Testimonials: Premarriage Course.

"While Joan provided us with the tools and methods to resolve and communicate as a couple, we got the most out of the course by applying the training in our day to day relationship. Numerous questions accumulated over the course of the week would be asked and our experience in using the tools would be assessed.

Our initial feelings of reluctance and doubt quickly evaporated giving way to a new found awakening in which questions that would've been swept under the rug and ignored during the honeymoon phase were suddenly confronted in a controlled atmosphere.

Joan's years of accumulated experience allowed us to take our relationship to a new level beyond our wildest dreams." David.

"Every relationship is doomed to fail if effort and work is not invested into it. There’s no golden rule to keeping the spark alive, but rather hard work and constant effort. Joan not only gave us the tips and tactics to do all this and more but she also gave us a realistic view on relationships and we feel safe, happy and eager to live our lives, adopting her tools because they really do work!

We, as a couple experienced many difficult situations in our relationship whilst attending Joan’s sessions, some of which we didn’t know how to handle on our own, but we found it such a wonderful comfort to apply her suggested methods and tactics. By experiencing Joan’s lessons in our lives, we were able to completely understand and identify with her own experiences and suggestions. She is wonderfully unbiased and says it how it is – she doesn’t beat around the bush, but will tell you straight out if you were out of line and need to change your attitude to a particular issue, or how to tackle a situation more effectively.

It helps to be open minded and eager to learn ways to strengthen your relationship  Joan’s personal, funny and witty relationship experiences/stories, spoken without hindrance and shyness made us feel completely at home and eager to learn ways to better our relationship and keep it alive. She was like our fairy Godmother keeping us safe! We feel that nothing could be so wrong that we cannot discuss it and work it out.

Over the course of 6 weeks, and as we became more confident and more receptive to Joan’s guidance, we became more open to each other and developed a wonderful communication strength which we never thought was possible. Our relationship has developed a maturity, which, thanks to Joan has taken us to a level so great before marriage we are eternally thankful and grateful.

Joan is a wonder. A marriage with the intent to last cannot start without her knowledge and this course." Asuma

See Dianne and Ivan's testimonial concerning our pre-marriage course and ongoing coaching

• Pre-marriage courses can help you learn how to enhance your relationship, and put into place those relationship skills that will help to ensure the growth in intimacy so essential for a happy marriage. 

  Our pre-marriage course  is now available by correspondence. 

  The correspondence course consists of six sessions and builds up to a resource book that can help you survive married life's small glitches along the way. For more information click on Pre-marriage Courses in the side bar.

  The Correspondence Course can be purchased for $250.00 AUD (Includes all material, certificate on completion, GST plus postage and handling.)

  Prospective course students living in Australia can enrol by contacting us on (03) 97 965 965.

  Overseas prospective course students can enrol by ringing us on 61 3 9796 5965. 

  Both local and overseas prospective students can email: Enquiries@jspencer.com.au

  The Couple with Counsellor Course costs $100 per session for six sessions bringing the total cost to $600.00 AUD.  The advantage of this two to one, face to face course is that you have the entire attention and interaction of the experienced counsellor. As a consequence the value of the course to you is increased exponentially. This course option alsoncludes all material, and certificate on completion, plus the offer of the counsellor to act as a relationship coach in the future to help you handle any issues, problems or conflicts that may arise in your future marriage or relationship. This may be a free short telephone consultation or a paid appointment with the counsellor at your convenience if the presenting problem needs more intensive counselling.

  Group session with group leader is another option. This option depends on the ability to form a group of at least five couples. Again this offer includes the interaction of the group leader. It is presented over a six hour grouping of six sessions, usually on the one day. The group leader will also offer  to act as a relationship coach in the future to help you handle any  issues, problems or conflicts that may arise in your future marriage or relationship. The group session with group leader option costs $250.00 AUD.

• The focus of the course is to enable couples to explore how to turn their romantic love into an enriching life-long commitment to each other.

  The sessions include:

  • A good marriage begins with you- what we bring from our family of origin- values, attitudes and beliefs.
  • Understanding your relationship- commitment and love are not the same thing. Exploring a couples expectations, intimacy and sexuality.
  • Communications- the basis for an effective relationship-communicating with openness and honesty-learning active listening skills.
  • Moving from conflict to resolution- discover the reasons behind strong emotional reactions- develop problem solving skills.
  • How many times do I need to change my name- In-laws- legal issues- wills - pre-nuptial agreements- buying a home.
  • Building mature love into your new marriage- developing a balance between independence and inter-dependence in a close loving relationship.

   

  What to expect from a Pre-marriage Course.

• Pre-marriage courses should not focus on problems, but help couples to prepare to meet challenges ahead. Good pre-marriage courses and counselling will nonetheless help you to become aware of the pitfalls that can catch you when you least expect them.
• Consultation adapting to the new commitment of marriage.
• Competent counsellors will help you discover why some successful defacto relationships run into trouble after the wedding. 
• Drawing from their experience in helping couples when things go wrong,  and combined with years of premarital counselling sessions behind them, you can expect qualified and experienced  pre-marriage  counsellors to be in a position to help you develop a fulfilling relationship. 
• You can expect a that a pre-marriage course is designed to assist couples to learn how to develop their future marriage relationship and to enrich their love and commitment to each other.
• Such courses will use of adult learning activities couples are given the opportunity to learn such skills as listening to each other, to speak up, to have their needs and expectations met. Couples learn to be able to handle problems and conflict constructively.
• Here at Joan Spencer & Associates we  have found most couples prefer to meet individually with a course leader/counsellor. In this instance the course comprises two 2 hourly sessions. However group sessions can be arranged if required depending on demand.
•  
•  

 Sue and Brian

Why we chose pre-marital
counselling

Brian has been married before and didn't want
to repeat the same mistakes.

Our families were similar but there were attitudes and behaviours that we
didn't want to repeat in our marriage.

We wanted to know how to handle the
problems as they rose in our marriage
before they became mountains.

How could we turn a crisis into a learning
experience?

How could we help each other to develop our relationship?

Am I doing the right things?
Will my partner meet my needs:
• to be loved?
• to have affection?
• to be understood?
• to be accepted?
• to be financially
   secure?
• to be emotionally
   secure?
• for companionship?
• for meaningful
   communication?
• for personal growth?
• for domestic support?
• for honesty and
  openness?
• for sexual intimacy?

Joan Spencer & Associates, Marriage
Counselling Practitioners,  are offering Pre-marriage Workshops and one to one counselling sessions to help you prepare for marriage.

For those living at such a distance that face to face pre-marriage counselling is not possible, we are preparing an on-line course that will be available soon.

Watch this space!

Click here to go to our enriching relationships page for more information.

Tel. Freecall
1800 64 74 64, or
(03)97 965 965

Premarital Counselling
available at our
 Hallam and Pakenham centres.

Workshops will be conducted at
our rooms in Hallam. 182 Princes Highway. and at 6 Eleanor Court Pakenham.

Marriage celebrants please note: If you are willing to get five couples together to do the pre-marriage course we are willing to come to you. Please contact us to discuss the conditions that apply.