When two people meet and decide to get married, they usually make their wedding vows to one another with great hopes and expectations that their marriage will last a lifetime.

Unfortunately, statistics show us the reality gap between what our hopes are for marriage and what many of us end up with – divorce or stuck in an unhappy marriage. Why is that and how can you “divorce proof” your own marriage?

At Bethesda, I am very excited for couples embarking on a lifetime together; however, it is a sad fact that I see many couples ending up disillusioned, frustrated, hurting and resentful after only a few years of marriage. That is why I encourage you to consider investing some time into a short marriage preparation course before you walk down the aisle together.

Preparing for Marriage and Doing It Right

Bethesda Counselling provides pre-marital counseling to prepare you for the challenging, but enjoyable part of the “rest of your life” as a team. Couples do well to invest in preparing for inevitable stresses, problems and conflicts they may encounter throughout their marriage before the challenges arise. Bethesda’s Counsellor and Family Therapist, Narelle Williams designs Christ centred programs that are uniquely tailored to your relationship and that will give you the opportunity to develop and practice the skills you will need to build a satisfying, safe and rewarding marriage.

Taking the time to engage in some pre-marital counselling will increase your understanding of God’s design and anointing for marriage. These sessions are also designed to enhance your understanding of yourself and your partner’s personality, temperament, family background, differences and facilitate you as a couple in laying solid foundations for your future to be built upon. Bethesda Counselling recommends committing to 6 exclusive couple’s sessions together for 60-75 minutes per/fortnight. These sessions will be tailored to suit the two of you personally, your needs, preferences and availability.

Each session is relaxed and will help you to understand how to have a successful partnership with Christ at the centre of your marriage. At Bethesda you and your partner will have the chance to talk about your plans, hopes, dreams, and fears. Your counsellor will prepare questions and activities that you can take home and enjoy working through together so that you can design, build and achieve your vision for a life time of togetherness.

Your Past can Impact Your Future

There will also be opportunity for each person to consider how their past may impact their future. If one or both of you have experienced sexual abuse, violence, emotional neglect, alcoholism, addiction, divorce or abandonment etc somewhere in your past, then it can be important to take some time to begin working through and processing these hurts before you enter into your marriage. You will find that some pre- marital counselling may help you in finding healing and freedom from past abuse or trauma, if this is relevant for you or your partner.

It is recommended that you seek pre-marital counselling 3-6 months before your wedding date so that you have the time and space to give to this most crucial investment into your life together.

Your exclusive pre-marital counselling sessions will be tailored to meet your unique needs as a couple and will include some of the following common areas in pre-marital counselling:

  • Marriage Expectations
  • The Basic Needs of Husband & Wife
  • The 5 Love Languages
  • Understanding & Handling Your Differences
  • The Dance between Closeness & Distance
  • Sex and Affection
  • Communication & Active Listening
  • Assertiveness & Conflict Resolution
  • Relationship Roles
  • Children & Parenting
  • Financial Management

Contact  Narelle for further enquiries regarding exclusive counselling sessions for couples preparing for marriage.