So, professional counseling is obviously great when couples are having major issues. Does anyone have experience seeking counseling for minor issues or just to create space/time to talk about next steps in a fairly happy relationship? 

A bit about my situation. Both my boyfriend and I are divorced (from other people). We've been together for about 3-years. We started as a sort of casual, fwb relationship a few months after my separation (and about a year after his divorce). He didn't see other people for the first couple years, but since we weren't exclusive, I did. 

About a year ago, after my divorce was finalized and I felt ready for a relationship, I decided he deserved a promotion to boyfriend status. Our relationship is a solid 8/10 - great intimacy even after the honeymoon period; we peacefully coexist and can spend hours or whole days together without any issues; there's an abundance of mutual respect, patience, etc. That said, we have taken things very slow - although we treat eachother in all sorts of loving ways, we have yet to officially say the "L word".

I'm feeling some uncertainly about where we go from here. We emerged from our divorces with completely different outlooks on love - I came out ready for a fresh start, with a new appreciation of what I want in a partner and what I have to offer. He came out of his (very messy) divorce unsure if he was capable of or interested in love again and prepared to be a lifelong bachelor. 

Since we started so casual, getting more serious feels like we are changing the rules half-way through the game. Things that didn't matter at all when we were just looking for someone to hang out with become much more important if we're thinking about whether we want to be lifemates. Since neither of us are interested in entering into another unsuccessful marriage, I'm thinking about whether it makes sense to go in for a bit of a "relationship check-up" with a couples counselor. It's obviously common for couples to do pre-marital counseling, but what about pre-pre-marital counseling? Any advice from couples who have done this?
user
Relationship is promising. At this stage, could couples counseling help a relatively happy couple figure out where we go from here? Is couples counseling as useful for validation/planning as it is for "fixing issues."
assistant
So, professional counseling is obviously great when couples are having major issues. Does anyone have experience seeking counseling for minor issues or just to create space/time to talk about next steps in a fairly happy relationship? 

A bit about my situation. Both my boyfriend and I are divorced (from other people). We've been together for about 3-years. We started as a sort of casual, fwb relationship a few months after my separation (and about a year after his divorce). He didn't see other people for the first couple years, but since we weren't exclusive, I did. 

About a year ago, after my divorce was finalized and I felt ready for a relationship, I decided he deserved a promotion to boyfriend status. Our relationship is a solid 8/10 - great intimacy even after the honeymoon period; we peacefully coexist and can spend hours or whole days together without any issues; there's an abundance of mutual respect, patience, etc. That said, we have taken things very slow - although we treat eachother in all sorts of loving ways, we have yet to officially say the "L word".

I'm feeling some uncertainly about where we go from here. We emerged from our divorces with completely different outlooks on love - I came out ready for a fresh start, with a new appreciation of what I want in a partner and what I have to offer. He came out of his (very messy) divorce unsure if he was capable of or interested in love again and prepared to be a lifelong bachelor. 

Since we started so casual, getting more serious feels like we are changing the rules half-way through the game. Things that didn't matter at all when we were just looking for someone to hang out with become much more important if we're thinking about whether we want to be lifemates. Since neither of us are interested in entering into another unsuccessful marriage, I'm thinking about whether it makes sense to go in for a bit of a "relationship check-up" with a couples counselor. It's obviously common for couples to do pre-marital counseling, but what about pre-pre-marital counseling? Any advice from couples who have done this?
user
Been with my boyfriend for 3 years, we're very happy, but he is not ready for a serious relationship. We've been living together for a few months now and he has been becoming more and more distant - not sure if this is just an "I don't want to be in a serious relationship" thing or if this is a serious enough issue to look into
assistant