Marriage Counseling in Austin

Spouses commonly enlist the assistance of a counselor when their marriage isn’t functioning well and is entrenched in maladaptive patterns. There are many possible reasons for this, including arrogance, jealousy, anger, poor communication or problem-solving, ill health, and third parties. Marriage counseling works with the couple-system and allows them to have a more objective view of their relationship, modify dysfunctional behavior, decrease emotional avoidance, improve communication, and promote their strengths.

Additionally, as intimacy deepens, each partner learns to take equal responsibility of future problems as they arise, becomes aware of their own contribution to the couple-system, and makes some fundamental changes in their beliefs, behaviors, and feelings. Marriages truly benefit when these gains are maintained over the long-term.

Get help for your marriage.

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How Marriage Counseling Can Help Strengthen Your Relationship

Emotion focused counseling can benefit healthy marriages as well as those in crisis, but most couples wait an average of six years from the first sign of problems to get help. Find out if marriage counseling is right for your relationship.

Common Myths About Marriage Counseling

“It’s too expensive”
According to the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), marriage counseling costs 20% less than a psychologist’s fees, and 30% less than a psychiatrist’s fees. In fact, it is shown that 2/3 of marriage counselors are willing to lower their rates! (Under certain criteria, marriage counseling may be covered under most health insurance policies.)

“It’s just the last step before the inevitable divorce” or “We’re past the point of reconciliation.”
According to one study, just 3% of marriages divorced 4 years after completing insight-oriented marital therapy, and nearly one-third of marriages last after an affair has been admitted or discovered!

“It takes too long.”
The median length of family therapy is just 12 sessions, and 65% of cases are completed within 20 sessions. In fact, family therapy generally lasts 30% fewer sessions than individual therapy.

“It doesn’t make a difference”
About one half of all highly-distressed marriages in a 2011 study showed persistent signs of improvement 5 years later.