Premarital Counseling Cost

That seems a bit pricy. Use psychology today to find a counselor in your area. There are lots of MFTs in the US and even if they're just labeled as family counsellors many do pre martial counseling, they may not be labeled specifically that. For reference we paid $40/session for a local one

Mine is free from our chaplain. However, think of it as an investment in your future marriage. It's more important than chargers, flowers, or other wedding decor. Maybe you can take another look at your budget and trim from somewhere.

@ Now Thanks, I will check that out first,

@ Kimi I agree, but I rather not pay that much if I don't have to.

You might check through your work to see if they offer EAP (employee assistance programs). You can usually get a limited number of counseling sessions for free through that. My work confirmed premarital counseling would be part of that.

Out-of-pocket I received quotes around 150-170 a session. One place does a 4-hour "course" (just with the couple and counselor) and that was $320.

Thanks I will check with my employer tomorrow.

This is by location probably. Ours was $500 for five sessions. FH's insurance wouldn't cover even just his portion because we are not legally married.

AAMFT.org can help you locate a marriage and family therapist too, btw.

Our officiant also has his counseling degree and he does 4 sessions for $100. He does it mostly to get to know his couples. Usually it's much much more than that though.

Yes, look to see if your company offers an EAP-- many do. To answer your first question, though, I am a therapist in an expensive area (SF Bay Area) and we charge between $150-$200 a 50 minute session, depending on how diligent we're being about remembering to raise our rates.

One thing I can tell you-- premarital counseling is *rarely* money down the drain, and divorces are very, VERY expensive.

Thanks @Sasswood I will check that out too.

Think of it this way: how much are you paying for your photographer? Your DJ or band? Your catering? And THIS seems like a huge expense?

That is very reasonable.

We did ours in a workshop format at a local, non-denominational church. It was Friday evening for 3 hours and most of the day Saturday (6 hours). It only cost us $50.

It does sound like too much to me - not because it isn't 100% worth it, but because you could find it cheaper. This is the kind of thing that doesn't automatically increase in quality just because you are paying more - so finding a good deal is worth your time (whereas material goods or photo services many times if you pay less, you get less.)

If you are in a more expensive area, I think it's worth it to pay the $650 but definitely look into all your options. Some counseling facilities will do a sliding scale (based on your income). For me it was for regular therapy and perhaps they treat premarital counseling differently, but you might find it. It was through my church but it was unrelated to my membership/involvement/beliefs, it just happened to be advertised there.

That sounds like a lot! With our counselor we pay by session and it's $90 a session. I guess that could add up to be a lot over time. Just do some research at different places and see what else is available! There should be other options that are less expensive.

Ours is free through my church. I would definitely recommend. It's very beneficial.

Ours is free through our church, but we plan on giving the pastor and his wife a decent sized gift card as a thank you

We paid $300 for a one-day non-denominational course.

Ours was also free through our church. We don't even owe a fee for the sponsor couple, though we bought them a nice gift and are having them to our reception.

We are doing ours with our reverend. She is with the Presbyterian church and we are doing Prepare and Enrich which costs us $35 for the "test" portion. Depending on who is doing your wedding, you may be able to go a different route.