PREMARITAL COUNSELING

   Getting married soon?  Amazingly, the average 200 guest wedding costs nearly 30 thousand dollars, but most couples (less than 1 in 5) do not even seriously consider professional premarital counseling.  It has been shown that premarital counseling will cut your divorce rate by more than 30 percent.  It has also been proven that premarital counseling can also assist couples in dealing with the stresses of preparing for the big day.  Many may also be surprised to learn that this (relationship counseling) can be covered by most insurance plans.   All considered, it is pretty much a no-brainer!   Every couple owes it to themselves.

   Are you having trouble in your relationship, or don't feel fully satisfied as you once did?  Do you feel you sometimes do not communicate effectively, or that your disagreements seem to escalate yet no one's feelings are expressed or understood by the other?  Perhaps you are having trouble deciding whether to leave the relationship or give it another serious try.  Are your disagreements starting to affect your children's behavior?  Relationship counseling can help couples by improving their communication skills, helping couples identify the underlying issues, and help to stop the vicious cycles that are driving you and your partner even further apart.  As a Marriage and Family Therapist, I specialize in both married and unmarried relationships.

   I enjoy "re-teaching" couples how to make each other feel respected, and appreciated.  Often the struggles of everyday life cause couples to put their relationship on the back burner while they tackle their current problems and challenges.  After a while, a couple can just sort of growing accustomed to putting everything else first, and their relationship last.  This can cause the relationship to become cold, lonely, and frustrating.  By identifying the roots of problems, and discovering the maladaptive patterns that took over, a couple can work to get things back on track and invoke new and positive changes that can lead you both to the real happiness you once shared.

   Being single and dating in today's world can also be challenging. Making sure you are in a healthy relationship is crucial for anyone's personal happiness.  If you have doubts, you should explore your feelings carefully.  Many times we have strong instincts to re-evaluate our happiness in a relationship, but fail to do so simply for the sake of convenience or just plain denial.  Do you seem to find yourself in one unhealthy relationship after another?  Are you afraid of being single again?  Perhaps you need new tools so you can renew the way you approach dating and relationships with purpose and more confidence.  A relationship should enhance your happiness, not take away from it.

   Some couples feel they want to end their relationship, separate, or even divorce, but want to do it healthily and respectfully for all involved.  Professional counseling or coaching during this time of change can be very helpful to couples and their children.  I also facilitate a monthly meeting for newly single adult men and women who are currently going through the adjustment of being newly single again, due to a breakup, divorce, separation, or loss of a loved one.  Please see a tab labeled "NEWLY SINGLE SUPPORTIVE SUCCESS GROUP"  and call for more information.

   Professional counseling and therapy can assist those experiencing any one of the relationship issues listed above.  You have nothing to lose and you may be surprised to learn that all of these situations can be covered by your insurance plan.  I can assist by providing you with guidance to help you better understand
yourself and your relationship more holistically or systemically.  I will also
provide you with tools to help you communicate more clearly and effectively.