Marriage counseling is something people are quick to recommend when you have marital problems. Of course, they do this with good intentions.
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Friends and family who make those recommendations are convinced that speaking with a marriage counselor will somehow help you resolve your marital problems.
But marriage counseling can be expensive.
Some marriage counselors charge as much as $150 per hour for consultation. That can be pretty expensive if you live in an economically challenged country.
Besides, is it really worth the cost? Isn't marriage counseling overrated?
It depends on the way you look at it.
First, you must remember that a relationship expert is not perfect. Since he's not perfect, his advice will not also be perfect. This means that you run the risk of talking to an
'expert' with a poor sense of judgment.
What do you expect if the expert's sense of judgment is poor?
Bad advice. Bad strategy. Failure.
Here's the complete picture.
The relationship expert you choose to speak with may be smart, intelligent, and experienced. In this case, you're likely to get the best advice possible
Or . . .
The marriage counselor may be half-baked, dull, and unintelligent. In this case, expect to get the wrong advice or advice that is totally worthless.
Second, a relationship expert you consult with for marriage counseling may be dubious. A dubious marriage counselor can turn into a blackmailer.
When you go for marriage counseling, it is customary to provide as much information as possible. Don't expect sound advice if the person providing the advice has little knowledge of what your challenges are.
This means that you must of necessity talk openly with the relationship expert you have chosen to speak with.
There's nothing wrong with this.
However, things can turn sour if the relationship expert with whom you have discussed your marital problems turns out to be a riffraff. He can easily begin to blackmail you with the information you supplied him.
Third, discussing your relationship problems with a relationship expert will not make your problems disappear. For many, marital problems persist long after the couple have gone for marriage counseling.
This brings us back to the question.
Is marriage counseling worth the cost?
The answer is . . . yes.
Of course, marriage counseling has its flaws. But talking to a marriage counselor helps.
However, you must speak to a relationship expert with a clear objective in mind.
You must understand that the marriage counselor will assist you to solve your marital problems. The marriage counselor will not solve your marital problems for you.
What does that mean?
This means that the relationship expert provides you with options and helps you see things in a new light. He expands your horizon and comes with a fresh perspective.
Who solves the problems?
You.
You must deal with your problems yourself. Your problem is your responsibility and you cannot run away from it.
For example, should you marry Philip or Kelvin? Who should decide that? You.
Another example.
Should you get a divorce or stay and work things out with your partner?
Who should decide that? You.
How does marriage counseling help you then?
You lay out the problems. You lay out the circumstances. You list your limitations. You list your strengths.
The marriage counselor will analyze the problems or issues on the basis of what is known to work in real life. He may provide you with additional resources or supply supporting data. He will lay out the choices for you.
Thereafter you must choose the path to follow.
This is your life. You alone can decide what you want to do with it.
Does marriage counseling help?
Of course!
If relationship experts don't provide a valuable service, they will soon be out of business.
They know this. So they seek to maintain a high level of ethical standard in their practice. And they work hard to give their clients the best advice possible.
Having said that, you must understand that everything in life has advantages and disadvantages. Marriage counseling does. And so does everything else in life.
So, if you have serious marital problems, don't hesitate to talk to a relationship expert.
Marriage counseling really helps.
It might be safe to say that marriage is the most delicate relationship of all. While the rewards of keeping a good marriage are great, the problems that come with the wish of making it perfect are tough. Some couple in their wish to save their failing relationship will enter marriage counseling, also known as couples therapy. This is a kind of psychotherapy.
The primary aim of marriage counseling is to help couples-either married or not- to recognize the conflicts that existed among them. By going through this, it is possible for you to create thoughtful decisions on how you can rebuild the almost broken relationship caused by certain problems. Mostly, the counseling will be given by social workers or those licensed marriage and family therapists. More than any person, you can trust these people to give the advice you ought to Love Coach get because they have graduate or postgraduate degrees on the subject and most of them carry the credential given by American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT).
Marriage counseling will not take a lot of your time because it is often short term. Primarily, both partners must be present during the course but there are also times when one partner will choose to go with the therapist alone. Specific treatment plan will apply in different situations. The program can be of help to all couples-- married or not, heterosexual or homosexual.
Most of the time, couples seek marriage counseling to help strengthen their relationship with one another. This kind of counseling can further be appropriate for those couples who are just in the verge of marrying each other. The need for pre-marriage counseling is vital to help couples obtain a deeper understanding with one another as they go through their married life.
Marriage counseling is very helpful in cases of domestic abuses. If violence allowed one partner to be afraid and always anxious on anything, counseling can be opted for but this isn't adequate. It is further important to contact the police or the local shelter to obtain emergency support.
Now, in case you would like to start the counseling, the very first thing to do is to look for a therapist. It will help to get advice from your primary care doctor for referral so you can find a good therapist to help your case. On the other hand, asking family and friends may further give you the recommendations you need based on their experiences but asking acquaintances may be difficult for some especially among those who do not like the idea of proclaiming to the public the trouble that they are experiencing with their spouses.
Remember that before you schedule sessions with specific therapist, take for consideration whether such person is good fit for you as well as your partner. Assessing first the counselor will help a lot so you can foolproof your decision of finding the perfect counselor who can hear out the problems and will give the necessary solutions to help solve it.