Overcoming a Fear of Snakes

With 41% of first-time marriages ending in divorce in the United States, taking precautions to ensure that your own upcoming nuptials will last is important. One of the easiest things engaged couples can do to ensure their marriage doesn't end in divorce is participate in pre-marital counseling.

Here are three ways pre-marital counseling can help improve the quality of your marriage in the future.

1. Pre-marital counseling allows you to work out potential problems before getting married.

Many couples don't take the time to discuss some not-so-obvious, but oh-so-important topics before they decide to get married. Before walking down the aisle it is essential that you take the time to discuss your religious beliefs, views on child discipline, and whether or not you like a firm mattress.

Investing in pre-marital counseling will help you and your future spouse talk through some issues that could affect your marriage, and learn to compromise prior to joining your lives together in matrimony.

2. Pre-marital counseling can help you and your future spouse develop communication skills.

Poor communication can create serious problems within your marriage in the future. Since many people lack the communication skills required to maintain marital bliss, investing in pre-marital counseling can be a great way to improve the way you and your future spouse communicate with one another.

Through pre-marital counseling sessions you will be able to see how yelling or having a competitive attitude can hinder your marriage. A skilled marriage counselor will also be able to help you recognize how your "me" oriented self-talk can negatively affect the quality of your marriage.

3. Pre-marital counseling can help you get to know your in-laws.

Many marital fights are started because a spouse and his or her in-laws don't get along. If you want to ensure that your own marriage is as problem-free as possible, it can be helpful to invest in pre-marital counseling to get to know your in-laws better.

Group counseling sessions will allow you to learn how your in-laws communicate and what they expect from you, all while having a neutral third party supervise the experience. Taking the time to work through potential problems with your in-laws prior to marriage can save you many arguments with your spouse in the future.

No one goes into a marriage thinking that it will end in divorce. To ensure that you are giving your own marriage the best opportunity to thrive, invest in pre-marital counseling before exchanging vows.

To learn more, contact to a marriage counselor like Tim Robbins Counseling.