What are your thoughts on Marriage counseling?

To be honest I think it helps a lot with communication. The man depends on the man either realizes if you really want to do it he'll be open to it. On the other hand I have seen men take it as why do we need someone else to tell us our problems.

My fiance was a little skeptical of it at first, but he's always trying to grow to become a better man, so he was willing to do it. After the very first session he was already happy that we were doing it, and it definitely helped us in a few ways! It also opens up the opportunity for conversation. Even if your man thinks you don't have any "problems", just look at it as taking "preventative measures" and setting a solid foundation for your marriage.

We were offered pre marital counseling but didnt take it since we felt we were pretty solid already. however i think it is a good idea for other couples who may have issues that could be better resolved before going into marriage

It was mandatory for us. Our officiant will not perform a ceremony without the couple going his 7 sessions. At first FH did want to do it, but after session 2 he was talking more than me. We did not have any issues prior to doing counseling. I think it brings up some things that you probably never discussed or thought of talking about. So it was really worth it to us. We enjoyed every second of it.

I think it’s a worthwhile venture before marriage and periodically through out marriage. You are 2 different people with different points of view and thought processes and there is no harm in having a marriage check up every once in a while. Premarital counseling is great for taking off the blinders and marital counseling is great for keeping the relationship healthy because things will come up.

We did marriage counseling with one of the pastors that will be marrying us. I thought it was great! He went over Biblical scripture pertaining to marriage, then, we talked about different issues that should be discussed before marriage. We had already talked about most of the things already, but it was still helpful. My FH thought it was a good thing for us to do too.

Our church strongly encourages pre-marital counseling. I'm so glad H and I did it! There were so many things we still had to learn about each other, and counseling really helped with that. Counseling is only a benefit, in my opinion! You can really grow as a couple. H was fine with doing it, even though he was skeptical at first!

Our premarital counseling was really just a 30minute sit down with a priest from the sister church of where we were married. But the packet they gave us to fill out actually helped more so. H and I have never really had any problems in our relationship (like we've "fought" once in 4 years) but reading through his answers on how he expects to be loved and his ideas for his role and my roles in our relationship was nice. We were able to talk about expectations for each other and strengthen our relationship through those conversations.

It's mandatory for us too, as our officiant is through our church. My fiance was a little apprehensive at first, and while we haven't actually started the classes yet (holidays are so crazy!), we've gone through the homework book multiple times and he's really enjoyed it. I think it really helps open the lines of communication in all aspects, and I feel like our relationship has continued to strengthen just by talking through all the prompts. Worth it!

I feel that counseling is only needed if you feel that communication is not quite there. Some couples are great communicators and others are not. If counseling is required for religious reasons then of course do what you have to do. I wouldn't seek out counseling if there wasn't a reason for it.

Mandatory? No. It is up to every couple if they want to go to marriage counseling. We did not. We have great communication and trust and really didn’t feel like it was something we would benefit from.

We are currently doing counseling together with a therapist. At first my FH wasnt happy and complained, but after going by himself twice and us going together now he likes it and it has really improved our relationship. We communicate better, but still need some work. It's nice to grow together and learn how to love/support my FH the way he needs me to.

It was mandatory for us, but so far it’s been a good experience. We were asked questions that we never really asked each other and it was nice to get to know each other even more even though we’ve been together for over 7 years.

My fiancé was the one that wanted it. I was totally unsure of it. Wee been going for a month and a half and it’s been amazing! So glad we’ve done it. As someone mentioned, it has helped greatly with communication, expectations, understanding each other’s past. I thought we knew everything about each other but I was wrong. We also chose a licensed family, marriage counselor, not a pastor. Our counselor had us take a test and our counseling is based off the book, “Saving your marriage before it starts”. Been very pleased

If things are turning south in the marriage and both parties want it to work it definitely marriage counseling. My suggestion is yes get marriage counseling if need. Go on a date with your wife like she is your girlfriend. A marriage is like a having a year round garden you can not neglect your plants or your spouse. Whether its a hug, sex, kissing, a phone call, or text message. You must be there for each other even when you and her are mad each other.

We did couples' counseling before we even got engaged. Men in our society should be encouraged to go to therapy, as we have created expectations for them to never have mental health issues, and that's just ... not true?

DH has anxiety, so of course he was very scared and worried about going, and wouldn't make the appointment (I had asked him to take the initiative, but his anxiety told him it was worthless).

Within one session he was all in. We called it our "tune up" and refer back to it regularly.

Absolutely would go again, DH goes for individual at the moment.

For any man i marry, therapy is a must. Whether its pre-marital or couple's therapy.

I work in family court and a lot of people I see everyday could have benefited from pre-marital or marital counseling. The amount of people who don't communicate before getting married about their expectations (ie. children's religions, family involvement, who will work when) or their finances before hand is baffling. And those are just the practical considerations. Next consider the people who have never worked on their ability to communicate their emotions in a healthy manner... And those fights don't go away. I'm not saying those issues lead to everyone who comes to family court, but it doesn't help. There is also a gendered coding here where I think a lot of men are resistant to counseling because it requires a level of communication that Western culture has starved men of/trained them to avoid. However, it can only help everyone.

Yes, marriage counseling (religious or not) is a good thing that can help you guide through some of the issues that come up prior to marriage in a safe zone. My husband was all for it. It would have been a serious red flag to me if he wasn't an enthusiastic participant.

We have discussed counseling many times and have read several books together on relationships and communicating effectively in our relationship. If we have any issues we cannot overcome using the skills we have learned we will seek counseling, neither of us see any issues with getting help. Relationships are hard and ask anyone who has been married for a long time, they will tell you it's not easy but worth it and any help never hurts.