Premarital counseling: Approaches, objectives, content, and evaluation—a bibliography

Abstract

A major problem for the premarital counselor is that the literature in the field is scattered throughout numerous journals and books representing several disciplines. Since counselors tend to subscribe to and read the literature from their own academic discipline, they may be unaware of what is being written elsewhere. This article contains a bibliography of what the authors consider to be the most relevant books and articles on premarital counseling published by the various disciplines. For the convenience of the reader, each listing is also coded as to its content.Ministers have pioneered in the practice of premarital counseling and in writing the literature in the field. However, a problem for the minister trying to gain a substantial grasp of this developing field is that the available sources of information are scattered throughout a diversity of journals. Each group of professionals which has staked a claim to premarital preparation tends to publish its own journals. Since there is often little overlap of subscribers among theological, medical, legal, clinical, and psychological journals, professionals in one field may have little opportunity to learn conveniently what professionals in other fields are doing. The availability of the overall literature to any one counselor is limited for all practical purposes.Yet, given recent developments in program evaluation and counselor training (Schumm & Denton, 1979), the premarital counselor has opportunity to enhance his/her own program(s) by learning from Walter R. Schumm, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the

The preparation of pastors in premarital counseling

“…This researcher has not come across this concept in the literature on premarital counseling to date. Perhaps, the reason for this was that so much of the research-the books, and articles on clergy and premarital counseling-center on the practice of pastors and the programs for parishioners and not on the training or equipping of the providers (Bagarozzi & Rauen, 1981;Eyrich, 1987;Hamilton, 1991;Hawley & Olson, 1995;Ipes, 1982;Kemp, 1991;Mack, 1977;Schumm & Denton, 1980;Shadle, 1991;Trathen, 1995;Trott, 1990;Van Dussen, 1996;Wright, 1985;Stanley et al, 1998). They are notable exceptions (Buikema, 1999;Jones & Stahmann, 1994;Stahmann & Hiebert, 1997;Wright, 1992 The experience would have to be a cooperative effort between the seminary and the church "…”

“…Perhaps, these parties could collaborate on a comprehensive program, which stresses both practice and theory. The latter is huge a deficiency in premarital counseling programming (Bagarozzi & Rauen, 1981;Buikema, 1999;Rutledge, 1966;Schumm & Denton, 1980;Stahmann & Hiebert, 1997;Summers & Cunningham, 1989;Trott, 1990).…”