Tips When Starting Marriage Counseling

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If things with your marriage haven't been perfect and you're having a hard time settling the issues, marriage counseling may be a great thing to try before you throw in the towel. A lot of people are able to find counseling beneficial, and it's a great gateway for communication.

The counselor is a professional that can listen to both sides of the story, they can help you see each person's point of view, and they can give you great insight. Here are a few things that you want to do for counseling.

Agree to be Open and Honest

You have to be open and willing to listen to your spouse and the counselor if you want counseling to work. You also have to be willing to change things about yourself, and to let the counseling work. If you go into the sessions with an open mind, instead of already thinking it won't work or that you want a divorce, you will be able to get a lot of out of it. If you don't want to put effort into the sessions, you'll get out what you put in.

Write Things Down

Before you go to the session, write down some of the things that you want to talk about so you don't forget them. You may not get to all of them, but you can give them to the counselor or save them for the next meeting. Sometimes we forget what we want to talk about, or we aren't able to express things verbally as well as we like.

Not only do you want to write down things that come up in your mind, but also things that you want to take from the session. Writing things down from the session and going over them throughout the week can help remind you of how you want to improve yourself or your marriage.

Set Goals

Set goals with your counselor and with your spouse, and write them down. People who write down their goals are 40 percent more likely to achieve them. You can talk about the goals, how to work towards them, and check in regularly on your progress. These goals could be going on a set number of date nights, saving money or other things that cause stress in your marriage.

If you are struggling in your marriage and you want to try everything possible before you contemplate divorce, talk with a specialist like Drake Counseling Services. You can get the help the two of you need, and try to figure things out together.

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29 April 2015

Talking About Your Problems

When I was younger, my parents didn't like us to talk about our problems. Instead of voicing our concerns, my parents encouraged us to work on our issues privately. Although this attitude taught me a great deal about personal strength, it has made it hard for me to talk about my problems with other people. After two failed marriages, I realized that the lack of communication could hurt my ability to work well with coworkers, spouses, roommates, and friends. In an attempt to correct my bad habits, I started working with a professional counselor, which made an immediate difference in my life. I know that counseling can help you too, which is why I created a website dedicated to communication and counseling.