If you or your spouse are considering divorce but are not completely sure that’s the best path, you are in a tough spot. Discernment Counseling is designed for you. It’s a chance to slowdown, take a breath, and look at 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.
Discernment counseling emphasizes the importance of each of you seeing your own contributions to the marital problems and possible solutions. This will be useful in future relationships even if this one ends.
The goal of discernment counseling is not to solve marital problems. You will each be treated with compassion and respect no matter how you feel about your marriage at the moment.
The discernment counseling process will help you gain clarity and confidence about a direction, based on a deeper understanding of your relationship and its possibilities for the future. You and your spouse will decide whether to try to restore your marriage, move toward separation or divorce, or take a time out and decide later. 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 feel about your marriage.
Discernment counseling is structured and time limited. The first session is two hours, and the subsequent sessions are 1 ½ to 2 hours. You attend each session as a couple. Each partner has one-to-one conversations with the therapist followed by a therapist guided reflection time as a couple.
Hopeful Spouse Coaching is available for discernment and support when one partner is unwilling to participate in discernment counseling, and the other spouse seeks support and insight.
