

{"id":35197,"date":"2019-03-04T06:13:36","date_gmt":"2019-03-04T06:13:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/?p=35197"},"modified":"2023-04-26T09:41:40","modified_gmt":"2023-04-26T09:41:40","slug":"marriage-counseling-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/counseling\/marriage-counseling-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Marriage Counseling Questions to Ask Your Spouse &#8211; Expert Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-35207 size-full\" title=\"Crucial marriage counseling questions to ask your spouse\" src=\"https:\/\/image.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Crucial-marriage-counseling-questions-to-ask-your-spouse.jpg\" alt=\"Crucial marriage counseling questions to ask your spouse\" width=\"804\" height=\"350\"><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Preparing-for-marriage-counseling\"><\/span>Preparing for marriage counseling<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are worried that your relationship has reached the point of no return, rife with conflicts, marriage counseling can help you re<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">build a happy marriage. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, a conflict-ridden marriage means you and your spouse are not in the best shape to premeditate and come up with the right questions to ask in a marriage counseling session.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since a gamut of emotions run high in a strained relationship, you might just forget what to ask, and end up with a brain freeze in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/counseling\/5-things-to-know-about-the-marriage-counseling-process\/\">marriage counseling session<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The most important step toward making the most out of a marriage counseling session is to be prepared beforehand. And that&rsquo;s why we have prepared an expert roundup on the most crucial marriage counseling questions to ask your spouse.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Expert-roundup-on-important-marriage-counseling-questions\"><\/span>Expert roundup on important marriage counseling questions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Experts themselves reveal the right marriage counseling questions to ask your spouse and how these can help you air your concerns and find solutions to your marital problems.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/greymattersintl.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">KEVIN FLEMING, Ph.D.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-35199\" src=\"https:\/\/image.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Kevin-Fleming.jpg\" alt=\"Kevin Fleming\" width=\"260\" height=\"300\"><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was once said by CS Lewis that the ideal marriage is one where you could turn to your partner and say, &ldquo;I love you just as you are and so much so to have you not stay that way.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And so, in my work, it is key to get at this &lsquo;dialectic&rsquo; of change and no-change, where the tension of wisdom is held between two people for most people want both predictability of being loved as they are and growth\/development of ideals.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So here are my meta-level bullets. <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are questions within the questions that get at the uncomfortable but needed levels of truth we all tend to ignore in the set-up phase of courtship<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<ul><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;What is the shadow side of what you love about me?&rdquo;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;How do I make loving me harder for you?&rdquo;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;If there is any resentment about me under the radar in this marriage, where would it be?&rdquo;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;What double-binds do I put out there? That is, how do I ask\/say one thing but really pull for something else?&rdquo;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;What have I missed about who you are?&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.loveandrelationshipcoach.com\/aboutangela.html\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">ANGELA&nbsp; AMBROSIA, Relationship Coach<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-35202\" src=\"https:\/\/image.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Angela-Ambrosia.jpg\" alt=\"Angela Ambrosia\" width=\"260\" height=\"300\"><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are my offerings;<\/span><\/p>\n<ul><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> What can I do or say to make you feel comfortable?<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> When you feel uncomfortable, what&rsquo;s the best way for me to respond?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What do you want for our relationship? What do you want for me? For you?<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCR89E_ADvErysSKiCSu6y8w\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">DAVID RISPOLI, Counselor<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-35203\" src=\"https:\/\/image.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/David-Rispoli.jpg\" alt=\"David Rispoli\" width=\"260\" height=\"300\"><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are two <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/counseling\/\">reasons that couples seek out marriage counseling<\/a>.&nbsp;The primary reason is that the marriage is in a crisis and one partner and sometimes both, want the relationship to improve.&nbsp; <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Frequently, one person has already checked out of the relationship, and counseling is seen as a last ditch effort to save the marriage.&nbsp;<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The second reason that some couples seek out marriage counseling is that they want to improve upon an already fairly solid marriage.&nbsp; <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regardless of the motivation for the counseling, in terms of &ldquo;Marriage Counseling Questions to Ask your Spouse&rdquo;, here are my top three:&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<ul><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If this marriage counseling experience were to be successful, and at the end of our time in Marriage Counseling our marriage was phenomenal, what would our marriage look like?&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<li>How far do you think our marriage is today from this phenomenal marriage picture that we painted in question number 1?<\/li>\n<li>What is one action we could take jointly today to bring us closer to the picture that we painted in question number 1?<\/li>\n<\/ul><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Marriages are never saved in marriage counselors or marriage coaches&rsquo; offices, they are saved as couples take the principles they learn and actively apply them to the daily grind of their relationship.&nbsp; <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That&rsquo;s why I offer a very forward-looking, action-oriented, positive approach to marriage coaching.&nbsp; I have never seen anyone improve or save their marriage by looking through the rear view mirror.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>NICOLE GIBSON, Marriage &amp; Family Therapist<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-35204 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/image.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Nicole-Gibson.jpeg\" alt=\"NICOLE GIBSON\" width=\"260\" height=\"300\"><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a licensed marriage and family therapist, and a married woman myself, I have found that there are many questions that arise when considering marriage counseling and also while in marriage counseling.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of my passions is working with couples and I often tell the couple that I&rsquo;m working with that, the point of marriage counseling, in my eyes, is not just to keep them together but instead to figure out what they&rsquo;re bringing to the relationship that needs to be addressed because whatever they&rsquo;re doing in this relationship, they&rsquo;ll likely do in the next one, if there is a next one. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So here are a few marriage counseling questions to ask your spouse:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How do you feel about the word &ldquo;intimacy&rdquo;?&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What does &ldquo;intimacy&rdquo; mean to you, meaning what will signal to you to know that you are engaged in &ldquo;intimacy&rdquo;?<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are your thoughts about religion?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How do you feel about children (i.e. do you want children?)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If things stay exactly the same in our relationship, would you be happy with that?&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do you consider yourself more of an introvert or extrovert?<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If we woke up tomorrow and all the &ldquo;problems&rdquo; we have in our marriage were fixed, what would that look like?<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How do you know you love me?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How do you know I love you?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In your family that you were raised in, what did marriage look like?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are your ideas about finances?&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All of these questions are insightful to both the couple and to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/experts\/\">marriage counselor<\/a> because religion, finances, children, family upbringing, intimacy, personality type, and ideas of love are all huge issues to be addressed in a marriage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/susanwinter.net\/about-me\/\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">SUSAN WINTER, Relationship Coach<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-35205\" src=\"https:\/\/image.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/susan-winter.jpg\" alt=\"Susan Winter\" width=\"260\" height=\"300\"><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are you afraid to tell me?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What financial, sexual or behavioral&nbsp;information are you afraid to share with me because you fear my reaction?&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Is there something you hide from me, assuming I&rsquo;ll judge you or want to leave you?&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Relationships&nbsp;require a safe place for &lsquo;truth-telling.&rsquo;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Emotional barriers&nbsp;are erected when we can&rsquo;t be ourselves and fear our spouse knowing who and what we are.<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Final-take-away\"><\/span>Final take away<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These helpful marriage counseling questions are a good start to make along with more questions that are specific to your relationship. Look at these!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":""},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Preparing for marriage counseling If you are worried that your relationship has reached the point of no return, rife with conflicts, marriage counseling can help you rebuild a happy marriage. However, a conflict-ridden marriage means you and your spouse are not in the best shape to premeditate and come up with the right questions to ask in a marriage counseling session. Since a gamut of emotions run high in a strained relationship, you might just forget what to ask, and end up with a brain freeze in a marriage counseling session. The most important step toward making the most out <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":675,"featured_media":35207,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[2667],"class_list":["post-35197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-counseling","tag-preparing-for-counseling","has_thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35197","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/675"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35197"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35197\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76972,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35197\/revisions\/76972"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35207"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}