As you may (or may not) know, the perfect marriage does not exist. Eventually, you and your spouse will be confronted with personal issues that may boil over into a less than desirable event. This may lead to arguing, fighting, and feelings of animosity. In some cases, these escalating marriage issues may cause you or your spouse to consider ending the union of matrimony and seeking out divorce.

In many other cases, couples are able to confront their issues head on with the guidance of a marriage counselor. Through counsel, marriages may not only be repaired, but couples may come out of it stronger than ever. Should you and your spouse find each other in the unfortunate event of marriage turmoil, the option of marriage counseling is for you.

While marriage counseling is an option, it is important for you and your spouse to seek out the right marriage counselor for you. Picking the right marriage counselor is crucial in the marriage counseling process, and can really be a deciding factor in saving your union. The aim of this article is to present several tips in choosing the right one. Let’s read further.

First and foremost, do your research. You are going to want to find a counseling professional who exclusively works with couples.

You will want to research the training background of your potential counselor. Your ideal marriage counselor is specifically trained in couples counseling. Along with looking into your potential counselor’s training background, it is also beneficial to see if he or she is associated with professional organizations.

Finding someone who is an active member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapists or other relevant professional organizations would be a great factor in making your decision. Do your research.

Your marriage counselor should not only be exclusive to couples counseling and associated with organizations, but he or she should have studied and undergone training in couples therapy. Not sure how to find this information out? When you are setting up an initial session with your counselor, ask them if they have trained or hold credentials in Gottman Method Couples Therapy or Emotionally-Focused Couples Therapy. These are examples of two of the more common treatment models for couples therapy and marriage counseling. If your potential counselor knows what these are and possibly even has the credentials to back it up, you may have found a good fit.

Lastly, you will want to base your decision on the counselor’s personality and attitude. You will want to make sure that you connect with someone who demonstrates both appropriate demeanor and decorum when it comes to being a skilled marriage counselor or couples therapist. The only way you will find this out is on the human level of a conversation. Just like any other scenario when you are unsure about someone that you may or may not hire or decide to do business with, see what you can achieve in a conversation, and if there is a connection, then you may have found your counselor.

If marriage counseling OR couples therapy is an option that you wish to explore for the greater good of saving your relationship, then please take into the consideration the tips that have been presented in this article. You have a choice, and you should know how to choose appropriately.