Counseling at the Right Time
One of the many roles of a marriage counselor is that of a guide and supporter. When Debby and Charlie first came to marriage counseling they admitted that, though new to this counselor, they had in fact been to counseling a few years prior for mostly the same issues. They had chosen to again seek out marriage counseling because they were very unhappy in their marriage. They had chosen to seek out a new counselor because they didn’t think the previous counselor had made a difference in their relationship or individual selves.
There is always a predisposition to blame the initial marriage counselor for failing to help, however, it should be noted that seeking out help is not the same thing as being open to receiving help. Sometimes the right counselor makes a huge difference, but so does counseling at the right time.
Charlie said:
Our previous counseling sessions worked okay for a while, we stayed together, but we still weren’t really happy. I don’t remember a lot of the techniques that the old counselor gave us to help us talk more, I don’t know that I paid all that much attention, to be honest. Debby wanted to go to counseling so I did it. This time, though, I wanted to come to counseling. We’re not happy and we need to change or we’re not going to make it.
Debby and Charlie had realized that just attending marriage counseling wasn’t enough, they also had to actively participate in the process in order to realize lasting change.
Related Posts
- Love (and Counseling) the Second Time Around
- Counseling Takes Time
- The “Turnaround Time” in Marriage Counseling
- Managing Time and Counseling
- When is it Time to Stop Couples Counseling?
