Marriage Counseling Advice
Couples visit a marriage counselor in order to resolve conflicts, improve their relationships, and to reconstruct their marriages.
Counselors cannot solve the problems in marriages.
They can only give insight and understanding so that couples can solve their own problems.
We all know that it is unusual for any type of ongoing relationship to remain conflict-free for an extended length of time.
In addition to the stress of daily life, some people seek advice for problems caused by issues such as substance or alcohol abuse, difficulty with children, financial problems, unfaithfulness on the part of one or both partners, problems with fertility, and a variety of major life changes.
Other issues might include boredom, poor communication, emotional abuse, lack of appreciation, and the absence of sexual interaction.
Of course, it is typical that couples will get informal marriage counseling advice from family and friends before they choose to spend their time and money with marriage counselors.
If you are considering spending the time and money for marriage counseling advice, you should ask a variety of questions of each counselor you are considering before you choose one.
For example: 1.
You need to understand the education, credentials, and certification of a counselor.
2.
You will want to know how many years this person has provided marriage counseling advice.
3.
The cost of marriage counseling varies from about $45 per session to about $200 per session.
It is typical to schedule a marriage counseling session once each week for the first 3 months.
It is not unusual for marriage counseling to last considerably longer than 3 months.
NOTE: Your insurance company will generally not pay for marriage counseling unless the counselor determines that either you or your spouse suffer from a mental disorder.
4.
Find out what you should expect to occur in the first session and the second session.
You will also want to discuss what you should expect to occur during successive treatments.
Marriage counseling advice is effective only if both spouses view the sessions as opportunities to improve their relationship and only if both spouses willing attend all scheduled sessions.
Openness and communication are the fundamentals on which successful counseling is based.
Sometimes during counseling sessions issues such as depression and/or anxiety are identified.
These types of issues are beyond the scope of counseling and, once diagnosed, must be treated by the appropriate practitioner.
The primary purpose of seeking formal marriage counseling advice should be to create a situation in which couples can openly share their feelings in the presence of a trained observer.
The goal is to create an environment in which couples are able to honestly and without hostility discuss things which they have been previously unable to resolve as a couple.
While this type of counseling does not always work, it is not unusual for a couple to have an "aha" moment where they finally identify and understand at least one major barrier they can overcome by working together.