What is Marriage Counseling?

Marriage and couples counseling is an opportunity to help your marriage with a variety of concerns throughout the relationship. Therapists can help couples work through, manage, and heal specific relationship challenges, like infidelity, becoming parents for the first time, perpetual conflict, or becoming empty nesters. Relationships go through many changes and it can be helpful to allow a nonjudgmental party to assist in each partner’s voice being heard and needs being met. Therapists can provide interventions, tools, and strategies to strengthen your connection, communicate more effectively, and heal relational trauma.
   

How does Marriage Counseling work?
 

At Maverick Marriage Therapy, we believe your relationship is the most significant influence in your life and future. We begin by building an authentic relationship with each person in the relationship to explore, identify, and refine your ultimate goals for couples counseling. These are then discussed openly, mutually agreed upon by both individuals and the couples therapist. Each couples’ goals are unique to their needs, however, there are general categories that guide what goals are most important and the order in which goals should be worked on. Some of the goals that are important and could be included are: 

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• Healing after an affair 

• Increasing relationship satisfaction

• Improving conflict resolution skills and healthy communication

• Deepening emotional and sexual intimacy

• Building trust and respect

• Healing feelings of resentment or past relational trauma

 

There are also times in which discernment counseling is needed, in which the goal becomes to gain understanding, clarity, and confidence about a path forward. That could be to recommit to the relationship and work on the areas of concern or decide to end the relationship.

When is Marriage Counseling needed?
 

Marriage therapy can be a great resource at several stages within a relationship. Premarital counseling can provide insight and awareness into personality differences and relationship expectations before a couple says “I do.” We strongly recommend marriage counseling within the first five years of marriage to empower a couple to learn how to navigate conflict well, to deepen intimacy, and provide tools for the challenges marriage encounters. It is absolutely essential if a couple is experiencing infidelity, perpetual conflict that remains unresolved, or issues of substance use. 

 

Here are some signs that it may be time to consider couples counseling:

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• Desires to be alone or avoid your spouse

• You or your spouse have a diagnosis of ADD or ADHD

• Feelings of loneliness or isolation

• Frequent conflicts with little resolution, usually about the same topics

• Negative feelings and thoughts about your partner that are more frequent than positive ones 

• Life changes, like career, new baby, caring for aging parents, divorce, or blended family dynamics 

• Challenges managing feelings like anger, fear, or sadness

• Affairs or thoughts of cheating on your spouse

• Lying, hiding, secrets

• Communication issues

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How much does Marriage Counseling cost?

Cost is dependent on your therapist’s experience, session length, and whether you are in need of a sliding scale or not. Many insurance companies do not cover this type of therapy, but your therapist can provide a superbill to submit to your insurance provider for reimbursement. Please contact your insurance company to discuss this possibility further.
 

How long does the Marriage Counseling process take?
 

Marriage therapy or couples counseling is usually brief and solution-focused meaning it is intended to help provide healing quickly compared to other long term therapy. Most couples require approximately six months of treatment to complete their goals; However, each couples’ needs are different and this time frame can vary. Sessions can take place every week or every other week depending on the therapist’s initial assessment, their goals, and scheduling needs. Marriage counseling can be a successful experience when both individuals are invested in their relationship, finding solutions together, and willing to put in the work.

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How do I know if Marriage Counseling is right for me?
 

Marriage counseling is highly dependent on your willingness and commitment to improve the relationship. Additionally, it is necessary you have a level of trust and safety with your therapist to engage in the process. 

 

If you have very little to no intimacy with your partner, feel fearful to have conflict, struggle with trust, and/or are not communicating well with your spouse marriage counseling is right for you.

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Are sessions in person or online?

Both! We provide telehealth sessions to clients in Illinois. Clients in Georgia meet in person or online. 

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Is online therapy as effective as in person?

Yes, research shows that online therapy is as effective as in person.

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Can you see clients from anywhere?​

 

Not yet! We are currently licensed in Georgia & Illinois. Under current licensing laws, a therapist can only provide services to clients in the states where they are licensed.

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How often we will meet?

 

This depends on a few factors & is individualized to each client’s needs. We typically recommend meeting weekly to start, at least for the first few weeks or months, to really build a solid therapeutic relationship. Then as you begin to achieve your goals, we meet less frequently. The hope is to give folks the skills they need to not be in therapy forever!