“We’re so excited to start our lives together. But we want to make sure we do it the right way.”

“My parents were not a good role model for what a healthy marriage looks like. I want to learn what healthy looks like.”

Premarital Counseling For Newly Developing and Newlywed Relationships

Based on the highly researched ideas of attachment theory and adult attachment, the Building a Lasting Connection Workshop™ is a 5-week workshop that helps couples of all relationship stages learn how to effectively interact in intimate relationships. Most premarital program teach skills that help couples communicate better and create goals. If communication skills were all that were needed for couples to resolve conflict, the divorce rate wouldn’t be nearly 50%. More goes into making a relationship work than just skills. This workshop will teach you and your partner what you need to know in order to have a lifetime of love where you can manage conflict in a healthy way.

Please watch the video titled “Soothing the Threatened Brain” which talks about the powerful research regarding Adult Attachment Theory.

At the end of this workshop, you and your partner will:

• Achieve a greater understanding of romantic love, the essential steps that must be taken to achieve emotional safety and connection, and your own negative cycle that leads to disconnection.

• Learn more effective skills of communication and the art of listening.

• Be able to navigate through issues and differences in a more productive manner and learn the detrimental impact of avoiding conflict, appeasing to keep peace, and fighting to “find the bad guy.”

• Learn the art of sexual intimacy and explore new ways to view sexuality from your partner’s perspective.

• Begin the process of developing and implementing new rituals and traditions to enrich your marital and familial relationships.

This workshop is contraindicated for couples experiencing active abuse, addictions and affairs. If you are experiencing any of these contraindications, please contact us to set up private therapy sessions at hello@jstherapygroup.com.

Building a Lasting Connection™ Workshop Processes Essential Premarital Counseling Topics

The Lasting Connection™ workshop is structured around a relationship pyramid that has five sections including attachment, communication, managing conflict, physical intimacy, and shared goals. Each section builds upon the last, so you and your partner can conceptualize your relationship as a process of building, growing, evolving, developing and rising up in a collaborative manner.

Over the 5-week workshop, couples will engage in the following conversations:

Session One ~ Attachment: In our first session, we will spend time defining love and the role of secure attachment in love.

We will also discuss the four types of attachment and learn how each one impacts your relationship.

You will learn how your early experiences in relationships and life impact how you respond to your partner.

You and your partner will then complete the Brief Accessibility, Responsiveness and Engagement Scale and learn how loneliness impacts your physical health in addition to your relational health.

Session Two ~ Communication: In our session session, we will talk about ways couples communicate with each other and how they listen to each other.

You will learn about a type of communication between couples called “Connecting Talk.”

In this session, couple will also learn how to use the Lasting Connections™ mat.

You and your partner will then use the mat to help you in having successful “Connecting Talk.”

Session Three ~ Managing Differences: As we begin to understand how to manage differences, we first begin to understand how the brain works in regards to mirror neurons and the limbic system.

Then you and your partner will examine the negative pattern of interactions that could potentially get you and your partner caught up in conflict.

We then use side two of the Lasting Connections™ mat to learn how to move from conflict to connection.

You and your partner will learn how to provide emotional support to each other and how to effectively collaborate.

Session Four ~ Physical Connection: In our fourth session, we will learn about the power of touch and the connection between sex and relationship happiness.

You and your partner will learn the four keys to great sex: romance, time, foreplay and privacy.

We will then learn about the three types of sex and the type that comes from safe and secure emotional connection.

Session Five ~ Shared Goals: In our last session, you and your partner will learn the five stops on the map to a lasting relationship: getting to know you, emotional connection, trust, commitment and physical connection.

We will then discover the importance and types of daily rituals for connection.

Premarital Counseling for LGBT and BIPOC Couples

The workshop is based on attachment science, which has been shown to apply to all couples, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, culture or race.

We support every couple who desires to deepen their loving connection, especially since love, emotional safety and emotional connection are the antidote to pain.

This workshop is appropriate for couples of all stages of happiness or distress. We offer a non-judgmental, emotionally safe space for you and your partner to explore your relationship and the struggles that keep the two of you from either having a stronger relationship or having the relationship of your dreams.

During the presentation, we use video clips to aid in the understanding of the lessons we intend to teach. Some video clips may include heterosexual white married couples. We want to be inclusive of all couples, so we are seeking out video clips more relatable to all couples. Because we are all living with universal needs, desires and longings, all couples can learn and grow together.

Premarital Counseling is Similar to Intensive Marriage Counseling

The Format:

The format for the Building a Lasting Connection workshop is comprised of the following:

Presentation: each conversation begins with presentation of important ideas and concepts pertaining to each conversation. Presentations consist of lecture and engaging videos to help you understand the material.

Private Partner Conversation: after the presentation, you and your partner will have a private room to talk through each conversation. During private partner conversations, helpers will periodically check in to assist in directing the conversation and to answer questions you have about the conversations.

Group Processing: after private partner conversation, we will return to the large group to talk about what it was like to be able to have space to talk about each conversation. Group processing is pass or play; meaning you can share what it was like for you or you can listen. Sharing is not required. The benefit to the group processing time is that you will find that you are not alone. You will find that there are other couples who share similar experiences as you.

Schedule:

Session 1: Thursday, January 7th, 2021 7:00pm to 9:00pm CST

Session 2: Thursday, January 14th, 2021 7:00pm to 9:00pm CST

Session 3: Thursday, January 21st, 2021 7:00pm to 9:00pm CST

Session 4: Thursday, January 18th, 2021 7:00pm to 9:00pm CST

Session 5: Thursday, February 4th, 2021 7:00pm to 9:00pm CST

The Location:

Participate from the comfort of your own home. This workshop will utilize the video conferencing software, Zoom. Training will be provided.

Get Affordable Premarital Counseling Through Our Couples Workshops in Overland Park, KS

The Investment

We are pleased to offer this workshop for $349 per couple plus a $200 refundable deposit for the Lasting Connection™ mat. Your deposit will be refunded when the Lasting Connection™ map is returned in good condition.

The investment includes:

• instruction and video examples

• printed workbook

• use of the Lasting Connection™ mat

• assistance during the private conversations

The Cancellation Policy:

Cancellations received up to 30 days prior to the event will receive a full refund minus a $75 administrative fee.

Cancellations received 29-21 days prior will receive a 50% refund minus a $75 administrative fee.

Cancellations received 20 days or less prior are ineligible for refunds. You may transfer your registration to a future workshop within 12 months.

JS Therapy Group offers Premarital Counseling

Your Facilitator:

Jessica Schroeder is a Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice located in Leavenworth, Kansas. Jessica graduated from Friends University in 2010 where the emphasis of her masters program was relational interactions.

Since graduating, Jessica has continued to receive specialized training in Couple Therapy. Jessica was awarded certification in Emotionally Focused Therapy in 2017 and is currently a Supervisor-in-Training where she supervises other therapists learning Emotionally Focused Therapy.

Jessica continues to mentor and teach therapists learning Emotionally Focused Therapy as a helper at the core trainings for Emotionally Focused Therapy and also runs an online mentoring group called The EFT Encouragement Group.

Jessica has facilitated several couple workshops since 2015.

The Lasting Connection™ workshop is a couple education program co-developed by Dr. Debi Gilmore, Certified EFT Supervisor, and Dr. Rebecca Jorgensen, Certified EFT Supervisor and Trainer.