Marriage counseling helps couples work through relationship problems, improve communication skills and resolve conflicts. Although the name seems to imply that the counseling is only for married couples, this is not the case. Many couples, married and unmarried, have successfully improved their relationship as a result of marriage counseling.
Time Frame
Although marriage counseling is often short term, the length of time a couple spends in marriage counseling depends greatly on the severity or complexity of their relationship issues. Some couples may only need a few sessions to work out their issue, while others may need several months or more before seeing an improvement in their relationship. However, according to the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, the average number of sessions for marriage counseling is 12.
Types
The type of sessions for marriage counseling will also vary depending on the specific situation. The therapist may only arrange for sessions with the couple or may suggest a combination of both couple counseling and individual counseling. If this occurs, typically a different therapist will be assigned as the individual counselor for the male and female to prevent the potential for a conflict of interest.
Considerations
Many people mistakenly believe that marriage counseling will be able to solve all relationship problems, but this is not true. It is ultimately up to the couple whether or not the relationship will be able to be improved or saved. There are some relationships that are so badly damaged that even relationship counseling cannot fix, especially if one person is unwilling to change or compromise or if there are issues of abuse. Therefore, it is unwise to go into marriage counseling without being prepared to put forth the necessary effort yourself to save your relationship.
Benefits
According to the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, many statistics show that marriage counseling is beneficial. Almost 90 percent of clients that received marriage counseling report an improvement in emotional health and over 65 percent even report an improvement in physical health. Furthermore, over 75 percent of clients report an improvement in the relationship.
Warning
Marriage counseling can help couples who have issues with domestic violence, but couples in these relationships should be aware of other support systems in place to help with this issue as well. While marriage counseling may be beneficial to the couple when not in crisis mode, the police or a local crisis center should be contacted immediately if there is ever an immediate safety concern.
