Enrichment & Support for married life

Building a healthy marriage is truly a lifelong investment, and therefore that is why finding time to talk together about ways to increase the joy of your marriage is important. You don’t need to have a bad marriage to think about marriage enrichment. You can have a great relationship, but still, make some changes that will make life together even richer. Talk to your minister to find out if there are resources available for you, or events in your area that may be of help.

It is also good to know where to turn to if there are issues in your marriage that seem impossible to resolve together. The Marriage Council is here to signpost people to counselling services both in Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland. The following list are accredited counselling services which the Marriage Council have endorsed.

GOOD NEWS
In order to provide real support to couples, the Marriage Council will offer an initial 6 couselling sessions free of charge. After which, additional sessions will be charged.

Please note that whilst counsellors may not physically be close to you, it may be possibe for counselling to be done online using Zoom, FaceTime or other electronic resources.

Area           Details (Name, contact details, website)

Dublin       

                  Brian Griffin
                  Tel : 086 3751327   email : brian@counsellingforcouples.ie
                  website : www.counsellingforcouples.ie 

                  Dianne Morris
                  Tel : 086 2566895   email : gdiannemorris@gmail.com

                  Shona Rusk
                   Tel : 086 8217486   email:  shona.rusk@gmail.com

                   Helen Groves
                   Tel : 086 3539906  email:  helen@zestlife.ie

Midlands    No available counsellors

Galway      No available counsellors

South East  Heather James                 
                   Tel : 086 326 8805    email : purpleheather04@gmail.com

Cork           Sylvia Helen
                  Tel : 086 323 0805   email : sylviahelen@gmail.com

South West    Shawn Jamieson                 
                   Tel : 085 878 7641     email : bearfrogcounselling@gmail.com

Coleraine     Ali Knight
                    Tel : 07817 884917   email : aliannknight@aol.com

Belfast        Lynne Heber
                   Tel : 07787 803343  email : lynneheber@gmail.com

Co. Down      Christian Guidelines
Fermanagh   Tel : 028 9146 8846  email : admin@cguidelines.org.uk
Tyrone          website : www.christianguidelines.org

Co. Armagh   Care in Crisis
                      Tel : 028 3832 9900  email : office@careincrisis.org.uk
                      website : www.careincrisis.org.uk

Additional counsellors may come onboard from time to time. If you live in a location that is not covered by counsellors, please contact Aisling Sheridan at Aisling.Sheridan@rcbcoi.org

Additional resources

Dianne Morris, a member of the Marriage Council, has provided a short and very helpful guide when thinking about enriching your marriage and making your relationship together a priority.

‘A Good Marriage is made in Heaven, but so is Thunder and Lightning!’

Ecclesiastes 4:13 – A cord of three strands is not easily broken.

Couples come into marriage full of expectation and hopes for their future life together. They  may invest in a home, family, business, career, sport, friends, Parish life, moving County, Country. Where there are children they eventually gain “roots and wings” and the couple are then on their own again. Marriage is one of the biggest single investments. The long term hope would be for the relationship to be sustained through the ‘ebb and flow’ of all the changing seasons and circumstances that life brings.

Life, can, unintentionally, distract from giving priority to building into the couple’s relationship. Tiredness, poor communication, unresolved conflict, hurt, illness, family responsibilities, financial pressures and boredom can contribute to the effort it takes to commit to working though issues.  This can block clear communication and intimacy.  Marriage never has to be average. Research tells us that just as couples can spiral down to a negative place, it often takes a small spark, to spiral up again and feel ‘connected’, and  to be each other’s number one priority again.  It is not unusual to feel  “Stuck” at times. A good enough marriage is made up of two good forgivers, who choose each other again, and again.  Just as we NCT and MOT our cars, do CPD and learn new skills and crafts, there is great value in investing time in the couple relationship.

Weekly date nights, time spent together (not just in front of the tv or computer), read a relationship book, find a course, an enrichment weekend, get professional help.  There are options available, it may feel like a ‘risk’, and take some courage. However, attending a course doesn’t  necessarily mean there are problems, it can make a ‘good’ relationship even better.  Begin where you are, there is always something new couples can learn about one another. Making  your relationship a priority – even when there is a lot going on – is vital for a long and happy marriage. This is a good investment.

‘A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.’ Mignon McLaughlin