C. C.

(C. C.: hand-written testimonial)

C. C.: My boyfriend and I started pre-engagement counseling in May 2011. We were originally attracted to preengaged.com because of its integration of technology into the sessions using Skype; which was necessary since my boyfriend and I live in different cities. Additionally, their psychology, the Word of God and couple-to-couple counseling technique was precisely the combination we were looking for.

We had reservations prior to our first session, as we assumed it would be difficult to open up to people we had never met. But Eric and Heather’s compassion made us feel comfortable and our reservations were quickly lifted.

Eric and Heather did a wonderful job of teaching us to recognize when we were miscommunicating and have offered us tools to foster more effective communication. Throughout the process, we were challenged and made to face the tough things that must be thoroughly  considered before taking the next step. We also learned a ton about ourselves and each other.

I would highly recommend Eric and Heather’s services as it has helped me realize what is really important and how to handle the difficulties that relationships bring. They are really doing God’s work.

Much appreciated!
– C. C.

Josh and Jade

(Josh: hand-written testimonial)
(Jade: hand-written testimonial)

Josh: My girlfriend and I began pre-engagement counseling after nine months of dating. Our relationship was fairly healthy, nevertheless we found pre-engagement counseling to be extremely helpful. Being counseled by an older, wiser couple is a priceless opportunity that should be sought by anyone in a dating relationship. It is easy to believe that because a dating relationship is relatively sweet [that] no additional knowledge and counsel is needed. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

The personality assessments taught us so much about each other that would have taken years to learn otherwise. We learned about finances, managing debt, defining expectations, and dealing with family and parents. We learned better communication practices. One thing we wanted was better conflict management. They gave us helpful tools to not only handle conflict but to better understand one another.

I would recommend pre-engagement counseling to any couple who is moving towards engagement. We have gained an invaluable foundation for our future relationship.

Jade: Pre-engagement counseling with the Viets has been an incredible blessing! I have learned so much about myself and Josh. The sessions were very revealing about my personality, my behavior in our relationship and my communication style.

Going into counseling, Josh and I were particularly concerned about handling conflict. The PAIR Test helped to show where we have conflict and part of the reason why we handle conflict the way we do. Through homework, exercises, and tools discussed in the sessions, we have seen much improvement in our conflict communication. I am much more confident in our relationship because of this.

Counseling has also allowed Josh and I to know and understand each other better. We examined our childhoods and families of origin to help shine a clearer light on our behavior and assumptions.

Most of all, counseling has helped me be a better steward of all the many blessings I have received through Christ Jesus. I have learned how to better serve Josh, manage my finances and one day be a better wife to the glory of God.

Thanks Eric and Heather for all you’ve done for us!

Matt and Beth

(Matt: hand-written testimonial)
(Beth: hand-written testimonial)

Matt: Counseling has done so much to help my relationship with my girlfriend.  We have learned how to better communicate in a way that actually solves problems instead of avoiding them.  We now have a confidence in our relationship now that allows us to speak freely about any situation that might arise; whereas before, we would have argued for an hour and then left with everything still unresolved.  Eric and Heather showed us what a Godly relationship should look like, and then they gave us the tools to actually go out and make our relationship work the way God intended.

Counseling hasn’t cured everything in our relationship, but it has made things easier to understand and to face together instead of separate.  We went to Eric and Heather with a relationship that was on life support, and we are now leaving counseling with a vibrant, lively relationship that will spring vault into a healthy, strong marriage.  It would be safe to say that Eric and Heather not only saved our relationship, but they made it better than it ever was before.

We now have so much valuable knowledge that can help us presently and in the future. My favorite part was the Financial Counseling segments because it allowed us to come to an agreement on so many areas, and we were able to plan out our future with “gazelle-like” intensity.

I know that when we look back fifteen years down the road, and our kids are asking us how come we have such a strong marriage when everyone else’s is falling apart, I am going to tell them that we went to some smart people to help us when we didn’t know what else to do, and God used those two to shape a marriage that gets better everyday.

Beth: Counseling has helped my boyfriend and I’s relationship greatly.  When my boyfriend and I started counseling with Eric and Heather, we were in a really tough spot in our relationship but as we started to go to them more and more, my boyfriend and I started to resolve the areas of conflict we really struggled with.  Looking back on the past seven months of counseling, I don’t know how we would have solved certain conflicts in our relationship without the keen insight of Eric and Heather.

Also, Eric and Heather helped us set up some great building blocks so we can prevent certain conflicts in the future.  Eric and Heather exposed parts of our relationship that we would have never known we had problems in until they occurred.

My favorite part of counseling with Eric and Heather is that they never condemn you, they just always look into a problem so that you can prevent it in the future. I honestly now do not know how people can get married without getting pre-marital counseling.  Pre-marital counseling is an invaluable asset to any marriage! Also, the more counseling you get, the better.  We did seven months of counseling and every time I thought my boyfriend and I couldn’t learn anything new, we did! I urge every couple to invest in counseling before they get married, especially from [the] wisdom of Eric and Heather.

Brittney

(Brittney: hand-written testimonial)

Brittney: From the start of our counseling I have found the test and the practices to prove very useful.  I have found as well the assessment tests to be unbelievably accurate.  After learning of my results from the test I felt like I was learning or becoming more aware of myself and my actions.  I feel like I have gained more insight as to why I function the way that I function.  I have found myself thinking more about the consquences of my actions before the actions take place.  I also feel as [through] the test I am gaining a better understanding of my boyfriend and his thought processes.  Our communication of our feelings for one another has improved but we still need more work on understanding the meaning/intentions of the other person.

Reading the first book Love and Respect by Emerson Eggrichs, I believe that I have learned a little more on the biblical perspective of a relationship.  I enjoyed hearing about how we were created and how that could possibily affect our relationship together.  I am in the process of reading the second book When God Writes Your Love Story by Eric and Leslie Ludy.  This book is more personally written and I enjoy reading both perspectives and the personal language of the book when I am reading.  I feel like I am being spoken to face to face. {Eric’s Note: We do not assign the same books to all couples, we tailor what is assigned based upon the couple’s needs.}

I like very much the biblical aspect of our counseling [and] any use of Scripture I find extremely useful.  And I absolutely enjoy the homework assignments when I am sent out and given something specfic to think on that could help my relationships, it helps me to focus my thoughts and express my feelings thoroughly.

Lastly, I enjoy Eric and Heather as a couple.  I feel as though they are doing a good job thus far helping my boyfriend and myself explore areas of our relationship that I have not thought to.  I found that they have been very stimulating for my thoughts and helpful in the expression of my feelings that don’t make sense when they leave my mouth.  But they seem to have a better understanding and helped me to express my feelings better and more frequently.