I’ve seen couples come in for premarital counseling initially, but after exploring issues it becomes apparent that couples therapy is what’s really needed. Again, Mark Baer, family-law attorney, “Premarital counseling has the potential of creating problems, in that it causes people to think about and discuss issues they may never have considered. While this can be viewed as a con, I would propose that it is also a pro because it forces the discussion before marriage, as opposed to after marriage. Why not be preventative and not reactive?” As Becky Whetstone, Ph.D., LMFT tells it, “Marriage and Family Therapist’s know to look into each person’s beliefs and values concerning money, child-raising, spirituality, individuality, partnership, marriage in general, and more. If we see an emotionally immature or incompatible couple heading for a marital train wreck, we’ll tell them.” Dr. Tasha R. Howe, professor of psychology at Humboldt State University argues that healthy marriages usually have a ratio of 5 positive interactions for every 1 negative interaction. In her book titled, “Marriages and Families in the 21st Century: A Bioecological Approach,” she talks about how, “Premarital counseling, especially that which focuses on all of the bioecological systems that influence partners, can help solve problems before a couple marries, in order to increase the chance of success. The most common problems couples face are financial struggles, differences in sex drive, erroneous perceptions about their partners, and lack of communication.”