Premarital Counseling Should Be Mandatory

773 Words4 Pages
Meagan Berryman Jeff Wylie English 102 25 March 2011 Premarital Counseling Should be Mandatory One major problem in our society today is divorce with over half of all marriages being dissolved prematurely. This rate is extremely high, so high in fact that this is indeed a crisis. Divorce affects everyone involved; it leads to one or both partners being left broken and is detrimental to children. While it is expected that most people will someday be married, it should be important to all American’s to help find a solution to this problem. A common belief is that the state legislatures should make premarital counseling a requirement prior to the issuance of a marriage license in an attempt to gain control of the escalating divorce rate. These divorce rates are greatly contributing to the many issues we are seeing in the children who are by-products of these failed marriages. By getting involved in marriage counseling couples are given the opportunity to get to know one another on a much more personal level than they otherwise may. By putting the taboo questions out in the open for them to talk about counselors give these couples the chance to address problem causing issues that could otherwise be overlooked or neglected. Often times couples are asked to fill out questionnaires about themselves and their partner that helps the counselor see how they correspond and communicate. This enables the counselors to give the couples advice on the best communication methods and problem solving skills that will best suit their relationship. At least half of divorces in America are due to irreconcilable differences, or the inability to find the middle ground on issues that are important to one or both parties. By participating in premarital counseling couples are asked to express their “Five year plan”, their ideal life in five years. By doing this the participants and
Open Document