WTAMU will be hosting a Great Start Premarital Seminar on March 31 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Leann Gables, a Student Counseling Services professional counselor, said the seminar will cover topics such as communication, conflict resolution, finances, relational intimacy and passion.

“The seminar is very interactive,” she said. “After receiving the information, couples will get to discuss the information with each other.”

Paula Schlegel, instructor of Communication, said premarital counseling is beneficial because it gives couples the opportunity to discuss issues that may have not come up or been addressed before.“The challenges aren’t the same for everyone, but every couple will have challenges,” Schlegel said. “If we knew the exact problems everyone would face, then your marriage license would have a ‘what to do’ handout attached.”

Premarital counseling is designed to help build and improve these skills.

“Verbal and nonverbal communication is how we connect with our spouse. Communication keeps us connected and allows us to grow together,” Schlegel said. “Change will happen.  The world will give us challenges and chaos.  Being able to communicate ideas, dreams, challenges, goals, success and disappointments keeps both partners on the same page so that they can keep moving forward together.”

Gables said the seminar will also help couples make the transition from dating to marriage and it will help newlyweds avoid typical problems that arise while learning to live together.

“The dynamics change with marriage and this seminar will help couples know what to expect,” she said.

Katie White, newlywed and Broadcasting/Electronic Media major, recently went through premarital counseling and a marriage conference and said it gave her the support she needed to adjust to married life.

“The things we learned helped us transition from dating to marriage because we had support from family and friends,” she said. “That is what premarital counseling is – guidance on how to have a home that is a safe place and how to make a marriage last in a world where 50 percent of marriages don’t last.”

Premarital counseling has proven to reduce divorce rates, Gables said.

“Statistics show that only 35 percent of married couples get premarital counseling,” she said. “But premarital counseling is shown to reduce divorce rates by 30 percent.” There are family law attorneys in Fort Worth that can assist families with the legalities of separation and counseling.

White said she would suggest premarital counseling to other couples because it couldn’t hurt.

“So many people make a commitment before God and family to love one person for the rest of their lives and just forget about that commitment,” she said. “Premarital counseling doesn’t stop once you get married; it helps you along the way to remember the commitment you made.”

The seminar is for seriously dating or engaged couples and is free and open to the public. To register, contact Counseling Services at 651-2340.