The Benefits of Marriage Counseling
Marriage counseling is an essential tool to improve any marital relationship. Read on to learn more about common marital difficulties, the barriers to marriage counseling, the first steps to getting started, and to learn about six key benefits to marriage counseling.
Marriage is Not Easy
Marriage is difficult. There is no certificate or degree given to ensure that we are a competent and loving partner. In many cases, we try our best in terms of what we've seen modeled by our parents. Sometimes this is not a helpful guideline. Like anything else, success in marriage takes work, commitment, and action steps. In many areas of life, we have no problem seeking experts for help when we need them; we call dentists, medical doctors, physical therapists, mechanics, plumbers, fitness instructors, business coaches, and tutors for our children. However, in the most important relationship in our lives, which also has a crucial impact on our children, we often try to succeed in a vacuum without any external counsel, support, or input on the most challenging areas.
The Barriers to Marriage Counseling
Many married people feel their marriage is either adequate, very challenging, barely survivable, or completely lost, but yet they will not take the first step to improve it by contacting a marriage counselor. This is because many couples view counseling as a sign of weakness or defeat. They often continue to play out the same dysfunctional dynamics and arguments for years without changing the rudder in their marriage to move in new directions. Whatever the barrier, not seeking marriage counseling to enhance your relationship and deal with significant problems, is akin to never taking your car in for an oil change. Like the car, the marriage will eventually falter and potentially break down or plod along for years without either partner being truly satisfied. Divorce is an option, and there may be moments when it seems appealing. However, it is an expensive, grueling, and disruptive process to your life, finances, children, and family. At the least, it makes sense to give marriage counseling a try before coming to any conclusions.
First Steps to Marriage Counseling
Working with a competent marriage counselor could substantially impact both the success and vibrancy of your marriage relationship. When compared with divorce and the multitude of expenses, pain, and impacts upon children, the potential fees and time investment in marriage counseling is minimal. The first step is to identify the need to improve. Secondly, you would need to reach out to a trained counseling or psychology clinic to find out about options. Many clinics provide free consultations to assist with choosing the right therapist, setting goals, and coordinating schedules.
Six Benefits of Marriage Counseling
Marriage counseling will help you learn how to communicate effectively.
It can equip you with communication skills, including active listening, which can help you to listen to one another and understand one another more clearly.
Marriage counseling will help you learn how to resolve conflict in a mutually respectful manner.
It will equip you with tools to hear one another's perspectives in conflictual situations and come to mutually beneficial decisions.
Marriage counseling will assist you in setting appropriate boundaries with both your spouse and other people.
Managing boundaries (the lines that separate you, your thoughts, and your feelings from another person) is a crucial part of a healthy life and relationships.
Marriage counseling will help you understand how past relationships, including your immediate family, impact the dynamics in your marriage
It is surprising to many people how these early developmental relationships powerfully influence how we relate to our spouses in the present.
Marriage counseling will teach you how to speak your truth with your spouse and hear their unique perspective.
It will equip you to understand better, express your view, and learn the ability to hear your partner's perspective without being defensive.
Marriage counseling will help you practice healthy relational dynamics so that you can move into a phase of thriving together in everyday life.
It will give you the ability to solidify new healthy patterns of daily life together, resulting in a sense of trust and long-term mutual satisfaction for each of you.
Like anything in life, marriage requires a set of attitudes and skills to be a success. A marriage counselor or psychologist can teach you these skills while monitoring your progress, assisting in mediating challenging conflicts, and giving objective feedback to assist you in growing together.
It's Not Too Late for Marriage Counseling
Choose from a Variety of Options to Best Meet Your Needs
Please review the options below and contact us for a free consultation to assess the best approach for your needs.
Traditional Marriage Counseling:
We offer traditional marriage therapy where one therapist meets with the couple to help you assess the relationship, identify its strengths, and discover areas that need attention for the purpose of strengthening the relationship.
Discernment Marriage Counseling:
We offer discernment counseling for marriage partners who want to assess whether their relationship is viable for both partners. We can help with amicably discussing and exploring the sustainability of your relationship.
Co-Parenting Counseling:
We offer consultation and counsel to separated or divorced parents who seek skills in most effectively cooperating to best parent their children in a two household situation.
Collaborative Marriage Counseling:
We offer an innovative model in which one therapist works with one partner while a second therapist works with the second partner. After each meeting (with consent), the therapists consult together in order to determine a strategy toward coordinated goals for both individuals and the relationship. Marriage therapy is then provided with both therapists when the couple is ready. This approach assists each partner in growing in ways that improve the relationship and speeds up progress.
Pre-Marriage Counseling:
We offer counseling for couples who are considering or preparing for marriage and would like assistance on equipping them for the challenges of marriage and assisting them with practical communication strategies, conflict management, and how to cooperate in forging the beginning of a meaningful and successful marriage relationship.
