Relationships Spouses & Partners Marital Problems Print When Your Marriage Needs Counseling By Sheri Stritof Sheri Stritof has written about marriage and relationships for 20+ years. She's the co-author of The Everything Great Marriage Book. Learn about our editorial process Sheri Stritof Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Carly Snyder, MD on February 01, 2020 facebook twitter linkedin Carly Snyder, MD is a reproductive and perinatal psychiatrist who combines traditional psychiatry with integrative medicine-based treatments. Learn about our Review Board Carly Snyder, MD Updated on February 05, 2020 Spiderplay / Getty Images More in Relationships Spouses & Partners Marital Problems LGBTQ Violence and Abuse If your marriage is having problems, do not wait too long to seek professional help. Marriage counseling (also called couples' therapy) can be very effective, especially if couples seek it out sooner rather than later. Start by finding a counselor who specializes in marriage or couples therapy. They are out there and willing to help. You may have to meet with more than one to find the right fit. It's important that both spouses feel comfortable with the therapist, so keep trying until you find the right person. The Best Online Marriage Counseling Programs Do You Need Marriage Counseling? Consider these questions about yourself, your partner, and your marriage. Did you marry at an early age?Did you not graduate from high school?Are you in a lower income bracket?Are you in an interfaith marriage?Did your parents divorce?Do you often criticize one another?Is there a lot of defensiveness in your marriage?Do you tend to withdraw from one another?Do you feel contempt and anger for one another?Do you believe your communication is poor?Is there a presence of infidelity, addiction, or abuse in your marriage? If you answered "yes" to most of these questions, then you are statistically higher risk for divorce. It does not mean that divorce is inevitable. But it may mean that you have to work much harder to keep your relationship on track. A marriage counselor can help you with that work. Spouses who have realistic expectations of one another and their marriage, communicate well, use conflict resolution skills, and are compatible with one another are less at risk for divorce. They still may benefit from counseling at times of transition or simply to reinforce their communication skills and strong connection. The Effectiveness of Marriage Counseling The most studied, and effective, form of treatment is emotionally-focused couples therapy (EFT) developed by Dr. Sue Johnson. Research shows that this treatment is long-lasting and helpful with those of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds as well. One 2017 study, for example, looked at the effectiveness of couples' therapy in a group of veterans, with variation in age and race, and found it to be generally effective, with relationships still improved 18 months after treatment. Another study from 2017 also found improvements lasting 24 months after treatment. Research published in 2015 found EFT helpful in couples experiencing infertility. There are also ways to gauge if counseling will actually work for your marriage. Counselors suggest that different types of couples may get more out of marriage counseling. Which Couples Get the Most From Marriage Counseling? If you see yourself here, you are likely to benefit from seeing a marriage counselor. Younger couplesNon-sexist and egalitarian couplesCouples who are still in love with each otherCouples who are open to therapy and changePartners willing to look at themselves and their flaws Which Couples Get the Least from Marriage Counseling? If your marriage is more like these, counseling may not be effective for you. That doesn't mean you should give up, but have realistic expectations. Couples who wait too long before seeking helpMarriages with one or the other spouse set on getting a divorceMarried individuals who are closed to any suggestions that may save the marriageMarriages with one partner addicted to alcohol, drugs or pornographyMarriage with one partner showing up to sessions but is not invested in the work Solutions Learned From Happy Couples John Gottman's research looks at happy couples for solutions. He has discovered that even though all couples experience conflict in their marriages, happy couples apparently know how to handle their disagreements because of a foundation of affection and friendship. Unhappy couples do not have this skill set. Generally, marriage and relationship researchers suggest that the goal of couple therapy should be to change the patterns of interaction, emotional connection, and communication between the partners. Don't Wait to Get Help If you think your marriage is in trouble, do not wait. Seek help as soon as possible. Plan to budget money and time for this treatment. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to get your relationship back on track. Find professional couples counseling or attend a marriage course or weekend experience as soon as warning signs appear. Can an App for Couples Really Improve Your Relationship? Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Learn the best ways to manage stress and negativity in your life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Nowlan K, Georgia E and Doss B. Long-term effectiveness of treatment-as-usual couple therapy for military veterans. Behavior Therapy. 2017;48(6):847-859. doi:10.1016/j.beth.2017.05.007. Soleimani AA, Najafi M, Ahmadi K, Javidi N, Hoseini Kamkar E, Mahboubi M. The effectiveness of emotionally focused couples therapy on sexual satisfaction and marital adjustment of infertile couples with marital conflicts. Int J Fertil Steril. 2015;9(3):393-402. doi:10.22074/ijfs.2015.4556. Wiebe SA, Johnson SM, Lafontaine MF, Burgess Moser M, Dalgleish TL, Tasca GA. Two-year follow-up outcomes in emotionally focused couple therapy: An investigation of relationship satisfaction and attachment trajectories. J Marital Fam Ther. 2017;43(2):227-244. doi:10.1111/jmft.12206. Wiebe SA, Johnson SM. A review of the research in emotionally focused therapy for couples. Fam Process. 2016;55(3):390-407. doi:10.1111/famp.12229.