Mandatory marriage counseling

FH and I are required to obtain religious counseling but are also choosing to seek out professional pre marital counseling. We believe it can only help us grow and understand each other better.

BTW We also both have our degrees in communication. Everyone can use a professional outsider to determine potential issues and help strengthen certain areas. No one goes into a marriage thinking they will get divorced.

Yes. We are starting ours soon. My Pastor requires it and honestly it's good for every couple. Just helps you make sure you are both on the same path and direction of your marriage.

We managed to avoid ours. We are from out of town and the pastor really didn't want to deal with trying to pencil us in for it. Besides, FH and I discuss our relationship seriously regularly to make sure we're on the same page

Have you guys been living together? If so I don't think that it is needed, honestly if you and FH are completely open woth one another it's not needed.

Our officiant is doing a 30 min "chat". He says he has to, but we didn't want some lame ass counselling either.

In our counseling sessions we have learned a lot about one another. You will be surprised. Check the vendor tab. I found many officiants who didn't require counseling if counseling isn't for you.

"I'm a LPC I am aware of the benefits"

@April you are a licensed professional counselor and this is how you are talking to people? PLEASE tell me you are not in practice.

I hope you treat your clients with more respect.

Also, if this is not a joke and you really are licensed, you would know why you and your FH SHOULD have sessions.

As a counseling student myself, I am appalled in your responses.

Holy Fucking hell! So you don't ever go to the doctor for a check up? You don't get a pap smear or a breast exam? You don't encourage your FH to get his blood pressure checked? You won't have to worry about counselling if one of you drops dead. I'm sure neither of you has insurance either, because, hey, nothing bad is going to happen so why bother? Holy fucking hell!

Yes, FH's childhood rabbi requires 6 45mins-1hr in-person one-on-one pre-marital counseling sessions 6-8 months prior to the wedding before he could marry us.

@amanda G, yes for 3 yrs. We've known each other 6 and have been dating 5!! Very open and make decisions together. Religion, finances, upbringing of children, political views, retirement, will and burial options, career goals, etc all supported and discussed. Not perfect but have grown quite lovely over the years

We've been going and I think it's actually really helpful. We both just talk to our pastor freely and a lot of the things we've talked about made the pastor tell us we're way ahead of most couples he's seen and it brought out a lot of confidence in ourselves.

Well good for you coolkat!!

Your hostility towards everyone is absolutely laughable, @April. I can guarantee your relationship and life ISN'T as perfect as you keep telling us it is...hell, why not go to counseling? Maybe you could learn something. Education is important.

All LPC's don't seek counseling just because we don't see the need for premarital counseling doesn't mean I'm not effective or incompetent in my practice. I've been to several doctors, witnessed many lawyers and preachers that fail to practice what they preach. I'm woman/human before any other title.

We weren't required to however, we did locate a great counselor near our home and the subjects / topics we discussed broke the ice on a lot of issues that we both never handled in the best fashion. It gave us insight on better ways to communicate.

There have already been reminders of the Guidelines shared here but I'll add one more. Our Community Guidelines allow for debate of ideas, as long as the conversation stays respectful of others and does not devolve into personal attacks. If it does we will lock the thread.

https://www.weddingwire.com/corp/legal/community-guidelines

H and I are in our early 40's and we've been together for 7.5 years, lived together for 2.5. We went to one counseling session (it was a disaster because she seemed like a quack, and the house with nasty. Long story, don't feel like repeating it lol).

Anyway, we knew it wasn't "needed" after that one session, especially after we ran out of the house laughing/crying over how crazy the woman was. But we're going to now, even though we're already married because, why not? It certainly won't hurt, and although we don't have any issues now, we're not psychic and who knows what will come up. Also, I'm going back to therapy on my own because I miss it, and again - doesn't hurt to want to improve myself.

We also will become parents one day (God willing), and that's when things are really going to change. We have the same views when it comes to parenting, but I want a licensed professional to give us some tools/views that we may have overlooked.

Mermaid fish I never said it was perfect, you all did. Nothing wrong with defending my views never knocked anyone that choose to go. And to be perfectly clear and honest our relationship is perfect for us, you sound a little jealous. ISNT as perfect as I'm telling.....I laugh in thy face!!!!

Yeah, I can absolutely promise you that nobody is jealous of you or your relationship. That assumption is completely comical.

Expressing though memes, funny. Never really understood the meaning