9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Office hours
716-200-1380

Should You Go To Marriage Counseling Before Divorce?

by | Aug 25, 2019 | General Topics | 0 comments

Counseling
There are people who stay in an unhappy marriage until the resentment builds and they feel they have no choice but to divorce. They don’t voice their unhappiness, they go with the flow hoping something will change and the problems will be instantly solved. Then there are those who try with everything they have to make the marriage work before they leave. These people are problem-solvers who feel they owe it to the marriage to try to reach some resolution before they throw in the towel.
 
The one thing both have in common is that they rarely go to marriage counseling. Very few people take advantage of marriage counseling before deciding to divorce; this is likely due to societal preconceptions about who needs therapy and what it may lead others to think. When your relationship is on the line, though, no one’s opinion matters more than that of you and your partner. And by working with a professional, you may actually find that your voice is strong and worth listening to.
 
Maintaining a marriage and solving problems within the marriage takes skills. Relationship skills that few of us are naturally equipped with. We may think we are doing all we can to solve the problems in a marriage but, a marriage counselor can be of great benefit in teaching us new ways of solving problems and getting our needs met.
 

Benefits of Marriage Counseling Before Divorce

 

  • You will learn how to resolve conflict in a healthy manner. In marriage counseling, you will learn communication skills that will help you not only listen to your spouse but, to also process what your spouse is saying.
  • You will learn how to communicate more effectively. When you voice your needs clearly and openly without resentment or anger, your marriage will prosper.
  • You will learn how to be assertive without being offensive. Both spouses need to be able to talk about their issues without fear of hurting the other spouse. In marriage counseling, you will learn that you can get what you need without having to make demands and engage in conflict.
  • You will learn to process and work through unresolved issues. Marriage counseling offers a safe environment for expressing any unhappiness you feel. Getting your feelings out into the open with the help of a trained professional may be all you need. You may find that your spouse is more than willing to work together to solve the problems in the marriage. You may also find that your spouse is unwilling to do the work. If so, you are then free to leave the marriage without any guilt because you have given it your best shot.
  • You will develop a deeper understanding of who your spouse is and what his/her needs are. Better yet, you will learn more deeply who you are and what your needs are. You may end up finding that those needs can be met inside the marriage. You may not.
 
 
Relationship skills needed to maintain a fulfilling marriage could be learned. A marriage counselor can teach you those skills while monitoring your progress, mediating conflict and giving objective feedback.
If you wait too long to seek marriage counseling the odds are against you. Even if you feel it is too late and no amount of counseling will help the only way to know for sure is to seek professional help. Doing so will keep you from making a mistake you will later regret.
 
If you are thinking about divorce, protect yourself from future regret by working with a marriage counselor. He/she can not only help you come to terms with whether or not to divorce but can also teach you the skills needed in any future relationships should you decide to leave the marriage.