We Help Couples
At Magnolia Family Counseling, we see a variety of couples who find themselves not in a great place in their relationship. Often, these couples have been unhappy for what feels like a long time, and yet they just don’t know why.
Couples can feel at times like they just aren’t hearing each other. Neither side wants to be wrong. It can feel like you both love each other, but right now you seem to act as if you don’t like each other very much.
Marriage Counseling, or Couples Counseling, can provide a way for couples to better understand and resolve their conflicts.
Are you arguing a lot, maybe due to a lack of communication?
Are hateful things sometimes being said back & forth, even though you don’t really mean it?
Do you and your partner just feel like you don’t understand each other?
Most couples come to Magnolia Family Counseling because they are looking to heal their relationship and end the negativity. They come because they want to learn to communicate better, to improve themselves, and to be happy once again.
Our counselors at Magnolia Family Counseling are here to help guide you on that journey. We understand that every couple struggles in their relationship at some point in time. We help couples and individuals in any type of relationship by being understanding and by taking a non-judgmental approach in helping couples repair their relationship.
If you are looking for a way to get your relationship back on track, couples counseling is likely the solution you are looking for. Couples counseling can go by a few different names: couples therapy, or if you are married, marriage counseling or marriage therapy.
We offer counseling to people who are:
- married or are partners
- those living together
- those considering future commitments
- and those who are dating.
We also provide counseling to those no longer together, who wish to resolve their disagreements in order to be better co-parents or rekindle their relationship.
Couples counseling can be a short term process, where it may only take a few sessions to get your relationship back on track. Or couples counseling can last for several months, in cases where your relationship has sharply declined. Your counseling sessions can occur via 50 minute sessions anywhere from weekly to 2-4 times per month depending on your schedule.
An unhealthy relationship can bring with it an assortment of negative feelings and situations:
anger & hostility
distrust
disrespect
boredom
lack of intimacy
growing apart
What benefits can we expect from couples counseling?
Couples counseling can bring with it a number of benefits:
Happiness
better communication
stronger connection
enhanced intimacy
more trust
letting go of the past
rational problem solving
healed relationships
conflict resolution
teamwork
Couples Counseling Can Help.
Don’t take just our word for it. A study[1] concerning individuals who received couples counseling found the following:
- Rated counseling services as good or excellent 98.1%
- Were satisfied with the counseling services they received 97.4%
- Received the help they were looking for 97.1%
- Would recommend their counselor to a friend 96.9%
- Said they would return to counseling in the future 94.3%
- Said they were able to deal more effectively with problems 93.0%
- Said their children’s behavior improved 73.7%
- Said their physical health improved 63.4%
- Said their functioning at work improved 54.8%
[1] “Clinical Practice Patterns of Marriage and Family Therapists: A National Survey of Therapists and Their Clients”, Journal of Marital and Family Therapy-Volume 22, No. 1
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do we need couples counseling? Can’t we deal with this on our own?
Of the 900,000 marriages in the United States that end up in divorce each year, less than 10% of those couples sought help from a professional. There is now scientifically based research that shows which important skills are needed to make a relationship work. Experts in couples counseling, like our counselors, are able to effectively teach couples those skills and how to use them. Many of those relationships that ended in divorce could have worked had they sought the help they needed.
I feel unsure about counseling. Opening up and sharing details of my personal life and relationship make me feel uneasy.
Starting counseling can feel very intimidating and scary. The idea of sharing intimate details and your life can leave many feeling quite vulnerable. However, our job as counselors is never to judge, but rather to help. We strive to create a positive environment of comfort, security, and support. All information shared is kept confidential between you and your counselor.
Is counseling expensive? What are the session rates?
Counseling session rates can vary quite a bit depending on the type of clinical setting, the number and types of degrees completed by your therapist, the experience level of your therapist, the specialty of the therapy you are seeking, and whether you are using insurance or self-pay rates. The region in which you live can also play a role in the pay rate. We have an entire page dedicated to Fees and Insurance for more details specific to Magnolia Family Counseling.
What happens if I want to begin couples counseling but my partner doesn’t?
You can always begin counseling as an individual and merge to couples counseling if/when your partner is ready. Many of the skills taught in couples counseling can be taught individually. However, you may run the risk of evolving past your partner, which could potentially create more conflict.
Is my relationship doomed to fail if I think we need couples therapy?
No, most relationships are dysfunctional because they have yet to learn the skills needed to create a happy, healthy relationship. That is what couples counseling does. It teaches you the skills needed to get things back on track. However, once those skills are taught, it is up to the couple to put in the work to implement those needed changes.
I’ve been to counseling before and nothing changed. Why should this time be different?
Sometimes it’s as simple as finding the counselor that is the right fit for you. Though counselors are often taught the same information and skills, counseling styles can vary greatly depending on their theoretical base and personality. Things can also be different this time because you are different. We are ever evolving and thus you may be in a different place in your life now versus the last time you’ve been to counseling. You may now feel more ready to do the work needed so you can start living the life you deserve.
What kind of couples do you work with?
We work with all couples.
Can I bring my child to our couples counseling session?
Just as it isn’t recommended that you fight in front of your child, having a child present in session while adult issues are being discussed is potentially emotionally harmful to your child. There is also the potential for your child to be a distraction to yourself and/or the counselor, thus preventing you from getting the quality of counseling that you need.
Couples Counselors
Priscilla Hurd, LPC, M.Ed.
Allison Proctor, LPC, M.Ed.
Aryane S. Williams, PLPC, M.A.
