Pre- Marital Counselling - How Is It Beneficial?

Marriage is considered one of the most significant milestones in the life of an individual. Regardless of whether a man or a woman is getting married, the prospect of a wedding is often, not always though, considered scary owing to the stakes involved.

Marriage is regarded as an untraveled path for most people and others it is an enigma or a mystery. Marriage has a number of facets of which most are not aware of, till they get a chance of crossing the bridge. Pre-marital counseling is of crucial importance that can aid individuals to get accustomed to these variations.

Importance of pre-marital counseling
Pre-marital counseling is especially vital in Indian context since in this country marriage is not just union of two individuals but of two families. It is often seen that the families have varying backgrounds, cultures, customs, castes, traditions, taste and preferences. It is therefore imperative to have an in-depth awareness about the institution of marriage, choosing sexually and medically compatible partner, knowledge about the anatomy of the partner, the consummation of marriage, emergency contraception and most importantly, preservation of marriage. Since a healthy relationship takes up a critical role in a successful marriage, counseling before marriage helps in redefining the value of a relationship.

Steps involved in pre-marital counseling

1. Understanding the institution of marriage: The first and foremost step in pre-marital counseling is to make the would-be grooms and brides understand the significance of the institution of marriage and prepare them for the wedding. The would-be spouses should be able to accommodate changes in their personal spaces- both physical as well as mental.
2. Knowing the obligations and expectations: Once the individuals are mentally prepared, it becomes important to work out on the individual compatibility between the two persons. It is often a difficult and time-consuming task since most people have a tendency to hide their negative aspects. Later, it becomes taxing to sustain all through the time after marriage. It is often not possible to predict how the partners can relate to one another after marriage. In case there is any lack of preparation, they will not be able to share their pasts to a considerable extent. Before marriage, it is important to know about the family obligations, career aspirations, schooling and educational backdrop along with a host of factors that can make or break their married life.

It becomes worthy of mention here that compatibility between partners is not just limited to mental compatibility only; sexual and other factors also play a role in making a marriage successful.
Pre-marital counseling aids in future planning, discovering new arenas about the couples and enables them to absorb the wisdom of the counselor. Moreover, it can help in building a good communication relation among partners and promotes better understanding which also further prevents separation and divorce to a great extent.