Pre-Marital Counseling

Dr. Paula Brody

Most couples will seek out a clergy connection before their marriage. For interfaith couples, this interaction is often pivotal. How can clergy turn pre-marital meetings, whether with in-marrying or intermarrying couples, into opportunities for meaningful Jewish engagement, nurturing their Jewish choices and solidifying their commitment to creating a Jewish home for their family? This workshop will provide some useful tools to strengthen couples’ communication around faith issues enabling each partner to untangle the complicated threads that connect them to their family and religious background. The workshop will introduce clergy to the couples communication exercises and wedding planning suggestions available in the forthcoming CCAR publication, Strengthening Communication and Supporting Jewish Choices: A Pre-Marital Counseling Guide for Clergy written by Dr. Paula Brody, LICSW, Ed.D., Director of the Outreach Training Institute, Reform Jewish Outreach Boston, who will be leading this session.