Have you considered adding premarital counseling to your practice but aren’t sure where to start?
Or maybe you have provided some therapy to engaged couples but aren’t confident of the impact?
Watch Terri L. White, LPC, author of Almost Married, for a comprehensive program on premarital counseling that will take you step by step through the entire process of working with engaged couples, to ending treatment. You will walk away with:
- Pre- and post-assessment tools to guide therapy planning and measure each couples’ progress
- Customizable materials for group or dyadic settings, faith-based settings, and tools to meet the needs of BIPOC couples, couples bringing kids into the marriage, and more
- Dozens of worksheets, therapeutic strategies, in-session activities, and homework assignments to guide couples through the most challenging situations, including knowing when to walk away from an unhealthy relationship prior to marriage
Terri L. White, LPC, is the author of Breaking the Silence, From a Mother to a Warrior, and Almost Married.
Known as “The Marriage Healer”, Terri is recognized as an expert in
couples therapy and utilizes solution-focused techniques to give couples
the tools they need for conflict-resolution and intimacy.
Terri is the owner of White Diamond Counseling, Consulting, and Coaching
LLC where she counsels, provides clinical supervision, and offers
retreats, workshops, and support groups. She focuses her practice on
preparing couples for marriage and healing broken marriages. Terri’s
transparent teaching style and her passion for work have made her a
sought-after speaker.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Terri White maintains a private practice and has an
employment relationship with Capella University. She receives a speaking
honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant
financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Terri White has no relevant non-financial relationships.
A Framework for Success
- The “why” of premarital counseling
- Top tips for working with couples
- Relationship status of the therapist – impact on therapy
- The “Almost Married” curriculum: an overview
- Applying CBT, EFT, Gottman Method, and more
- Limitations of the research and potential risks
Step by Step: Setting Your Clients Up for Success
Sessions 1&2: Unpacking the Past
- Establish a framework for lifetime commitment
- Address the impact of families of origin
- Use family genograms to build understanding and unity
- Identify and addressing faith-based challenges
- Unload baggage from prior relationships
- Resources, activities, and homework
- Video case studies
Sessions 3-6: Preparing for conflict
- “It’s my money!” – Tools to keep financial discussions conflict-free
- Rules for fighting fair
- Activities to enhance conflict resolution skills
- Navigate seemingly insurmountable issues that emerge
- Ownership of self and respecting individuality
- Resilience-building approaches
Sessions 7-9: Beyond 50/50
- Dropping the scorecard
- Move couples from “me” to a healthy “we”
- Address intimacy: honesty, communication, and keeping the spark alive
- Family planning and preparing for successful co-parenting
- Blending families: establishing healthy relationship boundaries
Sessions 10-12: The Marriage Framework
- Activities to practice skills learned
- Create a marriage plan
- Marriage checkups – framework and schedule
- Prepare for the big day
A Group-Based Approach
- Set the ground rules
- Strategies for ensuring active engagement in the process
- Create group unity and foster mutual support
- Tools, exercises, and activities for success
Special Considerations
- Meet the needs of BIPOC couples
- How to implement a faith-based approach
- When engagements end: reframing “failure”
- From cohabiting to marriage
- Customize for unique settings and situations
