When selecting a marriage counseling program, remember to consider your partner's preferences. Get referrals from people you know, but still do your own investigation to make sure that the program is suitable for you. Try to find one where the counselors have experience dealing with problems similar to yours. Also avoid aggravating your marital problems by choosing a marriage counseling program that involves notable financial strain.
Take your partner's preferences into consideration when choosing a marriage counseling program. You want to make sure that you are making the best choice for both of you and that both of you will be receptive to the services and advice being offered. For example, if your partner has a different religion than you or is nonreligious, it is probably best to avoid a faith-based program. To help ensure that you are considering the other person's interest, you should include him or her in the decision making.
Get advice from people you know. If you have any friends or family members who are currently in or who have completed marriage counseling programs, get feedback from them about their experiences. The fact that they had a good experience does not guarantee that you will also have a good experience, but it can increase your chances.
Whether you are making the selection on your own or by referral, you should still gather information about the program and any counselors with whom you may be working. You should try to speak with counselors directly. This way you can hear firsthand what their approach is. You can also make inquiries about other details that may be important to you, such as their credentials, the estimated length of the program, and the success rates.
Try to find a marriage counselor who has experience dealing with marital problems like yours. Although some may put forth their best effort, certain marital issues may be too new or foreign for certain counselors to effectively handle. This is especially true if culture plays a major role in your relationship. In such cases, such as if you are married to a person of another culture, you may even want to look for a marriage counseling program that has counselors of your partner's culture or strategies that are focused on mixed-culture marriages.
although it may not be the primary basis of your decision, you may want to consider the cost of the marriage counseling program. It can be a bad idea to place too much financial burden on a marriage that is already troubled, especially if your partner is apprehensive or against marriage counseling in the first place. To be safe, you should try to make the setting of a budget for this treatment a joint decision.