Discernment Counseling
Emergency Marriage Counseling
When Divorce Is on the Table
Break glass in case of emergency.
Facing despair and betrayal over the thought of a failed marriage can be overwhelming. When marriages are in crisis, it’s supposed to be painful.
The Bible describes marriage as two becoming one, and by design, we are not to separate that sacred bond without damaging each other further. That’s why God hates divorce; because he loves us and doesn’t want us damaging each other or ourselves. So, in the middle of your crisis, let’s take a breather together before more damage occurs.
Finding yourself in the middle of a crisis often brings out quick and desperate decisions that people regret later, just because they were looking for a sense of change or relief.
Divorce doesn’t have to be the immediate next step. By design, discernment counseling helps you figure out what to do next.
What is Discernment Counseling?
If you or your spouse are considering divorce but are not completely sure that’s the best path, you are in a tough spot. And Discernment Counseling is designed for you. It’s a chance to slowdown, take a breath, and look at your options for your marriage.
Discernment Counseling is a new way of helping couples where one person is “leaning out” of the relationship—and not sure that regular marriage counseling would help–and the other is “leaning in”—that is, interested in rebuilding the marriage.
The counselor will help you decide whether to try to restore your marriage to health, move toward divorce, or take a time out and decide later.
The goal is for you to gain clarity and confidence about a direction, based on a deeper understanding of your relationship and its possibilities for the future.
The goal is not to solve your marital problems but to see if they are solvable. You will each be treated with compassion and respect no matter how you are feeling about your marriage at the moment. No bad guys and good guys.
What happens during sessions?
You will come in as a couple but the most important work occurs in the one-to-one conversations with the counselor. Why? Because you are starting out in different places.
The counselor respects your reasons for divorce while trying to open up the possibility of restoring the marriage to health.
The counselor emphasizes the importance of each of you seeing your own contributions to the problems and the possible solutions. This will be useful in future relationships even if this one ends.
Number of Sessions: A maximum of 5 counseling sessions. The first session is usually 2 hours and the subsequent are 1.5 or 2 hours.
How To Get Started.
Call today or book your free 20-minute consultation online to get started with discernment counseling. After we chat, I’ll also need your spouse to contact me separately to ensure that you both are good candidates for discernment counseling.
Discernment Counseling is not suited for these situations:
- When one spouse has already made a final decision to divorce
- When one spouse is coercing the other to participate
- When there is danger of domestic violence