The Benefits Of Marriage Counseling Online

Online pre-marriage and marriage counseling can have a wide variety of benefits. Along with the benefits of couples therapy in general, such as improved communication, enhanced conflict resolution skills, and a strengthened bond, the online component of this type of therapy can add other advantages. For example, online counseling is often flexible as far as location and session time, more affordable than in-person alternatives, versatile in terms of issues that can be addressed, and full of thousands of professionals to choose from. In addition, the unique format of online therapy, which often allows for written messages and three-way video calls, can be another benefit of marriage counseling online. 

Should you get pre-marriage counseling?

In general, all couples can benefit from pre-marriage counseling. No matter where you and your partner are in your relationship, how long you've been together, or how happy and healthy your relationship is, you may find value in premarital counseling. This type of counseling can help both of you express yourselves more completely and clearly. It can also help you better understand each other and resolve any problems that you might be having. 

With pre-marriage counseling, you’ll generally have the opportunity to learn more about what marriage entails. You may learn more about compromising and disagreeing healthily. You may learn about the division of labor and how to talk to your partner in a way that helps them understand your thoughts and feelings more fully. You may also learn how to listen and be a good partner in every way possible. In addition, you’ll likely have the opportunity to talk about the future and what both of you want.

All these things can help you and your partner better understand what your relationship will be like and how it might change as you continue to grow old together. If you both want to be happy and you want the relationship to be healthy throughout your lives, you may need to know how to do all these things, and you will likely need to be willing to work at it. The sooner you and your partner work at it, the better off you're probably going to be, which can be extremely important. You generally want to make sure that you are both moving forward at all times, and without this type of counseling to start the relationship, you may run into issues or conflicts.

Most people think that their relationship is great and there's no reason for them to attend pre-marriage counseling, but the truth is there may be plenty of things you should be discussing that you and your partner may not have even considered. It might not be that there's anything negative about your relationship, but being prepared for the possibility of trouble in the future can always be a good idea. Not only that, but you and your partner may need to ensure you're having some of the important conversations, and you might not think about them on your own. If you've never talked about how you're going to handle money, how to handle holidays, whether you want kids, what your plans are for retirement, and other similar topics, then you may need to sit down and do just that, and marriage counseling can help.

Pre-marriage counseling vs. marriage counseling

The main difference between pre-marriage counseling and marriage counseling is generally that one takes place before marriage, and the other takes place when you and your partner are already married. While it can be helpful to attend pre-marriage counseling and work through issues before getting married, marriage counseling can still have a host of benefits. You may still be able to work through many of the same topics and issues in marriage counseling as you would have discussed in premarital counseling. Both pre-marriage and marriage counseling can be completed online and tend to have many of the same advantages.

Online counseling can be flexible

There may also be an increasing number of certified marriage counselors choosing to practice full-time or part-time online. A couple might reside in rural Oregon but speak to a counselor residing in Denver, Colorado, for example. Couples who do not like one counselor can easily browse to find another that they may fit better with. Additionally, couples that travel a lot can still speak with a counselor as long as they have a computer, tablet, or smartphone and an internet connection.

One concern couples may have about attending marriage therapy is that their friends or family may find out that they are seeking marriage counseling. The idea of running into someone they know or another couple they spend time with may prevent one or both partners from wanting to seek professional help. They may also not want to worry about running into their counselor in public settings.

If you live in a more rural area, you might not have many mental health professionals from which to choose. It might be difficult for you to get to an office frequently, or it might be challenging for you and your partner to get there together because of different work schedules. With online therapy, you and your partner may not necessarily need to be in the same place; you can both log in from different areas.

Online counseling can be affordable

You might have a hard time finding free marriage counseling, but online therapy is often less expensive than in-person sessions. This can be especially helpful if you don’t have insurance or if your insurance doesn’t cover marriage counseling.

Online counseling can be versatile

This can help you get started on other areas of therapy more quickly than trying to find someone within your hometown who can help you with something entirely new. 

Online counseling may be full of options

When it comes to finding a therapist, it can be difficult to do so in most towns. Even if you live in a large area, you may have a hard time finding just the right therapist because you're typically going to be limited to just a few, and of those few, only a handful may be taking on new clients. With online therapy, you may have nearly endless options. 

The format can be unique

With marriage counseling online, couples can type messages back and forth with their counselor. Some online therapy platforms support live three-way sessions with a therapist, so couples can be in different places when having a therapy session. Couples may find it difficult to remember everything that was said during in-person counseling sessions, but the format of online counseling usually allows couples to go back and read their previous messages.

Try online marriage counseling

Online marriage counseling can be an excellent way to get the professional help you deserve from a location that’s convenient for you at a time that fits your schedule. 

As this study explains, online couples therapy generally has the same rate of efficacy as in-person couples therapy. If you and your partner are interested in scheduling sessions with a professional, please know that either option can be a valid and effective choice.