Thinking Of Divorce Save Marriage With A Marriage Counselor

Are you thinking of divorce? Save marriage by seeing a marriage counselor. There are a lot of therapists who say they do marriage counseling, but how do you know which ones are truly good? This article will give you a checklist of things to look for in a family therapist.

Firstly, you want to see what their credentials are. There are 3 basic classes of counselors.

The first is the Ph.D. or Psy.D. level counselor. These people attended graduate school for a minimum of five years and wrote a dissertation. Additionally, they performed a minimum of 3000 hours of therapy under the supervision of an experienced psychologist. In order to legally call yourself a “clinical psychologist” the individual must have a doctoral level degree. Ph.D.’s are frequently more academic in nature and tend to do scholarly and forensic work along with therapy.

Then there's the M.S.W. This means Master of Social Work. Social Workers are trained to apply social theory to specific situations. They could work in institutions or with individuals.

Finally, there's the M.S. or M.A. in Counseling. Frequently called a “Marriage and Family Therapist,” these people can only work with individuals or small groups in counseling situations. They tend to have two year degrees and may not have written a dissertation. They have 1500 hours of therapy under supervision.

If you're using your insurance to cover your marriage counseling, your insurance company will in all likelihood direct you to an MSW or a Marriage and Family Therapist because they're less expensive.

Second, you have to determine what the price will be. Clinical psychologists tend to be the costliest while Marriage and Family Therapists are the least expensive. Remember you're trying to stop divorce. Save marriage by finding the best fit not the most (or least) expensive professional.

Consider the per session cost as well as the overall cost for the expected length of treatment.

Frequently, therapists working in groups or non profit institutions will have a sliding scale fee based on a couple’s income. If you qualify, this may make counseling affordable when it otherwise may not be.

Third, you need to look at the policies the therapist has. Some of these policies include:

· What happens if you miss or cancel a session?
· Can you take a pre-planned vacation without having to pay for the session?
· Will the therapist accept calls outside of the normal session? Do they accept calls at home or just at the office?
· Is there an alternative person you can call in an emergency?

A family counselor should help you put your family back together so that you do not have split up. Saving your marriage should be their ultimate goal. If you do not feel that you're in synch with your counselor, move on and find somebody who can keep you from divorce and save marriage.