What is premarital counseling? Whether you are single and in a serious relationship or engaged and awaiting your wedding day, premarital counseling can help you navigate the exciting yet sometimes choppy waters of relationships. Oftentimes, couples feel like they keep doing the same emotional dance over and over but are unsure how to stop it. For example, maybe one of you tends to be more messy and the other one loves to clean. Or, one of you doesn’t feel appreciated by your partner and your partner doesn’t understand why that is so important. One of you may need more closeness and connection and the other one may crave more space. These are all common issues that couples find themselves wading through yet without some kind of perspective and tools, these issues can sometimes devolve into stalemate or separation. Frequently, couples are well-matched but just don’t know how to work through their differences and, sometimes premarital counseling can save a good relationship from breaking up. You will learn first how to identify negative patterns that aren’t working for you and help teach you fair fighting. And, premarital counseling can shift you both out of anger and into a more accepting space for yourself and your partner. Win lose can become win/win with a little help. And, even if there isn’t an upcoming wedding, premarital counseling can help prevent you from making the same mistakes over and over again in other relationships. While everyone is taught how to drive a car, no one is formally prepared to enter the world of relationships. And, if you grew up in a family where relationships were full of shame and anger you might feel that yelling and winning in an argument are good solutions. They’re not and premarital counseling can teach you how to get to a more loving space. If you found this helpful, feel free to e.mail me at:nanlcsw@gmail.com or call to set up a premarital counseling session today at 847.491.1111. Don’t hesitate to offer my article to others. I do this as a free service to promote relational healing.