Despite minor shifts up and down, the divorce rate in the US continues to be alarmingly high. And while it is true that divorce is the best and only option in some cases, many more marriages could be saved if the spouses considered couples counseling.

How Can Couples Counseling Save A Marriage?

• Open up Lines of Communication – Being able to communicate openly and honestly is essential in a marriage. When issues arise one or both parties often clams up, couples counseling is a way for all parties to reopen these lines of communication and remove the obstacles that block connection and understanding.
• Focus on Important Issues – A lot of marriages end in divorce because couples fight about small or irrelevant things and leave the big problems between them unspoken. Couples counseling encourages spouses to open up about the way they really think and feel. The process leads to more revealing and honest conversations than many spouses are able to have outside of couples counseling.
• Rely on Structure and Support – Some people dismiss counseling out of the mistaken belief that they can handle things at home on their own. But couples counseling provides a way to have structured conversations and rely on support resources that are designed to help both spouses. The couple is at the center of the process, but the counselor adds a lot to it.
• Create a Plan of Action – One of the biggest benefits of couples counseling is that it’s simply more formal and official than fighting at home. That helps couples to think about productive solutions and long-term plans of action. If you are ready for things to change, going to couples counseling can give validity and urgency to your feelings.
• Bring Up Any Subject – There are some subjects – infidelity, substance abuse, financial issues, child rearing – that can be hard for couples to talk about individually, or as part of a larger assessment of a marriage. Going to couples counseling is a way to get everything on the table and explore the subjects that are too difficult to bring up at home.

If you think you and your spouse could benefit from speaking with a marriage counselor, contact Gateway Counseling Center at (561) 797-0631.