Sunday 11 January 2009

What to Expect in Marriage Counseling - Top Five Things

If you are having marital or relationship problems and it has gotten to the point where you want to seek the help of a marriage counselor you may not know what to expect. If this is your first time seeking the advice of a marriage counselor there is no reason you should know what to expect. Doing a little research before scheduling your first session may make your experience less intimidating. The top five things regarding What to expect in marriage counseling are outlined in this article.

1. Expect to start marriage counseling in a joint session with your partner. This allows the counselor to gain a general overview of the relationship from both people involved. In this way the background of the relationship and its problems will not be slanted toward one individual.

2. The counseling sessions may be held in a private clinic, established by the marriage counselor, in a hospital setting or in a governmental agency.

3. The marriage counselor may want to meet with each person in the couple individually after the initial couples session. This allows the counselor to become better acquainted with each person on an individual basis. It also allows each individual to express themselves freely as they may be intimidated in front of their partner.

4. You can expect the marriage counseling sessions to focus on developing better communication techniques between the individuals. Poor communication between couples if often at the root of many relationship problems.

5. If the relationship is in serious crisis or heightened emotional state you can expect that the marriage counselor will take immediate steps to restore a better sense of balance and order in the relationship.

Of course individual marriage counselors will approach their clinical practice in different ways. Not all will be the same and some will be more effective than others. The fact that you are taking the step to research marriage counseling, especially if you are having relationship problems, is a great first step in restoring and saving your relationship.

If you are not quite ready to take that step toward professional counseling you can discover and learn several easy and effective techniques that are designed and proven to rectify and salvage even the most troubled relationships. Click here now to receive my new, free ebook that will bring you one step closer to saving your relationship.

Peter Harris is a health care professional and author and writes frequently about relationships.