Discernment Counseling
DISCERNMENT COUNSELING FOR COUPLES
Hello. I’m a Certified Discernment Counselor, trained to support couples who are considering divorce but aren’t entirely certain that it’s the right path. If you and your spouse find yourselves in this difficult situation, Discernment Counseling is designed specifically for you. This approach offers you a chance to slow down, take a breath, and carefully explore your options. Through this specialized process, I can help you both gain clarity on the direction you want to take regarding your marriage.
Discernment Counseling is a unique way of working with couples where one partner is “leaning out” of the relationship and uncertain if traditional marriage counseling would help, while the other partner is “leaning in” and eager to rebuild the marriage. My role is to help you decide whether to work on restoring your marriage to health, move toward divorce, or take a break to decide later.
The goal is not to resolve your marital problems right away but to help you gain clarity and confidence about your next steps, based on a deeper understanding of your relationship and its future possibilities. You will be treated with compassion and respect, no matter how you currently feel about your marriage—no “bad guys” or “good guys” here.
While you’ll come in as a couple, the most crucial work happens in the one-on-one conversations with me. This is because each of you is starting from a different place, and these individual sessions allow us to address your unique perspectives and concerns.
As a hope-filled therapist, I respect your reasons for considering divorce while also exploring the potential for restoring your marriage to health. I emphasize the importance of each partner recognizing their contributions to the current issues and understanding their individualized path toward possible solutions. This process can be both informative and transformative, offering valuable insights that will be useful in future relationships, regardless of the outcome of this one.
Number of Sessions
A maximum of five counseling sessions. Sessions are scheduled for 1.5 hours.
Couples Discernment Counseling is not Suited for these situations:
- When one spouse has already made a final decision to divorce
- When one spouse is being coerced into participating
- When there is a risk of domestic violence
