{"id":2028,"date":"2015-09-18T10:44:53","date_gmt":"2015-09-18T10:44:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/?p=2028"},"modified":"2023-04-29T12:48:33","modified_gmt":"2023-04-29T12:48:33","slug":"what-marriage-and-family-counselors-can-and-cannot-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/counseling\/what-marriage-and-family-counselors-can-and-cannot-do\/","title":{"rendered":"What Marriage and Family Counselors Can and Cannot Do"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Marriage<\/p>\n

So you’ve decided to get some help for your marriage and your <\/span>family<\/span><\/a>. Well done! This is a good decision.<\/span><\/p>\n

After struggling and stumbling along for only you know how long, you are ready to admit that you need some help, and this is a big step in the right direction. So with great hope and expectations, you arrive in a counselor’s room<\/span><\/p>\n

At this point, it is important to be clear about what you can realistically expect from your marriage and family <\/span>counselor<\/span><\/a>; otherwise, you may be setting yourself up for some serious disappointments.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before we shine a light on <\/span>what to expect from marriage counseling<\/b> or what happens in marriage counseling, let’s learn a little about what marriage counseling is. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>What is marriage counseling?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Marriage counseling is the process through which couples can learn to enhance their marriage through conflict resolution and improved <\/span>communication<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Marriage or family counseling<\/b> is generally supervised by a licensed therapist and is usually conducted for a small period of time until the <\/span>relationship<\/span><\/a> crisis is averted.<\/span><\/p>\n

Over time, every marriage is faced with conflicts and issues that test the strength of that relationship, and no matter how much you <\/span>love<\/span><\/a> each other, you are unable to find your way through these conflicts.<\/span><\/p>\n

At such a junction in your relationship, just hoping for the troubles to go away might not be enough. These issues and conflicts foster over time and cause your relationship to deteriorate further.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is where you need an unbiased eye to gauge your relationship and help you to amicably sort through your differences, and that is exactly when to seek marriage counseling. <\/span><\/p>\n

Through various forms of marriage counseling exercises and marriage counseling techniques, a therapist can guide you on a path to a more fulfilling relationship. <\/span><\/p>\n

However, many people either have a vague idea of how effective marriage counseling is and how marriage counseling works, and this can be very counterproductive.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are a lot of things that <\/span>marriage and family counselors<\/span><\/a> can do to help you, but there are also some things that they cannot do.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is important to know what to expect from your counselor, otherwise, you may be setting yourself up for disappointments. There are a lot of things that marriage and family counselors can and can’t do to help you.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let’s take a closer look at some of the things a <\/span>marriage and family therapist<\/b> can and cannot do:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"marriage<\/p>\n

<\/span>The can’s<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n