The success rate of marriage counseling changes with the amount of time that has passed since counseling ended. The Hypnosis Motivation Institute also indicates that therapy might be more successful if couples would reach out before their marriages are in crisis, but they rarely do. Most couples wait an average of six years before they attempt marriage counseling.
Statistics
The Hypnosis Motivation Institute references research that indicates that 25 percent of couples are worse off two years after they stop therapy, and 38 percent divorce after four years. But two recent approaches to therapy show increased success over standard methods. The Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy reports on a study that showed that 67 percent of couples showed marked improvement in their relationship two years after engaging in a technique called integrative behavioral couples therapy. With emotionally focused therapy, 70 to 73 percent of couples reported satisfaction with their marriage two years later, according to the Hypnosis Motivation Institute.
Process
Integrative behavioral couples therapy was recently the subject of a clinical trial sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health. The therapy focuses on learning to accept and accommodate the needs of your spouse. Emotionally focused therapy emphasizes emotions and their impact on the marital relationship. More traditional methods of counseling include behavioral marital therapy and insight-oriented marital therapy. The first attempts to teach spouses to be kinder to each other. The second works on defense mechanisms and power struggles in a relationship.
Impact of the Counselor
Some marriages are so irretrievably broken by the time a couple seeks out a therapist that "success" can mean helping them to separate in a healthy way. If that's not the case with your marriage and your goal is to save it, the National Registry of Marriage Friendly Therapists suggests trying to get a handle on your counselor's definition of success before you sign on for therapy. The registry cites a national survey of more than 1,000 practitioners where almost two-thirds indicated that they had no strong preference either way for helping a couple stay together or to part ways.
Impact of Accreditation
Ideally, your therapist is specifically trained in marriage counseling and is a member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Unfortunately, the National Registry of Marriage Friendly Therapists indicates that many licensed psychologists who offer marriage counseling have not received training in this specialized area. Susan M. Johnson, professor of psychology at the University of Ottawa, says that this can undermine the success of marital counseling for a couple.
Duration
Successful marriage counseling can require a few weeks or months, according to MayoClinic.com, depending on how deeply in trouble your marriage is. If you think your counselor is giving up too soon, try someone else.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Marriage Counseling
- The National Registry of Marriage Friendly Therapists: Questions About Marriage Friendly Therapy
- Hypnosis Motivation Institute: Till Death -- Or Marital Counseling -- Do You Part; Susan Gilbert; May 2005
- University of California Los Angeles: Integrative Behavioral Couples Therapy
- International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy
