For a marriage to work well, the relationship must be nurtured both before and after the ceremony. Counseling aims to teach couples skills that reduce conflict and lead to more successful lives together.

Coping with conflict isn’t always easy, but the more familiar individuals in a relationship are with one another, the better prepared they are to work through conflict issues. Couples counseling in NJ provides many conflict resolution tools that help to smooth out tough times.

Have you ever wondered why some couples are happy and others are not? You would be incorrect if you said the happy ones are the ones who have fewer disagreements. The truth is, as therapists who provide couples counseling in NJ will tell you, happy couples are those who have learned to manage conflict and not let disagreements get out of hand. Premarriage Counseling is one way many couples develop this skill.

These days couples who fore-go Premarriage Counseling are like business owners launching a company without a plan. Divorce statistics show that half of all marriages fail. Among the marriages that continue, only about half are happy ones.

Simply put, counseling teaches couples to have positive, effective communication and problem solving skills, which can lead to a better relationship. This is one of the key dynamics of couples counseling in NJ, PA, IL, CA, and countless other location throughout the United States.

Often couples marry with the belief that if they just follow their instincts and allow love, romance and a little luck to lead them, all will be well. However that is not always the case. If these couples undergo counseling prior to their marriage, they’ll realize that even in the strongest relationships, feeling love isn't enough. In addition to love, it takes trust, empathy, and understanding, for a relationship to remain healthy.

Couples who split up – or stay together unhappily – tend to have four behavioral traits that keep them mired in destructive patterns: stonewalling, defensiveness, contempt and criticism. These traits act as a shield, keeping positive, understanding behavior from coming forth. Through counseling prior to marriage, couples learn communications skills and how to resolve conflicts before the marriage begins and more complicated relationship factors enter the picture.

Another benefit of couples counseling in NJ is the individuals learn how to be more aware of themselves and their emotions. They learn to be empathetic with their partner. They also learn how behaviors such as withdrawing and calling names can cause a discussion to become an argument or worse.

The “high” a couple might feel when they fall in love is caused by phenylethlamine, a brain chemical that works something like amphetamines. They feel like they can do no wrong and nothing can get in the way of their love. But this feeling won’t last, and if they’ve never worked on their relationship and themselves through counseling, the view when they come back to earth might not be a good one.

In summary, counseling is an educational tool used to enhance the quality, compassion, and empathy for all parties involved. That is why Premarriage Counseling is such a valuable tool. It works to instill those same achievable qualities within couples looking to spend their lives together from the start.

Betty Rader is a freelance writer for Aspire Health Services, a Millstone, N.J.-based agency that provides Premarriage Counseling and other therapeutic services. Interested in finding out more about Marriage Counselors NJ? Visit our website today for more information.