Austin Pre-Engagement Counseling

A Few Words from Your Austin Relationship Counselor and Therapist

Carolyn C. Martin, MS, LPC, LMFT

5808 Balcones Dr, Ste 201
Austin, Texas 78731
512-795-0402

Pre-Engagement Counseling
It's new! It's hot! It's a great idea!

A happy conclusion to pre-engagement counseling: A Beach Proposal

Before you pop THE question or before you say, “Yes,” to THE question, get some advise on whether it's a good decision to marry each other. Over 50% of all marriage fail and often people say they wish they had picked more wisely. Deciding to marry is the most important decision you will ever make. And you can't afford to just make this decision with your heart. A decision made with both your head and your heart is more likely to lead to a happy, healthy marriage.

According to a recent LA Times article:

“Increasingly, couples are seeking out ‘pre-pre-marital counseling’ or pre-engagement counseling. It's an opportunity to sit down with trained advisers to examine, dispassionately, whether their love is a passing fancy... Using tools from social science, it aims to prepare them for conflict, to prevent unions based on blind impulse — and, ultimately, to reduce the divorce rate...”

When should you seek pre-engagement counseling?

The best time to start pre-engagement counseling or coaching is when you have been dating for a while and are contemplating the real possibility of marriage. If you've already decided to marry and feel the relationship is suffering or if you want to make your pending marriage the best it can be, pre-marital counseling is available with us also.

What can I expect from pre-engagement counselor?

In the first session, we get a history and an overall description of the relationship. At the end of the first session, you'll be given an assessment to take home and fill out. You'll bring it back for the second session, and in this session, the two of you will be seen separately to get autobiographical information. In the third session, you'll be given feedback on your relationship, and if you choose to continue sessions, we'll work on making the relationship the best it can be.

What methods are used to improve the relationship?

Almost every thing we do comes from the research of John Gottman. If you would like to read about his research and methods, see www.gottman.com. We don't use pop psychology, radio talk-show psychology and don't believe men and women come from different planets. The strongest emphasis in making your relationship great will be helping you become each other's best friend and on conflict regulation, two highest predictors for happy, stable marriages. Also, a strong component of pre-engagement counseling is psycho-educational information about what makes marriage happy and healthy.

You can reach Carolyn C. Martin, M.S., L.P.C., L.M.F.T. at 512-795-0402. Located at 5808 Balcones Dr, Ste 201, Austin, Texas 78731

Or, you can email me at carolyn@mariposapsychotherapy.com.