Taking A Look At The Various Types Of Catholic Marriage Counseling

counseling for couples

You can benefit from Catholic marriage counseling, whether you’re Catholic or not. Christian counselors are not aiming to convert the non-believers, but rather, they’re trying to defend the sanctity of marriage and strengthen the family environment. After all, strong, loving family units are mankind’s best defense against evil. Rather than pay $100-$200 per session with a licensed marriage therapy professional, why not see what God can do first?

One form of Catholic counseling happens before you even get married. Pre-marriage counseling is generally part of any Christian ceremony. Counseling for couples may be done in sessions, as a weekend retreat or as a group seminar. As with any other marital counseling, you’ll learn about conflict management, identifying wants or needs and strengthening communication skills. Often this opportunity is partially covered by insurance, with a small fee based on an income-sensitive sliding scale. The idea is that pitfalls can be prevented with a little bit of skill building and knowledge prior to tying the knot.

Couples can also hook up with marriage family counselors through their local church for a small fee. If a child has witnessed fighting, domestic violence, drug/alcohol abuse or other ungodly situations, then they may need help. There are Catholic marriage counseling programs to help kids communicate, channel their emotions through positive outlets and receive basic necessities like food or clothing, all of which are available through community churches. As for the parents, they can learn better communication skills and conflict management techniques to help minimize the damage to the family unit and begin a fresh start.

There are pros and cons to choosing Catholic marriage counseling. On the plus side, you’ll be saving money, strengthening your marriage and learning to incorporate more spirituality into your life. On the downside, you’re often not being counseled by someone who has formal training in conflict management, communication, psychology or marital issues. The group seminars may not provide the type of personalized analysis you would like, so if you feel you’re in need of some solid solutions, then perhaps marriage therapists would be more your speed.