Marriage Counselling

Did you know?

  • It takes an average of 6 years from the onset of a problem for a couple to seek marriage counselling.

  • Average cost for divorce is $20,000 for short-term legal fees plus long-term financial costs of selling property and paying for separate households.

  • Average cost for marriage counselling or couples therapy at Rosen Couples Counselling is $3,000 – $4,000 for a complete cycle of successful treatment. This is as much as or less than a vacation for two.

  • On average, women suffer more while staying in an unsatisfying relationship. Men, on average, suffer more than women once the relationship has dissolved.

  • There are psychological costs to divorce. On the stress scale divorce is second only to the death of a spouse.

  • Divorce does not just happen once when children are involved. It keeps happening over and over again with reminders at birthdays, weddings, funerals…

  • An average divorce takes a full year to complete. Effective marriage counselling or couples therapy lasts 6 to 9 sessions.

  • After the first year of divorce 60-75% of spouses say that the divorce might have been a mistake, that they should have tried harder, and that they find the new lifestyle less satisfying.

  • Studies show that post-divorce fathers stay connected with the children for about 2 years. After the 2-year period fathers usually become estranged due to factors like relocation, conflict with the mother, or becoming involved with a new family.

Advanced Communication for Adults

The majority of couples that divorce never seek professional help. On the other hand, the majority of couples who stick with marriage counselling resolve their issues and build a stronger relationship.

Common Concerns About Marriage Counselling

Even imagining themselves in front of a marriage counselor makes people feel that they failed for not being able to manage the relationship on their own. Relationships are very complex! Despite having owned and driven a car for years, you would not expect to be able to maintain that car by yourself, unless you are a mechanic. Why would you then expect to maintain and fix your relationship, even after years of experience in it, without proper education? Yes, there is no stigma about taking your car to a mechanic. There is still some stigma about getting relationship help. The good news is that there is much less of that stigma now. Most people now consider it a sign of wisdom and courage to improve their relationship by consulting a professional. It is becoming no different than seeing a doctor for a medical issue.

The most important component of couples counselling is safety in the room. We understand that you need to feel emotionally safe in order to participate in the process. People sometimes feel that they are being placed under a magnifying glass in couple therapy and their relationship is criticized and they are blamed for the issues. In order to address this legitimate concern we assess for couples’ strengths and points of good compatibility along with an assessment of areas where they can improve. It is our experience that both partners contribute to the dynamics in their relationship. We do not blame one partner or the other. You will learn to see both your own and your partner’s contribution to the issues.

This feeling of hopelessness is typical to partners who have been struggling with the issues on their own for a long time. It is our experience that any issue can be worked through when both partners are willing to work on it with the guidance of an experienced and caring marriage & family therapist.

This is true. Counselling is not as organic as working through the issues on your own. However, by the same token it is unnatural to have surgery when you need it. The organic thing would be to deal with it on your own. Needless to say, we all know the probable natural outcome of this! Most people choose to see a specialist when confronted by a health issue. It makes sense to see one when you are confronted by relationship issues.

If Your Partner is Not Willing to Join You in Marriage Counselling

It is important to not manipulate your partner into marriage counseling. Simply say “We have been trying to resolve the issues ourselves. Clearly, it hasn’t worked. I would like you to join me in marriage counseling.”

People respond better to something concrete in front of them. Say “I have found a marriage counselor in our area. It is within our budget and they offer convenient hours. They are available to see us next week. I will arrange for someone to stay with the kids. How about 11am next Saturday?”

Say something like “I know, marriage counseling sounds big and feels like we have failed at our relationship. How about, instead of jumping into counseling, we get one consultation with a specialist and see if we feel comfortable with them. Then we can decide whether we want to go ahead or not.”

If you have tried the above and your partner is still not willing to join you, arrange an individual session for yourself. You would be surprised how much you can change the dynamic in your relationship by positioning yourself differently.

Couples dealing with medical issues and chronic pain

As an alternative to marriage counselling and therapy for couples we developed a program consisting of supportive consultations for couples on coping with medical issues. Part of our interest is how couples are affected by issues such as postpartum depression and chronic illness in children. In addition, we are helping couples cope with medical issues such as coronary heart disease, cancer, chronic pain, fertility problems, respiratory disorders, HIV/AIDS.

Such episodes of critical illness have a significant impact on the couple. The partner who is experiencing the symptoms may feel guilty about placing additional demands on the spouse. He or she may also feel that they are not getting the right support from their partner even though the partner is trying to help.

This usually happens due to miscommunication between partners. The partner who is not experiencing medical symptoms at the time may feel tired and emotionally drained because the illness usually places demands on both partners. We help couples communicate openly about their needs and establish a safe, non-judgmental environment in which partners can re-negotiate established roles, responsibilities and boundaries.

Marriage Counseling Services

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We assess your relationship at the beginning and at the end of the process in order to have a treatment plan and see real progress.