The BYU Student Health Center offers several marriage preparation classes throughout the semester that differ from the marriage preparation class offered by the BYU marriage and family therapy program.
The Student Health Center premarital classes are typically offered twice a month, once on a weekday and once on a Saturday morning. In April, the women’s sessions will be offered on Friday, April 5, and Saturday, April 13. The April men’s class is also scheduled for April 13. Future dates and times can be found on the premarital class schedule.
A statement from the Student Health Center says the difference between the center’s premarital courses and the class for credit is that the health center focuses on the physical aspects of the marriage relationship — anatomy, physiology and preparation — to help patients better understand physical intimacy. The marriage and family therapy class focuses more on relationship issues.
For the women’s session, the Student Health Center website lists a variety of topics including birth control options, family planning, physiology and various infections.
Student Health Center clinician Cami Allred said she advises all newly engaged couples to attend the class.
“We cover topics that are helpful for men and women to understand individually and as a couple, such as male and female anatomy,” Allred said.
The class cost is the insurance co-pay. For those on the Student Health Plan, the co-pay is $10.
“The location is convenient for our students, and the cost is relatively inexpensive,” Allred said. “Our classes are direct and clinical, but also taught with our religious values in mind.”
Student Health Center administration gets regular feedback from students who say they are glad they took the class, according to Allred.
“In fact, most of our participants have been referred by others who have been to the class and found it to be helpful,” Allred said.
Kaelie Landon, a junior in the College of Family, Home and Social Sciences, said the classes are geared toward engaged couples and those who have been married less than a year.
“Getting married is a big transition, and I really think that having more information about anything and everything helps to make that transition smoother,” Landon said. “The health center class focuses more on physical and sexual health and providing information about those parts of marriage.”
Allen said something to keep in mind is that “marriage is not a 50-50 split — it requires 100 percent effort from both partners.”
The Student Health Center currently offers specialized sessions for men and women separately. The center sometimes allow fiancees to attend, but there are no plans to offer sessions for couples.
For more information about the premarital courses offered by the School of Family Life, click here to read the course description, or here to read an article discussing elective options offered at BYU.
