An administrator discusses the results in three two-hour sessions. That's kind of a nice way of saying potential problems,'' said Tiffany Kapnick, a clinical therapist with the county's Family Counseling and Children's Services division. Judge Sheridan said it's too early to tell whether the counseling requirement is making a difference in the 100 or so civil marriages performed in the county each year. And because the county does not track which weddings are performed civilly and which are performed by clergy, Sheridan said there was no way to tell whether the rule was discouraging civil weddings. But Kapnick is sure it is.
Some people simply resent the county's interference.
Linda Hannah and her fiance, John Sannes, chose a minister from outside Lenawee County specifically because he doesn't require premarital counseling. Ms. Hannah said she and Sannes are both in their 40s and have lived together for more than a year. It's her first marriage and his second. Counseling wouldn't have helped him at all,'' she said. For teen-agers, yes, it would be helpful for them.