Divorce has become a widespread phenomenon all over the world. Several couples still experience heart breaks for so many reasons. These spouses usually end up in divorce or legal separation. Unfortunately, some marital ties have already reached a point where reconciliation is no longer feasible between the parties involved. Sometimes, no matter how hard lovers make an effort to save the marriage, they will still decide to part in separate ways.
“Divorce is not something that should never be entered into lightly. It means an end to that relationship and the breakup of a family, which can be greatly traumatizing to the children of that marriage.” Jennifer Baxt, LMFT, LMHC explains. The increase in the divorce rates in the US also leads to an increase in the demand for the services of a marriage counselor. We can say that there is a directly proportional relationship between the two. Because of this statistics, people start to wonder whether marriage counseling is a scam or not. Here are the two top reasons why this some people look at it:
- Counseling Is Expensive
The services of a relationship counselor or therapist are quite pricey. As such, only wealthy couples can afford to pay for the said professional services. You cannot just barge into the office of your chosen marriage counselor and expect him to help you with your issue in the marital union. You have to book an appointment first so that you will be included in the list of clients for a particular day. Once you have decided to avail of the services of a counselor, you will then be required to pay a down payment and additional fees after that.
- It Is Not 100% Effective
As already mentioned above, there are still many couples that always end up going on separate ways even if they have paid thousands with a marriage counselor. Because of this, the number of married couples who are interested in saving a marriage would instead try other alternatives instead of the availability of the mode of relationship counseling. The truth of the matter is that you cannot blame these individuals, especially if they have become witness to the growing number of ineffective professional counselors.
Notwithstanding these matters, it is still safe to conclude that counseling works and it is not a scam. At this point, there is a necessity to emphasize the fact that there are factors that can affect the success rate of marriage counseling for each couple. Take note that just because one technique or strategy works for one does not mean that it will also work for the other spouses.
As such, you must not lose hope in believing that it can still save a failing marriage or even a broken relationship. All you have to do is to commit yourself in participating in the various sessions and activities designed by your chosen counselor. Most importantly, do not forget to discuss this issue with your partner first before availing of the first session. Remember that this form of counseling will only work if you work hand in hand with your spouse. Otherwise, the professional engagement with an expert counselor will still fail. “Participating together as a couple gives the partners the opportunity to pay closer attention to one another and listen more intimately to their needs, wants, and dissatisfactions, thus establishing a closer bond and a more intimate connection.” A reminder from Dana Baduna, PhD, LMFT.
“Even better, these insights and skills that you’ll gain from marriage counseling and couples therapy can have great and lasting benefits in your other relationships, including in your relationships with colleagues, children, and other family members.” Julie Williams, Psy.D. said. Therefore, before you decide to leave your husband or end the marriage, make sure to consider counseling first. Avoid making rash decisions that you will regret in the future.