By LOUISE MILLER
My parents thought I was too young to get married. Before the wedding, they insisted that my partner and I go along to relationship education.
I thought he and I knew each other better than any couple could – we’d talked and talked and talked – but it was surprising what came up during the sessions. We were both glad we’d done it.
A few years into the marriage, before we had kids, we decided to go to relationship counselling. We were going through a bit of a rough patch, and I wasn’t sure that we had a future together. I suggested counselling, and it turned out to be the best decision I ever made. Here’s why.
1. Going to counselling shows you’re both serious about the relationship.
It’s a sign of a strong relationship, not a weak one. You’re not willing to let yourselves drift apart. Just knowing my husband was willing to go to counselling made me realise we had a relationship that was worth working on. We went into it with a positive attitude.
Just as an FYI, you should know this post is sponsored by the Department of Social Services Stronger Relationships Trial. But all opinions expressed by the author are 100 per cent authentic and written in their own words.
2. Sometimes a relationship can be viewed more clearly from the outside.
We went along to a few sessions of counselling, and we talked about a lot of things, but for me, there was one thing the counsellor said that really stood out. This one line of hers gave me a whole new perspective on the situation and allowed me to move forward. It was something that only someone outside of the relationship could have told me.