Every relationship has its problems. There are two ways to deal with these problems. One way, it to bottle them up until you explode. That’s not a good idea, but the one people choose a surprising number of times. The second option, is to talk about your problems, and try to work them out.

If you choose that option, sometimes you may need help to gain perspective…and sometimes it might be a good idea to find a good Marriage Counselor to help you with that. Here are a few tips to help you along that path, should you choose to take it….

1. Grab the Phone Book/Internet/Friends - Depending on your method of looking for a Counselor, you may ask a friend recommend one, or you may look in the yellow pages. Unfortunately, there is a lot of junk on the web if you’re looking for one online, so I would recommend looking at the various online yellow page like services over just Google searching it.
2. Ask Questions - Not everyone that is licensed to be a marriage counselor is going to be good at it. You need to ask questions to make sure that you have a winner on your hands. A bad marriage counselor is not going to help you deal with your problems. Here are a few key questions to ask:
   • How many years have you been a counselor?
   • What are your credentials?
   • What type of program do you offer?
   • How do you help motivate your clients to complete your program?

   
   

3. Make that first appointment ASAP - Here’s a cold, hard fact about marriage counseling…most people don’t know, or are willing to admit, that they need it until well after they do. If you decide this is something you need to do…go ahead and make that appointment. Make it for as soon as you can. The quicker you do, the better off you’ll be…
4. Know the Cost - The sessions are not going to be cheap. Typically ranging from $40 to $200 per session. Anything higher than that, and you might need to ask some more questions…anything lower than that…and you definitely need to ask more questions. Like most things, you generally get what you pay for…and you need to be willing to pay for this. You can’t cheap skate out on your marriage….and - seriously - marriage counseling is WAY cheaper than divorce.
5. Keep Going - One of you is not going to want to go…if not on the first visit, probably by the third…and certainly by the fourth. It is hard to expose yourself in the way that you are sometimes required to do in these situations, and you’re going to go through added anxiety in an already stressful time…but if you can see how it is helping - even a little bit - you need to stick with it, and see it through. After all, if you can’t see counseling through…how are you going to see your marriage through?