If you’re engaged and wondering about premarital counseling, San Diego offers many opportunities to explore this form of counseling. It is an excellent way to increase understanding of each other and can help improve communication skills and solidify a solid foundation for a healthy marriage. These trust-building and relationship enhancing sessions can be extremely valuable.
Premarital counseling is beneficial by helping couples spot problematic behaviors and patterns which could later stress marriages. Research supports the benefits of premarital counseling. For example, a 2001 survey of adults in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, found that engaged couples who underwent premarital counseling were 31% less likely to divorce.
How do you find the most appropriate counseling service? If you’re looking for premarital counseling in San Diego, here’s a list of tips suggesting how to find the most helpful premarital counseling service in San Diego.
Choosing the Right Service for San Diego Premarital Counseling
As you search for the right therapist for premarital counseling, San Diego will reveal quite a variety of premarital counseling options. Here are some factors to consider when you and your partner seek the right fit.
1. What are the therapist’s qualifications, background, and experience?
The primary purpose of premarital counseling is to assess and explore the strengths and limitations between you and your partner. Premarital counseling is a structured opportunity to systematically explore a wide range of values, traits, and patterns that may otherwise go unnoticed. This type of exploration early in a relationship increases the odds of marital satisfaction and reduces the possibility of divorce.
You’ll want to choose a premarital counselor who has qualifications and experience in relationship counseling and premarital counseling. It’s encouraged to interview prospective therapists and don’t be shy about asking about their qualifications and experience.
2. Does the Therapist Specialize in Relationship and Premarital Counseling?
Marriage and family therapy is a broad discipline, and not all therapists in this field offer premarital counseling. Counseling services in San Diego will be easier to categorize if you ask questions about your potential therapist’s experience and areas of focus and specialization. Some therapists only see individuals, some see both couples and individuals and all therapists have areas in which they specialize.
3. What Is the Therapist’s Delivery Style—Individual, Online, or Group Therapy?
You might want to ask yourself how the therapist will conduct the pre-marriage counseling sessions before committing to a program. Therapists typically conduct counseling in three different ways:
- Online Sessions: Counseling from the comfort and privacy of your own home by way of video.
- In-Office Sessions: Traditional style counseling held in the office of the therapist.
- Group Sessions: Group style courses that are highly structured and performed with several couples.
Ask a potential therapist for a brief complimentary consultation to ask questions about the format of their counseling sessions in more detail. You may also want to find out which marriage education and training program most influences their work. Many therapists base their work on the principles of research-based premarital programs and they should be able to tell you what the program they use entails and explores.
4. Are You Comfortable With the Therapist?
Premarital counseling is an extremely personal undertaking, and sensitive topics may arise for discussion. It’s important to have a good rapport with your therapist and sessions will produce a better outcome if you feel comfortable with your counselor. Studies show that the biggest factor determining successful therapy is the relationship between client and therapist.
Talk with your partner about how they feel about the therapist. If one or both of you don’t feel it’s the right fit or match then trust your intuition and continue your search. The right fit is important!
5. Does It Matter If the Therapist Shares Your Religious and Spiritual Beliefs?
Are you looking for premarital counseling in San Diego that supports your religious or spiritual affiliation? Some premarital counseling programs can be tailored to specific religious beliefs and there are many therapists who offer faith-based counseling. If you and your partner come from different religious backgrounds, you might benefit more from interfaith counseling.
Professional Premarital Counseling in San Diego
Finding a premarital counselor in San Diego doesn’t have to be a difficult process. Essential considerations are choosing a therapist who specializes in relationship and couple’s counseling and who is trained in premarital counseling. Premarital counseling is personal, and topics may arise necessitating you be at ease with your therapist so you can explore issues comfortably and make the most of your sessions.
If you would like to inquire about my premarital counseling services in San Diego, please feel free to contact me with any questions. I’m a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and have over 20 years of experience working with individuals, couples and conducting premarital counseling.
Call me at 619-318-1901 or schedule an appointment online. It would be my honor to help you prepare for this exciting new phase in your lives together.