CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE COUNSELING
What is Christian Marriage Counseling?
Christian marriage counseling is counseling that is informed by a Biblical worldview and incorporates spiritual truth, wisdom, and God’s heart for marriage into the counseling work and relationship. The goal of Christian marriage counseling is to keep God at the center of your marriage and to facilitate a relationship based on love, respect, and partnership.
What to Expect During Christian Marriage Counseling
Couples counseling will begin with an intake session in which your counselor will get to know you as a couple and explore the concerns that are bringing you to therapy. Your therapist will also meet with each member of the couple individually to get each individual’s background, perspective on current
relationship issues, and significant life events. After the intake process, your therapist will work with you to develop communication skills, conflict resolution strategies, and deeper intimacy and connection. While there may be the occasional focus on one partner, you can expect that your therapist will not take sides.
The goal of couples counseling is increased intimacy with each other and God. Your counselor will be focused on building empathy, healing personal wounds, and creating a marriage that embodies what Paul writes in Ephesians 4:2-3: Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
Do You Have to Be Married to Attend Couples Counseling?
Long answer short, no. We believe couples at all stages of the relationship can benefit from counseling. Our couples counselors offer both premarital counseling and counseling for dating couples.
Must a Couple Be in Crisis to Benefit From Marriage Counseling?
Many couples will often wait until a crisis has occurred to schedule marriage therapy. However, we believe that marriage counseling can be beneficial at any point in your marriage. Through marriage counseling, you begin to build skills and intimacy. In turn, you are more ready as a couple to navigate crises when they occur. Couples counseling can be helpful especially during stressful transitions, like moving to a new city or having a child, or simply because you and your spouse want to grow closer together.
Christian Premarital Counseling
Here at Remain Connected, we are very passionate about premarital counseling! Preparing well for your marriage can help prevent conflict, deepen intimacy, and give you tools that set you up well for the rest of your marriage.
Our couples therapists use the Prepare/Enrich model of premarital counseling. Prepare/Enrich is a more structured approach to premarital counseling where you will take an assessment that provides feedback on your relationship’s strengths and growth areas. Your counselor will then walk you through the results and give you practical tools to build on your strengths and navigate through growth areas. Your couples counselor will also help you
discuss common premarital topics such as managing finances, in-laws, and sexual intimacy.
For more information about Prepare/Enrich, look here.
What If One Partner is Not a Christian?
If partners have differing faiths, couples counseling can still be very beneficial and assist in navigating differing spiritual beliefs. As professional counselors, we will always be respectful of our clients’ worldviews and beliefs. We will never force our faith onto a client.
In the marriage counseling setting, your counselor will explore with the couple how they want to incorporate one partner’s faith into the therapeutic work. Most often, this looks like aiding the Christian partner in utilizing their faith as a personal resource and aiding the non-Christian partner in identifying and using non-faith-based resources.
The Remain Connected Approach to Christian Marriage Counseling
The Remain Connected approach to marriage counseling is rooted in the belief that God’s heart is for healthy, whole, and loving marriages. We believe that this begins with both husband and wife taking responsibility for their relationship with God and trusting Him with their wounds.
The goal of this approach is that each person can relate to their spouse out of a place of knowing that they are already loved and worthy, even when triggered in conflict. It is important that each member of the couple takes responsibility for their actions and is willing to understand how their actions impact their spouse.
Our therapists will work with the couple to identify common themes that lead to conflict, each individual’s reaction to conflict, and how these themes contribute to the couple’s conflict cycle.
The next goal of therapy will be to help each member of the couple self-soothe when they recognize that a conversation or situation has triggered a hurt. Once both husband and wife have cared for their triggers, our therapists will guide you through practical communication and problem-solving skills to continue to build empathy and partnership.
Our goal is to create an environment where each individual feels heard and seen by their partner, personal wounds are healed, and relationship intimacy is strengthened.
Begin Christian Marriage Counseling in Atlanta, GA
Knowing how to get started can be one of the more difficult parts of therapy: you become anxious about seeking Christian marriage counseling. Our practice is here to not only aid that processes our team makes it easier for you. Get started with these three simple steps:
Get started on your journey today with the right foot forward.
678-892-7713
Other Services at Remain Connected Counseling
It is time to start to consider getting the mental health help you need through Christian marriage counseling. We know and understand how difficult navigating marriage can be, and we are ready to guide and navigate you through your journey. At our Smyrna, GA therapy practice, we offer services such as teen counseling, trauma and PTSD therapy, anxiety therapy, EMDR, counseling for depression, telemental health, and Pastoral counseling. Along with therapy for stress & burnout, life transitions, and more all under a Christian counseling lens. Learn more about our team, check out our blog, and contact us for more information. Even if you are not located near Atlanta you can still start teletherapy with our online therapists. Taking that first step is never easy, but let us do the work and help you see it through.