Premarital Counseling For a Lifetime of Love
Denver • Broomfield • DTC • Online Across the Us & InternationallyPremarital Counseling Questions: Can You Do “Non-Religious” or Secular Premarital Counseling?
By Dr. Lisa Marie Bobby, Founder of Growing Self Counseling & Coaching
Yes, however many couples don't realize that there are more options for premarital counseling than the ones offered through their church or synagogue. Furthermore, more and more couples are electing to have their marriages outside of a religious institution altogether. They're writing their own vows, and eschewing the cathedral for the beach. As a result, they aren't required to go through any type of premarital counseling in order to tie the knot. Sadly, many of them don't realize the importance of premarital counseling, and don't make it a priority.
But even couples who do “traditional” premarital counseling through their church or other religious institution may not get the type of premarital counseling that teaches them how to have a great relationship, and gives them a tool kit of skills and strategies to use in the future. This is because, while some large churches have structured premarital counseling programs that can be really good, most don't. Most religious-oriented “premarital counseling” consists of a couple of meetings with a clergy-person.
What actually happens in these religious-oriented premarital counseling sessions with a priest or rabbi has very little in common with an actual premarital counseling program. If couples are lucky they'll leave with a couple of worksheets, and a pat on the back from a well meaning pastor. What's the problem? Your priest is not a marriage and family therapist. He (likely) sincerely believes that the path to a happy healthy marriage is to be religious together, and his job is to help you to do that. While spirituality is a is beautiful and important part of family life, having a really fantastic, enjoyable and successful relationship is a little more involved.
High quality premarital counseling actually teaches you how to do several important things that will protect your marriage from harm, and keep your love strong through the years. A good premarital program should teach you:
- How to show each other love and respect, even when (or especially when) things are challenging.
- How to communicate with each other.
- How to handle inevitable conflict productively.
- How to keep your relationship interesting and passionate.
- How to get on the same page around important issues like parenting, money, priorities and more.
- How to support each others hopes and dreams — both as a couple, and as individuals.
Pastoral premarital counseling, well intended as it is, just doesn't go that deeply into teaching you the skills for making all that happen. We do. We have many opportunities for you to do premarital counseling with us, including our Lifetime of Love premarital class, our “I DO!” premarital program, and private premarital counseling.
I hope you take advantage of at least one of them.
With love and respect,
Answers to Your Premarital Counseling Questions
IS PREMARITAL COUNSELING NECESSARY?
No, premarital counseling is not a requirement to get married, and it's an easy to prioritize other expenses instead. However, just like what happens when you disregard other essentials (exercise, nutrition, sleep) the consequences caused by not investing in premarital education are much harder and more expensive to treat than they are to prevent…. Read more
HOW MUCH DOES PREMARITAL COUNSELING COST?
The cost of high-quality premarital counseling can vary depending on who you see, how many sessions you require, and the format you choose. If you're on a budget and looking for basic instruction on communication skills, getting on the same page around finances, priorities, etc. you may consider a class format. Classes tend to be most affordable and usually cost around…. Read more
CAN WE DO PREMARITAL COUNSELING ONLINE?
Online premarital counseling can be very effective and helpful for many couples. This is especially true for long-distance couples, couples in rural areas, couples who travel, and very busy professionals who would find it difficult (or impossible) to attend sessions otherwise. However, there are situations where online premarital counseling may not be a good idea… Read more
WHAT TO EXPECT IN PREMARITAL COUNSELING?
Good, evidence based premarital counseling generally starts with an assessment. There are various ways to do this. Sometimes you'll take an online quiz to determine your strengths and growth areas. Some premarital counselors prefer to interview you both to get an idea of your strengths and opportunities. Once that is mapped out…. Read more
Meet Our Team
Of Premarital Counseling Experts
Jessica Small, M.A., LMFT
Jessica Small is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist premarital counselor with years of experience in helping couples identify their strengths, pinpoint potential problem areas, and resolve issues before they start. She leads our “I DO!” premarital program.
Meagan Terry, M.A., LMFT
Meagan Terry is a Licensed Marriage and Family therapist, and a relationship expert. She specializes in helping couples communicate, keep their love strong, and create healthy, happy families. She teaches our “Lifetime of Love” premarital and relationship class.
Brenda Fahn, M.A., LMFT
Brenda Fahn is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over 15 years of experience in helping couples and families thrive. She is a certified Prepare-Enrich premarital counselor, and also teaches our “Lifetime of Love” premarital and relationship class.
Best Yet? We're Easy To Work With.
We're Convenient
- Day, evening & weekend appointments.
- We have convenient office locations across the Denver Metro area in Denver / Cherry Creek, Broomfield, and Denver Tech Center.
- Travel? Busy schedule? We offer online premarital counseling too.
- Easy online scheduling, or call our 24/7 receptionist for live help.
We're Affordable
- Our effective approach gets you results in fewer sessions
- Our rates are reasonable, and we have sliding scale options
- We offer cost-effective classes, or structured programs
Meet a Few Of Our Relationship Experts
The marriage counselors, couples therapists and premarital counselors of Growing Self have specialized training and years of experience in helping couples reconnect. We use only evidence based strategies that have been proven by research to help you restore your strong bond, and love your relationship again.
Hunter Tolman
M.S., MFTC
Hunter is a warm, compassionate marriage counselor, couples therapist, and parenting coach who believes in love, and that strong marriages create strong families. He practices Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy, which is an evidence-based form of marriage counseling that focuses on helping you create a strong, secure attachment built on trust and empathy.
His gentle, but effective approach can help you open up with each other, and have healing conversations that repair your bond and allow you both to consistently show each other the love and respect you both deserve. Hunter's roots are in Utah, but he is currently based in Colorado. He can serve you as a couples therapist or marriage counselor in Fort Collins, CO and Broomfield, CO, and he provides online marriage counseling & relationship coaching to couples across the US and around the world.
Meagan Terry
M.A., LMFT
Meagan Terry is a relationship specialist. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over nine years of experience in helping couples reconnect, and enjoy each other again. She specializes in Denver marriage counseling, Denver premarital counseling, and online relationship coaching.
Meagan uses effective, evidence based forms of marriage counseling including Emotionally-Focused Couples Therapy and The Gottman Method. In addition to working one-on-one with couples, she teaches our Lifetime of Love premarital and relationship class. Meagan is available to meet with you for marriage counseling or couples therapy in Denver, and for relationship coaching and premarital counseling online.
Georgiana Spradling
PhD, MFT
Dr. Georgiana is a couples counselor and relationship coach with a "tough love" style. Her no-nonsense approach and direct feedback can help you get clarity about what's creating issues in your relationship, develop emotional intelligence skills, change the way you interact with each other, and negotiate your differences in order to build bridges to the center.
Dr. Georgiana is a certified coach as well as a licensed as a marriage and family therapist in California but she specializes in online relationship coaching. She divides her time between San Francisco and Buenos Aires. She is fluent in English, Spanish and French.
Anastacia Sams
M.A., N.C.C., LMFT-C
I’m Anastacia Sams: a licensed therapist, life coach, and marriage counselor who is all about helping you create the very best life for yourself and for your relationships. I specialize in a type of evidence-based marriage counseling called Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy, that helps you rebuild your secure, strong bond.
I’ve been told that my warm, gentle style immediately sets people at ease. Working with me, you’ll feel safe, cared for, and understood. And through that non-judgmental understanding, you will heal, grow, and — most importantly — understand yourself.”
Neha Prabhu
M.S., MFTC
Neha is an open-minded relationship therapist and life coach with an authentic approach. She believes you are the agent of change, and she can help you activate systems that lead to achieving your goals. She is a strength-based and solution-focused therapist and coach in her work with couples and individuals. Neha believes that to experience personal growth, you must build from what works best for you. In her work as a life coach, therapist, and marriage counselor she help clients to understand their identity, establish strengths, and feel empowered.