There is a lot to do when planning a wedding but attending PREPARE Assessment and/or the PRIME (Preparing for Relationships Including Marriage and Enrichment) Workshop could be time well spent.
The programs, presented by the Family Resource Centre Society, are for couples of all ages who are getting married in the near future or have recently married. The program is also suitable for people who are re-marrying or who are in a newly committed relationship.
“The marriage preparation programs are to help people get a picture of what marriage is really like. I once had someone in a workshop ask if it was normal for married people to fight. It is, you know,” said Hellmut Noelle, Family Resource Centre Society community counsellor and PRIME coordinator.
“Some people are surprised at that answer, some aren’t. People will disagree but the important thing is that they learn to listen to each other, to be quiet and really hear what the other person is saying.”
Noelle said couples come to the workshop because they don’t want to make the same mistakes their parents did while others want to gain insight into themselves and each other to make a good relationship even better. He added that some are relieved to know that they are not the only ones who have some struggles and that they get good ideas. A common response is that they didn’t realize that love is hard work but they come away with the tools to do the work and make their love last.
“Hard times are a normal part of life and a normal part of marriage. Many couples who have been married for a long time say their love really grew through the tough times,” said Noelle.
“The biggest reward for me is when I run into people a few years later and they tell me that the workshops changed the way their relationship worked and made it better.”
Prepare Assessment lets couples fill in confidential assessment forms and then discuss the results with a counsellor to see the strengths of their relationship and the areas that need attention.
The PRIME Workshop takes place on a Friday evening and a Saturday. The next workshop is May 13 and 14 at The People Place in Vernon. On Friday evening couples meet the host couple, Brian and Billie Howard, and there is a presentation on Communication and Conflict Resolution by Vince and Tina Dawdy. Saturday continues the communication presentation and has presentations on Intimacy with Hellmut and Carol Noelle, Law with Jonathon Jones, and Finances with Dean Barnard. Couples can do the assessment or the workshop separately or do both.
For more information and registration (by May 6) call Noelle at 250-545-3390 or e-mail hnoelle@vernonfrc.ca or info@vernonfrc.ca or see www.vernonfrc.ca.
