Can Counseling Save Marriage?
Can counseling save a marriage? Counseling is affording a couple the opportunity to air their problems to each other with an unbiased third party. In many instances this has proved to be successful, but in the end it’s up to the couple’s desire to save the marriage that will determine success.
Taking each other for granted after marriage can lead to a couple almost passing each other without even acknowledgment, until one day they suddenly realize they don’t really know each other.
Sad though this is, it happens in many marriages and the pleasure which they once had in each other’s company seems to have somehow been lost. They don’t talk they don’t laugh together and quite often, don’t even notice one another.
Others find that everything the partner does aggravates them and they find they are constantly arguing. This is more often than not due to frustration in the relationship rather than any particular disagreement.
Counseling will bring a couple together in order for them to talk, maybe for the first time in ages, about how they are feeling and what they want out of the marriage.
Financial problems can be resolved by discussion with a counselor who can show you the right way to tackle the problem. The solution is up to you, but it can sometimes help to be guided in the right direction.
A counselor isn’t there to pass opinions but merely to listen and make a few comments which will help you to see things as they really are. When you are close to a problem you don’t always see it clearly, but standing back from it can make things seem so much simpler.
If you’ve reached the stage where you think marriage counseling may help to resolve some of your problems, then there is hope. After all you would hardly consider such an action if you have no interest in saving your marriage.
Be prepared to listen as well as air your own views. You’ll sometimes be quite surprised what your partner has to say. Try to laugh at some of the issues, as once they are brought out into the open they can often be seen as quite funny. In any event laughter is a good healer.
The way we live today makes life very stressful and a lot of people live in fear. Fear of not being able to pay their way, fear of losing their job, fear of being considered unfit for certain work, fear of rejection. These are very real and can cause terrible feelings of inadequacy. It can make some people draw back from their loved ones and become totally introverted.
Love and support from your partner helps you through these fears, but they can’t help you if they don’t know they exist. Counseling may help you to bring these things out into the open.
Can counseling save marriage? I suppose the answer is yes, providing both parties are willing to participate and be completely honest with each other. If you’d like to try to save your marriage, but think counseling might be too big a step, a great book written by a counselor might be an easier option. I highly recommend Save the Marriage by Dr. Lee Baucom. In it he takes you through all the steps you’d go through in months of traditional marriage counseling, but at a cost that’s likely lower than one session.