Texas couples who face an impasse in their marriage might turn to marriage counseling to resolve problems. Sometimes this works and the couple finds renewed happiness and purpose in their marriage
Other times the counseling does not work and the next step involves divorce proceedings. A few signs indicate that counseling will not achieve the desired results.
Common reasons for counseling failure
According to an article in Newsweek, both individuals must want marriage counseling to succeed for it to work. If one person remains committed to fixing the marriage, but the other person has lost interest or does not believe counseling will help, this often leads to failure. This lack of interest can take many forms, including not attending sessions or refusing to try the things suggested by the counselor.
A second impediment to counseling comes when one person has a vested interest outside of the marriage. This might involve an affair or an addiction to drugs or other harmful behaviors. The marriage remains in danger until the person so engaged ends such behaviors.
A hidden reason for failure
Sometimes a person has deep-seated concerns that pose an obstacle to successful counseling. It usually involves a past trauma that requires extensive therapy. Until the issues associated with the trauma are addressed, marriage counseling often can not gain traction.
Hidden traumas include childhood issues such as bad parenting or abuse. The death of a child in a marriage can also complicate marriage counseling.
Not all marriages should go the distance. In some cases, divorce is necessary to move forward.