Wednesday, November 19, 2008

National Institute of Marriage



There has been a lot of divorce in my family history. My parents got divorced, two of my aunts got divorced, my grandparents got divorced, my great-great grandparents got divorced, and so and so forth. With such a strong history of divorce in my family alone, it does not surprise me at all that the national divorce rate is about 50%. Personally, I think that it is awful that the divorce rate is so high but I do understand that in some cases, there is nothing else that can be done. If you are, or if you know someone who is, contemplating a divorce, then first, I suggest that you check out marriage counseling. Now, this is not a guaranteed method because you can’t always talk out your problems and fix them, however, marriage counseling can and does help in certain situations. The National Institute of Marriage has created several such marriage counseling programs and various marriage resource programs with the hopes that more marriages can be saved and less end in divorce. I’ve included a press release from the National Institute of Marriage, so please read it if you have a mind to, you never know who it might end up helping!

With the national divorce rate around 50%, there is no doubt that many marriages run into communication problems at some point. There is a communication epidemic. The National Institute of Marriage has created marriage counseling programs and resources utilizing a structure that is the most powerful format they have found for helping couples who feel stuck and hopeless. They have designed several programs to help couples move past the barriers and experience the marriage of their dreams.

NIM's Intensive Marriage Counseling Programs are unique from weekly marriage counseling in three distinctive ways:



· Intensive Marriage Counseling Format: Committing to an extended amount of concentrated time like the 2 or 4 day Marriage Intensive allows people to get to the root of the problem and stick with it in order to work through it. If you’ve been in traditional marriage counseling before, you may have experienced how you spend the first half catching up from the week before, the second half getting into the real issues, and then the time is gone. The Intensive format is designed so that people have the chance to go deeper without many of the other distractions of daily life and have enough discuss to consider solutions.



· Efficiency: One of the first steps in the process is an extensive assessment with some questionnaires. This allows the therapists to gather background information and can get an idea of the best strategy to proceed before you arrive for your session.



· Marriage Counselors: The counselors at the National Institute of Marriage are specialists in this area. One analogy we like to use is that of the Mayo Clinic: people go to their regular physician but may be sent to a specialist to work with specific areas. The NIM marriage therapists have been trained in this format to maximize its effectiveness. Also, the NIM marriage counseling programs provide the perspectives and insight of two professionals rather than one.

If you are considering divorce, you must try the National Institute of Marriage before giving up. They have developed a continuum of care that meets couples wherever they may be in their relationship. Regardless of the health of their marriage they have a service that can help couples improve their marital satisfaction. Visit their website at http://www.nationalmarriage.com. Read the incredible testimonies from the couples that saved their marriages by attending a Marriage Intensive at the National Institute of Marriage.

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your thought-provoking blog. You may also want to check out my new book called, Contemplating Divorce, A Step-by-Step Guide to Deciding Whether to Stay or Go (New Harbinger 2008).

Susan Pease Gadoua

 
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