Engaged Bliss News

Welcome to my Blog!

My name is Kathy Simmons. I am an ordained minister with Charity Missionary Baptist Church in North Charleston, South Carolina, under the leadership of the pastor. This blog is to share some of the research I have collected as a student in the Doctor of Ministry in Pastoral Counseling with Liberty University.

I have been in ministry since 1994, well over 30 years! I will give vital information from experts around the world on premarital counseling resources for engaged couples! These resources come from peer reviews less than ten years, professional books from well-established married therapists, the pastor and other married couples’ insights from the Charity Missionary Baptist Church, as well as through a collection of statistical data that is sure to capture your attention.

Research consistently supports the notion that premarital counseling positively impacts marital stability and reduces the likelihood of divorce. An article published in a well-known journal states, “Couples who attend counseling are 30 percent less likely to divorce within five years of marriage than those who don’t.”[1]  Engaged couples must receive premarital counseling resources to decrease the divorce rate. “According to another popular journal, “Couples who undergo premarital counseling experience a 40 percent improvement in marital satisfaction compared to those who don’t.”[2]

[1] Chris, Lyford, “The New Premarital Counseling, A Good Match for Therapists,” Psychotherapy Networker January/ February 2023, https://www.psychotherapynetworker.org/article/new-premarital-counseling/.

[2] Chris, Lyford, “The New Premarital Counseling, A Good Match for Therapists.”