Pre-Marital Counselling in Malaysia: Options To Prepare Better For Marriage
Are you engaged or planning to get married soon? You may be feeling excited and hopeful about your future together as a couple. You might also wonder from time to time, whether you are truly ready for what lies ahead as a married couple. Quite possibly, it’s a mix of both, or even more sentiments.
In early stages of a relationship, couples tend to view each other through rose-tinted glasses, believing that issues within the relationship can just be looked past and will resolve themselves. However, when the rose-tinted glasses wear off, issues that have been long swept under the rug may resurface years into the marriage.
Along with the mounting pressures and responsibilities as parents, we may then find ourselves overwhelmed with day-to-day demands, making it harder to just “look past the differences” anymore. What used to be the very thing you admired about your partner may even become the thing you absolutely can’t stand. Sometimes, this is when couples may seek counselling to work through their difficulties; or in some cases, end up in a disconnected marriage, or even divorce.
In Malaysia, we have averaged around 50,000 divorces between 2019 - 2023. I often wonder, what if these divorced (and others who stay unhappily married) couples had worked through their differences and solidified the foundation of their relationship before getting married - Would there be less disruption in the family, less children suffering from the impacts of marital issues within the family? As a counsellor, I have seen how many of my clients pay the price of the troubled dynamics between their parents which extends into the family, contributing significantly to the challenges they presently face as an adult.
Pre-Marital Counselling in Malaysia
This points to why pre-marital counselling is so essential, and we can see that the Malaysian government & Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) had implemented the compulsory premarital program for Muslims “due to the alarming phenomenon of the collapse of family institution that keeps worsening time by time particularly in Malaysia” (Salleh, Omar, Embong, 2019).
For non-Muslims, pre-marital programs are not mandatory for marriage, however it is also offered by the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN) under the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (KPWKM). Pre-marital counselling is also provided by faith organizations such as the various churches in Malaysia.
What if you’re not particularly inclined toward a faith-based pre-marital counselling? Or if you intend to marry someone of different faith, how will you navigate the cultural differences between you and your partner? In a multicultural society like Malaysia, this is in fact quite a relevant matter for consideration.
As a certified Prepare/Enrich facilitator in Malaysia, irrespective of your faith, I can help you to gain various insights about your relationship including personalities, communication patterns, strengths/potential areas of growth, and more. Based on these insights, we can work together to craft a personalised plan to work through specific challenges in your relationship and build a strong foundation for your marriage.
You may be wondering, what is Prepare/Enrich?
Prepare/Enrich is the gold standard Pre-Marital relationship assessment which has been used by more than 4 million couples worldwide. In fact, couples who go through Prepare/Enrich have been found to reduce their risk for divorce by 31%. It is also customizable, with the assessment options specifically for non-faith specific and interfaith couples.
For your ease of reference, I have listed down the relevant points of contact and information discussed:
JAKIM’s pre-marital course: Find out more at their website
LPPKN’s pre-marital course: Contact LPPKN at 03-2613 7555 for more information
Pre-marital course/counselling with faith organizations: Check in with your local faith organisations for available options
Any faith/Nonfaith-specific/Interfaith couples: Contact me to find out more.
Sources:
https://sppim.gov.my/v2/online/pra-kahwin
https://sppim.gov.my/v2/online/khidmat-nasihat-online
http://statistics.gov.my/portal-main/release-archive/marriage-and-divorce-malaysia-
http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v9-i11/6555
https://mprh.lppkn.gov.my/yeoh-money-matters-important-for-newlyweds/
https://www.bernama.com/en/news.php?id=2199907
https://www.prepare-enrich.com/the-assessment/premarital/
