Senator David Hoyle from North Carolina recently proposed a bill that would provide marital counseling to couples who choose to get married in court. The idea, he says, is to reduce divorce rates that are at a historical high. Currently, couples that choose to marry in court are not offered premarital counseling. […]
Archive for the 'Pre-Marital Counseling' Category
Oklahoma Approves Covenant Marriage; Removes Common Law Marriage
Published by February 20th, 2007 0 CommentsThe Oklahoma legislature has approved covenant marriage as a voluntary option for couples wanting to get married or renewing their vows. The bill passed 93-7.
Covenant marriage, according to House Bill 1026 is a lifelong agreement, where the couple obtains counseling before marriage on the purpose and responsibilities of marriage. The couple then sign a notarized […]
Oklahoma Lawmaker Proposes “Covenant Marriage”
Published by February 20th, 2007 in Pre-Marital Counseling, Divorce and Laws. 0 CommentsOklahoma state representative John Wright is introducing a bill that would make “covenant marriage” a voluntary option. The Republican lawmaker is hoping to try to reduce Oklahoma’s high divorce rate by making it tougher to get a divorce if the covenant marriage option is chosen by the couple.
The law would eliminate “incompatibility” as grounds for […]
Even though we run a website dedicated to marriage counseling and family therapy we sometimes come across an acronym for a counseling credential that makes us scratch our heads. For our sanity and for yours, we try to maintain an updated list of the credentials that are common in the counseling world and some that […]
Marriage License Discount Proposed in North Dakota
Published by January 14th, 2007 in Pre-Marital Counseling and Laws. 0 CommentsThe good folk up in North Dakota are discussing giving a cash incentive to couples who attend pre-marital counseling before tying the knot. Talks are underway to give a $25 discount on a marriage license to those couples who attend a 4 hour pre-marriage counseling course. Local Pastor Keith Ritchie says the bill […]
Navy, Marines Now Require Pre-Marriage Workshops Before Tying the Knot
Published by January 14th, 2007 in Pre-Marital Counseling, Laws and Couple Therapy. 0 CommentsThe Navy and Marines now require servicemen stationed in Japan to attend a mandatory two-day pre-marital workshop. The workshop is designed to build successful marriages. In it, the counselor covers a wide array of topics that may typically be too difficult for couples to bring up on their own. They include communication, […]
The new secretary-general of the Islamic Society of North America, the largest Muslim organization on the continent, said that Imams living in the United States need to embrace the culture better and provide services that are now rarely offered to Muslims. He says that Imams need to offer marriage counseling and pastoral counseling in […]
Airforce Base Houses Successful Marriage Counseling Center
Published by October 25th, 2006 0 CommentsLuke Air Force Base located in Glendale, Arizona has a surprisingly successful counseling center. The Spiritual Maintenance Center has seen over 15,000 visitors since its inception and now averages 500-600 visits per week! These are shocking numbers, especially when considering the stereotype that military-men are macho and won’t talk about their feelings. […]
Community Marriage Builders (CMB) recieved a $530,000 grant from the Administration for Children and Families and Office of Family Assistance. This is big news for the community because more than 2,000 organizations applied for the grant nationwide and it was awarded to only 135. The grant will be used to develop and enhance […]
Oklahoma Marriage Intitiative Stepping Up Efforts
Published by October 25th, 2006 in Pre-Marital Counseling. 0 CommentsThe Oklahoma Marriage Initiative is trying to get more couples to undergo premarital counseling. The program has been somewhat of a success attracting more than 80,000 couples since its inception. Now, they are offering a marriage license discount to any couple who undergoes premarital counseling by a minister or an accredited department of […]
Michigan Passes Laws Encouraging Premarital Counseling
Published by July 2nd, 2006 in Pre-Marital Counseling and Laws. 0 CommentsThe Michigan House passed laws encouraging couples to get premarital counseling by offering the incentive of getting their marriage license the same day if they received four hours of counseling. They also passed legislation requiring divorcing parents to complete a program on the effects of divorce on children.
To read more about this, click here to […]
Best Wedding Gift? Premarital Counseling
Published by June 30th, 2006 in Pre-Marital Counseling. 1 CommentA new article in Time magazine deals with marriages and why they last or fail. Marriages are as different as the people who enter into them and can last forever or fail quickly for a nearly unlimited number of reasons. I found the article extremely interesting and found the following excerpt particularly illuminating:
“Couples who have […]
Premarital Therapy: Saying ‘Help’ Before ‘I Do’
Published by June 3rd, 2006 in Pre-Marital Counseling. 0 CommentsAn article on FoxNews.com highlights a new trend: premarital counseling.
It might sound counterintuitive to see a counselor during what is supposed to be such a happy time. But a growing number of couples are getting help from a pro before they step off the ledge and take the plunge.”
“We have seen that a lot more […]
Philippines Makes Pre-Marriage Counseling Mandatory
Published by June 2nd, 2006 in Pre-Marital Counseling and Laws. 0 Comments“Representative Rozzano Rufino Biazon (Muntinlupa City), author of House Bill 216, stressed the need for couples intending to marry “to be properly educated on the rigors of marriage to enable them to cope with the challenges they will face everyday for the rest of their lives.” Biazon said that with the increasing number of failed […]
A county in Tennessee that requires couples to get marriage counseling or pay an extra $60 to get a marriage license has noticed a 50% decline in marriages in recent years. Perhaps mandatory marriage counseling or a fine in the place of it, is just a bad idea. Counseling, except in extreme circumstances is probably […]
Michigan legislators have proposed bills that would award couples a $50 tax credit for attending a premarital class or counseling, under Republican-sponsored bills. The proposal also aims to waive the current three-day waiting period for a marriage license for couples who complete the course. In Tennessee, it costs money to not attend pre-marital counseling, in […]
