John A. Bragstad Counseling

11550 Stillwater Blvd N

Lake Elmo, MN

 

(651) 308 1200

 

Marriage Preparation for Life!

Specializing in cognitive-behavioral

therapy (CBT) & marriage counseling

Preparing for Marriage

Weddings for a day … Marriages for a Lifetime!

Marriage is about more than “tying the knot”, more than the right chemistry, more than knowing what kind of flowers to have at your wedding.

 

Every marriage has two people who have ideas and dreams about what they want their marriage to be.

 

Sadly, you might know friends where the knot is unraveling a

year or two after a day that began with such promise. Other couples seem “tied up in knots”, unable to solve their problems, each becoming more and more frustrated.

These are facts you need to know as you prepare for your wedding day:

 

· Almost 50% of all divorces take place within 2 years after getting married

· The inability of couples to manage conflict is the biggest reason why couples divorce

· Living together is no guarantee that you can be married to each other.

· Conflict is inevitable … how we resolve it can be learned or refined.

 

· There is a precipitous drop in marriage satisfaction 70% of couples report following

     the birth of their first child.  There are strategies to help couples meet this “challenge”.

· The gravitational pull of parents, family, friends or one partner wanting to keep the

     old lifestyle all need to be anticipated or couples will not feel married  to each other.

 

· Marriage success is more about communication skills than “amounts of money” or

     any other factor according to a study of over 500 couples

· The ability to talk about feelings (for both men and women) ranked as one of three

     most important aspects of a good marriage according to another poll

· Researched information and skills can be taught to couples getting married that can

     strengthen the knot by as much as 30% in terms of couples staying together

PREPARE is one way to help you plan for the days and weeks and years after your wedding.

It will provide you with data-specific information about your relationship and the challenges you will need to be aware of in order to manage them effectively.  

 

WHAT IS PREPARE AND HOW DOES IT WORK?

 

1.  PREPARE (designed by Life Innovations) is a questionnaire you complete in the

     privacy of your own home that measures over 30 areas of compatibility.  Included are:

 

                 Communication                     Financial Management         Family of Origin

                 Conflict Resolution                Family & Friends                    Leisure Activities

                 Role Relationship                  Realistic Expectations          Children & Parenting

                 Personality Issues                 Sexual Relationship              Spirituality

 

2.  IN ADDITION TO PREPARE you complete the Keirsey Personality Inventory

      This allows couples to see their relationship “on paper” so they can identify differences

      and plan out how they will flex to their partner so they can optimize their relationship. 

      How you deal with conflict, how you communicate and organize information, how quickly

      you close on decisions and what you truly want out of any argument / discussion are all

      part of the rewards for understanding the differences between you and your partner. 

 

3.  PREPARE and the Keirsey Personality Inventory you mail back to me and a 3 hour

      session is set up to fit your schedule.  THIS IS NOT A 3 HOUR LECTURE but a lively,

      informative time set aside for you as a couple where you can focus on your relationship

      and receive direct feedback from a trained marriage and family counselor / coach. 

 

 

RESULTS YOU CAN EXPECT FROM USING PREPARE AND THIS PROCESS:

 

      

· You’ll have a relational roadmap you can rely on to help you find alternate strategies

· You will receive reinforcement for strengths you already know and are aware of

· You will learn more about how to love your partner at the deepest levels

· You will save years of trying to understand where potential pinch points are

The first critical years are when you are laying down tracks that can make such a difference in

your marriage.  PREPARE is a great way to ensure you’ve looked at all the blind spots.  It is

a wonderful gift to give yourself or those you love.

 

Divorce-proofing your marriage may be so important you might want to think about asking

your parents or close friends if they will sponsor you OR you may want to consider listing

PREPARE in your wedding registry.  

 

What does PREPARE cost? 

 

For this valuable 3 hour experience which includes careful preparation, scoring of PREPARE

(Life Innovations) and professional feedback the cost is $225. 

 

The first year of marriage has been described not so much as a Honeymoon Period

but as a Clash of Cultures.  That is probably closer to the truth than we care to admit. 

 

PREPARE is one way to insure that the knot you carefully and joyfully tie on your wedding day

will remain strong as it is tested in years to come.

 

For more information on how to get started, please call me at no obligation:

John A. Bragstad Counseling serving Stillwater, MN and surrounding areas.