Couples Counseling - When Two Worlds Unite
Clint and Searah were as different as two people could be. Their families were shocked when the two decided to marry…and not surprised that they were seeking couples counseling only months after their marriage.
Clint was a trial lawyer, a staunch Republican and a “control freak” according to Searah. Searah on the other hand was free-spirited and tempestuous. She changed jobs frequently, according to her current interest. Within one year, she was a school teacher’s aide, a bricklayer and a yoga instructor.
Clint and Searah met at a local cafe and struck up a heated political conversation. They began dating and a year later, married - both in their late 20’s.
According to Searah:
We knew what everybody thought. And I hate that they think they’re right! I mean, we’re here so it sort of spells defeat. Maybe we are too different to be together. But you know, I like our differences. And I think Clint does too. I just think we need to learn to live with them more sanely.
The marriage counselor saw a deep desire for the couple to make it work. He began to outline a plan that focused on their similarities and not their differences. Both loved politics, for instance, even though they had vastly different views. Both liked traveling and fine dining as well. In order for the marriage to succeed, the two needed to know that certain areas might always be “different” between the two of them, but these differences could form a bonding, a way of looking at the other side of an issue.
The old adage that “opposites attract” may hold some truth. But opposites can have their share of problems, too. Searah and Clint learned to celebrate their differences and enjoy the heated chemistry that it brought one another. Marriage counseling aided in allowing these two disparate people a chance to “viva la difference.”
