If you’ve done much marriage counseling, you’ve probably experienced “problem-focused” counseling. This is where you go to counseling, talk about a problem and return the following week to rehash the same problem. Or, perhaps you’ve encountered another problem and focus instead on that problem.

This is, sadly, a common approach to counseling. You go into the counselor’s office and it goes something like this:

“Tell me how your week has gone.” You proceed to do just that and since you’re there because of problems in your marriage, you share the problem of the week. You fight before counseling, during counseling and often after counseling. This is no fun!

The Problem with Focusing on the Problem

The problem with this approach is that the focus is on the problem rather than the solution, and doesn’t incorporate learning new skills to replace old patterns. You feel discouraged and stuck in the same patterns. Problem-focused counseling tends to leave clients feeling frustrated, with a tendency to drop out quickly.

What if you had time to share the history of your problem so that you felt fully heard and understood AND could focus on replacing old, dysfunctional patterns with new, solution-focused skills?

In our approach to counseling at the Marriage Recovery Center, we focus on Solution-Based Counseling:

 Solution Based Results

By taking an approach that focuses on solutions, couples learn how to:

Taking the Next Step

So, if you are tired of talking about “problems, problems, problems,” and rehearsing the fight of the week, seek a therapist who focuses on solutions instead of problems. Find someone who teaches new skills and then holds you accountable for learning them and putting them into practice.

Contact our Client Care team to learn more about our solution-based services at 206.219.0145 or info@marriagerecoverycenter.com