Coming to the decision that the time has come for you and your partner to part ways can be incredibly difficult. In some cases, couples reach that decision prior to engaging in couples counseling. There may be other situations where you and your partner attempt to repair the relationship in therapy and ultimately, decide that it is best to consider divorce. Determining that divorce is the appropriate next step is only half the battle. There will be much to sort out, pre divorce couples counseling can help.
Divorce Counseling
Unfortunately, more than 40% of all marriages eventually lead to divorce in the US. There may be a vast array of reasons that you and your partner have reached this decision. Ending a marriage can come with feelings of sadness, often accompanied by relief. Once you have decided that divorce is the right next step, you and your partner will then need to contend with making significant decisions. Having an objective party to help guide this process with a divorcing couple can prove beneficial when it comes to making decisions over what happens next. Not only can you and your partner come up with a clear plan for moving forward, a clinician can help process emotions and teach ways to better cope with this life change.
Making Key Decisions
After sharing your life with someone, parting ways can become especially complicated. Sometimes, the emotions you may be overcomed by have the ability to cloud your judgement and ability to behave rationally. If you have been married for some time, chances are that you and your soon to be ex will have important decisions to make regarding business affairs, child custody, child support, visitation schedules, division of assets and more. While many believe that couples counseling is intended to repair a damaged relationship and ultimately save a marriage this is not always the case. Couples therapy can also help couples learn coping strategies and make important decisions regarding the divorce.
Individual Support
No matter how amicable a divorce is, you may still be overrun with feelings of fear, guilt, anxiety and sadness. While couples counseling for divorce can certainly help process these, it may be beneficial to seek individual counseling for the support you need. It’s important that you tend to yourself, especially during a time where you and your family will be adjusting to the significant changes that have occurred. Additionally, while divorce counseling is an excellent resource that many couples benefit from, you may not have a partner willing to endure the process. Individual counseling may be the right step for you in getting the help you deserve.
Couples counseling can offer a number of benefits. Whether you are trying to find your way back to one another, or are considering therapy as a way to find your way out of the relationship, couples counseling can assist in outlining your goals and helping you and your partner to feel heard. For more information about couples counseling, contact an experienced therapist for couples counseling in Palatine, IL today.
Thanks to Lotus Wellness Center for their insight into counseling and couples counseling before divorce.
