Marriage, Couple and Family Counseling

Table of Contents

History & Development3

Introduction4

Themes of Counseling6

Abuse6

Extra-Marital Affair6

Financial Problems6

Trust Issues7

Co-existence Issues7

Types of Therapies8

Individual Therapy8

Family Therapy8

Medication8

Client Centered Counseling (Rogerian)9

Holistic Health9

Strengths Based Counseling9

Positive Thinking or Learned Optimism9

Cognitive Behavioral Method (ABC Method)9

Solution Focused Therapy9

The Existential Therapy9

The important elements of counseling9

Counselor identity11

Ethical Issues of Counseling12

Confidentiality12

Religious Aspects12

Compliance13

My commitment to counseling13

Pre Marital Counseling13

Conclusion14

History & Development

Although there is no specific record of the first time marriage counseling was done, it is believed to have originated from Germany somewhere in the 1920s. In the 1930s, the trend started catching on in the USA and marriage counseling started to build its place. Eugenicists such as Dickinson and Popenoe promoted it to a great extent in the USA and received support of other advocates like Hannah Stone who published a 'Marriage Manual' in the year 1935. The contributions of other psychiatrists such as Margaret Sanger and Lena Levine are also noteworthy in this context.

Somewhere during the 1950s, therapists started to treat problems of psychology in relation with family. Family counseling is not a very old phenomenon. When it comes to marriage and couple counseling, it was previously done by close friends and family members but then in the late 20th century, psychiatrists, physicians, counselors and social workers took up the task of guiding couples and marriages to safety.

Today, two types of cultures coexist when it comes to marriage counseling. One is the culture of confiding in a family member or friend for advice and the other is to approach an expert. The trend is now shifting towards trained experts and counselors, mainly due to the modernization that the entire world is witnessing and the westernization of the major colonies of the world. Major governments are also taking up the initiative to train social workers and experts to guide marriages and couples during their period of distress.

Many communities and hospitals are also setting up their own centers nowadays where couples receive special focus and care and relation counseling is being done. In universities, counseling has crossed the limitations of 'student facilitation' and now couple counseling is also conducted in many major institutes of the world. Additionally, there are many companies globally that have their own counselors and conduct sessions for employees who go through tough phases.

Over the last decade, more and more couples are seeking help and guidance from marriage and couple counseling to save their relationship from being dissolved or spoilt. Counselors now use empirical theories and combine them with skilled listening and emotional analysis to reach the problem of a dispute and use it to resolve issues. Previously, families and couples were skeptical of taking the help of counselors for their work but with the passage of time, perceptions have changed and people have accepted the help that expert counselors can offer.

Introduction

In the world that we reside in, an increased number of people are experiencing struggles with their lives. Family issues and problems have become common in almost every household. Some families face financial problems, some have communication issues and others have issues of ...