Best Online Counseling for Pre-Marital Counselling

We write our honest reviews but this page may contain affiliate links, with some of the partners mentioned, to support this website. Read more here

Getting engaged and ultimately married is one of the most significant milestones in your life. It’s exciting and scary at the same time, but people rarely understand that other preparations need to be done before this commitment, not just wedding planning. 

One of the most overlooked, yet beneficial preparations is pre-marital counseling. Participating in this type of therapy allows you and your significant other to start your married relationship with a solid foundation.

Best Online Counseling for Pre-Marital

How We Calculate Score

Our rating system assigns brand scores on a scale of up to 5. To arrive at these scores, we use a weighted formula that considers TrustPilot ratings, User Engagement scores, and our staff’s experience with the platforms.

4.9/5

BetterHelp

Ratings
4.9 out of 5
  • Easy to Use
  • Personalized Service
  • Confidential
  • Text, Video or voice session
  • Licensed therapists
Best overall
4.5/5

Grow Therapy

Ratings
4.5 out of 5
  • Easy to Use
  • A lot of Insurance Coverage
  • Affordable
  • Online or in-person therapy
  • Licensed therapists
4.4/5

Online-therapy.com

Ratings
4.4 out of 5
  • Unlimited messaging
  • 8 section CBT program, incl. 25 worksheets
  • Daily worksheet replies Mon-Fri
  • Change therapists with one click
  • Secure & confidential platform
3.7/5

TalkSpace

Ratings
3.7 out of 5
  • Convenience
  • Personal
  • 24/7
  • Confidential
  • Text, Video or voice session

What Is Pre-Marital Counselling?

Pre-marital counseling is a type of therapy that is used to help equip couples for married life. In taking part in this therapy, you and your partner have the opportunity to form a robust and healthy relationship, which gives you a better chance of a stable marriage that leaves both of you feeling satisfied. Moreover, this type of counseling also helps to identify weaknesses or potential weaknesses within your relationship that could become problems later on in your marriage. 

Play Video about pre marital counseling tips

Who Is It For?

Pre-marital counseling is a specialized therapy that is seen to offer benefits to all couples that are considering being in a long-term commitment, such as a marriage. Nonetheless, pre-marital counseling can also be helpful for couples that are in a new relationship. This is because it gives couples in a new relationship the opportunity to identify their individual weaknesses that could lead to being a problem in the relationship in time.

Messages

Phone calls

Video Chats

When Is The Right Time To Start?

A typical mentality about pre-marital counseling is that you should start it two to three weeks before your wedding. However, this is not encouraged at all. Pre-marital counseling can begin as soon as you and your partner realize that you wish to have a long-term commitment. Although, sometimes that isn’t necessary. There is nothing wrong with new partners wishing to participate in pre-marital therapy, as only good can come from it. 

Pre-marital therapy is all about building a strong and healthier relationship. There is no definite ‘right time’ to start this type of therapy. Every person and every relationship is different. However, it’s recommended to begin premarital counseling as soon as you seriously consider marriage, a long-term relationship, or making a family.

What Are The Benefits Of Pre-Marital Counseling?

Taking part in couples counseling helps to build a good foundation, and aids in providing a more successful relationship. Counseling sessions are notorious for reaping the following benefits:

Getting realistic expectations about timing:

There are many examples in a relationship where timing plays a vital role. For example, welcoming a child into the world may not be what one partner wants for the next couple of years. Agreeing on this topic helps reduce anxiety and frustration as no partner is left wondering when the other would want to start that new chapter in their lives. 

Avoiding toxic resentment

A counselor is there to help clear any resentment that has been created throughout the relationship. Therein, you don’t cause any irreparable damage in the marriage or later on in the relationship.

Reducing fears about marriage

One or both of you may come from a dysfunctional background or divorced family, where manipulation, co-dependency, fighting, and toxic relationships were typical. Pre-marital counseling allows you to break this cycle and make peace with your past to have a healthy and long-lasting marriage or relationship.

Improving conflict resolution skills

Making use of a counselor helps in providing you with the skills to listen and communicate more efficiently. Added to this, they can share knowledge on what to say, and what not to say to reach a result that makes the argument, or disagreement, productive.

Establishing positive marriage resolutions

An experienced counselor has the expertise to guide the conversation. This prevents the dialogue from going off-topic due to lack of focus. Instead, making sure what is addressed is dealt with effectively. 

Sometimes, emotional conversations can be discussed without going anywhere productive as there isn’t any real understanding being done. A counselor makes it possible for each person to be held accountable in the conversation.

Online vs. In-Person

Online pre-marital counseling is seen as being cheaper than traditional therapy. Added to this, it’s more convenient. However, in-person interaction is more beneficial to some people. 

Commuting to and scheduling your therapy sessions can be a hassle. This is unlike online counseling.

How Does It Work?

Pre-marital counseling works by discussing the following topics as well as many more:

  • Communication
  • Beliefs and values
  • Time spent together
  • Affection and sex life
  • Desire to have children
  • Roles in marriage
  • Finances
  • Family relationships
  • Dealing with anger
  • Decision-making 

Discussing these various topics helps improve on the partners’ ability to set realistic expectations for marriage, develop conflict-resolution skills, and communicate.

How to Choose the Best Online Counselor

A good therapist is essential when trying to conduct beneficial counseling. 

  1. Before doing anything, search well-respected directories to get names of good therapists. Try to make sure that they are a member of a professional organization devoted to couples
  2. Choose a marriage counselor that has a practice devoted to couples
  3. Find someone that has studied and trained in a recognized institution in evidence-based couples therapy

Reviews

Always look for reviews on the therapists you wish to take sessions with. A lot can be said for what others have to say about their experience with that particular counselor. Added to this, looking up the specific therapist or counselor on the state licensing board is very helpful. By doing this, you gain information on that particular therapist. 

You’re able to see the status of the therapist’s license. Moreover, you’re able to gain knowledge on whether or not there have been disciplinary actions against the therapist you’re interested in. 

In some cases, reviews can be one-sided. Whereas, the therapist’s license status and disciplinary history are 100 percent factual and telling of whether or not you should seek treatment from them. However, weighing up both reviews and their license status is a great way to choose the right therapist.

Conclusion

Pre-marital counseling allows you to build a strong foundation with which you’re going to grow your marriage. Taking part in this type of therapy can’t do any harm to a relationship. Instead, it does a lot of good. It improves not only communication but identifies any problems that can grow into more significant issues later on in the marriage.  

Related Topics:

John S. - Editor in Chief
Latest posts by John S. - Editor in Chief (see all)