending on your needs and the type of program that is offered by your therapist or counselor. How long does each session last? How often do you meet? And many other factors.
So, how Many Sessions Are in a Premarital Counseling Program? Not all premarital counseling programs last the same amount of sessions. In general, about ten weeks is a reasonable length for a program that focuses on traditional Christian values. The number of sessions will depend on which curriculum you’re using and how often your counselor or pastor wants to meet with you each week. By meeting for an hour once a week, most people can complete 16 to 20 exercises in 10-16 sessions.
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Related Post: Tips to Prepare for a Successful Marriage [A Comprehensive Guide]
Here are the best resources that go hand in hand with this guide. (Available on Amazon- We recommend Kindle as the best way to read books-Start a 30-day free trial here)
- Preparing for Marriage Couples Guide
- Preparing for Marriage Leaders Guide
- The Meaning of Marriage-Timothy Keller
- Devotions for Engaged Couples- Gary Thomas
Not sure where to start with a premarital counseling conversation, start here or start a Happily Ever After Wedding registry, find inspiration & ideas on Amazon.
The 16 premarital counseling sessions include:
A session on,
- Communication Skills
- The Four Stages of Marriage ( The Enemy of Marriage)
- Marital Conflict: How to Handle It and How to Prevent it
- Infidelity, Loss & Divorce in the Family
- Practical Steps for Building a Stronger Relationship with Your Spouse or Partner
- Money Matters: Creating Financial Harmony Together
- What is Love? A Definition You Can Believe In. How do you know if you’re in love? What does that feeling really mean? How can we build this kind of relationship together as husband and wife? And many others.
- When Life Happens (dealing with the unexpected)
- Dealing with inlaws
- Decision Making
- Roles and responsibilities
- What next after the wedding
- Sexual Intimacy
- Understanding your love language
- Building a lasting marriage
- Vision for your marriage
What is the Value of premarital counseling sessions?
Premarital counseling can be a vital part of preparing for marriage. It provides you with an opportunity to discuss and work through some difficult topics before your wedding day, which allows both partners to better understand one another, and communicate effectively as they prepare themselves for life together as husband and wife.
Pre-marriage counseling also helps couples establish healthy habits from the beginning that will set them up well for later on down the line when there are children or even grandchildren introduced into their lives. Premarital counseling offers many benefits including helping couples explore ways each partner might need support within or outside of their relationship, See this post for more benefits.
Research also shows that premarital counseling can help reduce the divorce rate by 31 % see this for more.
Final thoughts
You can see that premarital counseling sessions do not have to last a long time in order to be effective. Being able to complete the pre-marriage counseling program within 16-20 sessions is possible and will allow you both the space and freedom for your wedding day, honeymoon, or other events without feeling like there’s too much on your plate. Just make sure that whatever premarital counseling program you choose is one with Christian values because it might just save your marriage!
Should pastors charge for premarital counseling learn more here?
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