It’s sad to see so many marriages ending in divorce.

Perhaps even sadder is that many of those couples (if not most) didn’t want their relationship to end because their marriage was good enough to save.

One of the first things you should do if  in a troubled marriage is to get marriage counseling because it STRONGLY improves the odds of saving your marriage.

This might be a silly question because it’s so simple. But I’ll ask it anyway. What is marriage counseling, exactly?

It’s a kind of therapy that is facilitated by a counselor who is trained in psychotherapy and family psychology.

It involves a certain number of sessions that the couple will be required to attend either together or individually depending on the progress that is being made.

(There might be times when the therapist will want or need to have a private session with either the wife or husband.)

Typically, though, the husband and wife will attend the sessions together.

Sessions continue until the couple is able to manage their relationship effectively on their own without any help from a third party.

The counselor will ask questions to analyze the health of the marriage and drill down to the root cause of any marital problem(s).

Advice and solutions will be given for repairing the relationship and restoring intimacy, romance, and friendship; the marriage will be strengthened.

This healthy process allows the couple to discuss issues and deal with conflict without casting blame or making each other feel guilty.

How many times has a discussion with your spouse deteriorated into a heated exchange of defensiveness or argumentativeness?

A marriage counselor will strive to keep this from happening so the couple finally has a chance to hear each other and continue the conversation.

The counselor will suggest positive ways for the couple to move forward together proactively and productively.

Painful experiences will become something to learn from instead of to argue about, and stepping stones to a stronger, healthier marriage.

A top priority among marriage counselors is opening the lines of communication. Honest communication is essential for couples to find solutions and successfully work through their differences.

When a couple enlists the help of a marriage counselor, it demonstrates that they are ready to work together to save their marriage.

It sends a message to the counselor that they value their relationship and believe that it’s worth saving.

The marriage counselor will help them to address their situation in a way that raises awareness and understanding, which in turn makes it possible (and probable) for them to heal their relationship and save their marriage.

Those are some of the key things that you absolutely need to know about marriage counseling. If you’re wavering as to whether or not you should enlist the help of a marriage counselor, then remember this: You will never regret seeing a marriage counselor…but you might have life long regrets if you don’t.