Marriage Counseling

The first question most have is, does marriage counseling work? According to research and statistics, the answer to that question is a resounding, YES!

Couples who get marriage counseling are happier than 70-80% of those who don’t get counseling!

Most couples are very happy with marriage counseling. According to the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, a whopping 98% said they received good to excellent therapy. 97% got what they needed, and 93% gained tools for dealing with future problems.

Combine those odds with our holistic, faith-based approach, and you have a great chance at finding marital happiness and success. At Spokane Christian Counseling, we have seen couples emerge whole and untied from the most desperate of situations – including those who were unhappy with marriage counseling in the past. So do we think marriage counseling works? Definitely! We whole-heartedly believe that Christian marriage counseling can transform your marriage into a thriving, Christ-centered union under God.

Is it Time for Marriage Counseling?

50% of marriages end in divorce, right – so why even bother? That is a sad and very exaggerated, common misconception. In fact, marriage is doing well overall. There are about 60 million marriages in the United States, and of those less than 30% end in divorce.

Marriage success rates have been largely underreported.

Though it’s encouraging to know that most marriages do make it, there are issues that when swept under the rug are proven to lead to divorce. At Spokane Christian Counseling, we offer hope to couples in crisis by providing them with reliable information about marriage, guidance for overcoming challenges, and hope for healing through Christian marriage counseling.

Christian marriage counseling focuses on the love of God and His purpose for marriage to help couples find lasting, faith-based solutions. Whether you are a premarital couple, have only been married a short time, or have struggled with marital problems for years, Christian marriage counseling can help you grow your union under God.

Are you ready to start working towards a Christ-centered marriage? Contact us today to learn more or schedule an appointment.

If you’re ready to save your marriage, Christian counseling can get you there. All of our Christian counselors are highly-trained in proven couples counseling techniques and are dedicated to helping marriages thrive. We provide tailored treatment plans for each couple that focuses on their specific needs. Every case is different, but for the most part, everyone has similar goals for their relationship.

Christian marriage counseling can help you:

• Discover ways to resolve disagreements in a healthy way.
• Communicate more effectively.
• State your needs openly without fear or anger.
• Process and work through tough issues.
• Develop a better understanding and appreciation for your spouse.
• Set goals for your future together.
• Restore intimacy and trust.
• Find ways to connect spiritually and live out your faith together.

One of the most common methods our Christian counselors use is insight-oriented marital therapy, a wonderful treatment that is proven to succeed 97% of the time! This method focuses on helping the individual first, so they can find wholeness and healing. When each partner is made well, you can come together in newness and able to form a more fulfilling relationship.

At Spokane Christian Counseling, we have helped couples of all ages, backgrounds, and troubles find hope and healing. No matter is too small or too large for Christ. If you’re struggling, Christian marriage counseling is here for you.

Nearly 70% of married couples say they are “very happy.”

Surveys show that people are generally happy in their marriage. One survey for the National Fatherhood Initiative Marriage Survey in 2005 found that nearly 70% were “very happy,” nearly 30% were “happy,” and less that 4% were “not too happy.”

If you think that most married people are unhappy, you’re not alone. This is a very common misconception, but in reality, statistics show that unhappy couples are in the minority. There are many reasons people fall into this group, ranging from years of built up hurts and communication problems to foundational changes that might need to be worked through. In either case, with some time and effort, even hard times can bring great satisfaction and growth to the marriage.

Him vs. Her – Communication in Relationships

Men and women often have problems communicating effectively because of differences in how they think, their needs, and how they express themselves. These differences and the resulting problems make up the most common problems seen in Christian marriage counseling. In fact, most issues aren’t what many would call “deal-breakers,” but instead a buildup of hurt feelings, conflict, and misunderstandings.

Christian marriage counseling can help you communicate better by:

• Identifying barriers to effective communication.
• Developing skills for becoming an engaged listener.
• Improving how you transmit and read nonverbal communication signals.
• Managing stress and emotional responses.
• Helping you assert your feelings and needs in a healthy way.

At Spokane Christian Counseling, we want to help you discover God’s vision for your marriage – one of unity, love, and growth. Sometimes that last part is difficult, especially when facing inner battles and conflict. But often, these struggles help us realize that things need to be changed for the betterment of ourselves and our relationships.

Trust Issues in Marriage – Affairs, Infidelity, and Sexual Addiction

If you’re struggling with trust issues in your marriage, be honest with yourself. Are things getting better, or do you seem stuck in a cycle of promises, uncertainty, and conflict? Working through trust issues can be nearly impossible without third party intervention. Many try to forgive and forget, and many fail. Not because they can’t forgive, but because strong emotions and underlying causes for betrayal were never dealt with. This is where Christian counseling can be most helpful.

Christian marriage counseling can help you restore your marriage after a betrayal by helping you work through:

• Processing symptoms of betrayal including flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, lack of sexual desire, depression, and more.
• Underlying issues that lead to things like affairs, pornography addiction, and sex addiction. These kinds of things are almost always caused by deeply rooted issues that can be very hard to resolve without professional help.
• Understanding your many emotions and fears, build better habits, and grow as a couple so you can rebuild trust naturally rather than trying to force it.

After discovering an affair or other problems that cause trust issues, it’s normal to feel hopeless, overwhelmed, and like your marriage can never recover. The Lord can use these dark times to help you learn, grow, and come together in the newness of Christ. At Spokane Christian Counseling, we are honored to help couples find that hope.

Godly Marriage – Faith and Spirituality as a Couple

Can putting God at the center of your marriage make a difference? We certainly think so. In fact, studies show that couples who worship together are up to 50% less likely to divorce. Unfortunately, not all couples have this advantage. If you struggle with differences in faith or beliefs, or if you want help in building a Christ-centered marriage, Christian marriage counseling can help.

Our counselors can help couples of the same or different belief systems by:

• Helping you discover appreciation for the spiritual needs of your spouse.
• Discovering ways to connect in your unique expressions of spirituality.
• Coming to understanding of decisions regarding faith and children.
• Using your faith to grow as a couple, even if there are differences in beliefs.

If issues of faith are causing you to struggle in your marriage, we offer you support and tools for talking about these sensitive and important matters.

Money Matters – Marriage and Finances

Worries over money can be very stressful and is one of the leading problems for 64% of couples in the U.S. Financial issues can drain the security and peace within marriage, and in many cases, these matters can be solved with help from a financial advisor. But, when money troubles are caused by things like gambling, spending money impulsively, or hoarding money from your spouse, there could be deep, underlying emotional issues that need to be dealt with. If this sounds like you or your spouse, then marriage counseling might be the best solution. Though we can’t offer legal financial advice, we can help you find healing for emotional or behavioral issues that could be causing your financial problems.

Christian marriage counseling can help with money and finances by helping you:

• Deal with financial infidelity by addressing the cause and working to build trust.
• Address behaviors that cause financial hardship such as gambling and shopping addictions.
• Learn to communicate better so you can budget and share financial responsibility.
• Set goals aimed toward building a more financially secure future.

Worrying about money can take away from the peace of your marriage, and it can be easy to feel we are sinking. Your struggle could be the Lord’s way of reaching his hand out to you, saving you from inner wounds that cause your troubles. If your financial problems stem from issues such as mental or emotional health problems, Christian marriage counseling can help.

Sexual Intimacy – How to Spice up Your Marriage

Some of the most common and most sensitive problems couples face are related to sex and intimacy. It’s normal for couples to go through these kinds of things, but when they last or lead do a breakdown in communication because of neglect or hurt feelings, then it might be time for Christian marriage counseling. At Spokane Christian Counseling, we can help you work through these issues so that you can connect more fully and learn how to communicate your needs with one another.

Sexual problems Christian marriage counseling can help with include:

• Low sexual desire and frequency disagreements.
• Expectations and health of the high desire partner.
• Sexual performance issue and anxieties.
• Sex addiction.

It’s often said that the health of a marriage can be seen by looking in the bedroom. If you’re experiencing sexual intimacy problems, then chances are there are other issues going on. We offer you a safe place for uncovering these problems together so you can grow as a couple and reclaim a healthy, fulfilling marriage and sex life.

Marriage After Baby – Parenting as a Couple

You’ve likely heard some say that everything changes after you have a baby – and that’s true in a lot of ways. Children are a precious gift, but parenting comes with its challenges. As a couple, you have to work together and decide how to parent your child, how to share responsibilities, and sometimes make big decisions for your family. As if that wasn’t stressful enough, you also have to balance these responsibilities with work and trying to make time for each other. Many couples come to us because they are feeling overwhelmed and disconnected from their spouse after having children. Sometimes couples need help resolving parental disagreements. Whatever your case might be, it’s important to tackle these issues in order to keep a healthy marriage and home.

In Christian marriage counseling your counselor will help you by:

• Understanding your own parenting style and the things which influence your approach.
• Defining the core values of each partner as it relates to child rearing.
• Identifying areas of conflict and work towards compromise.
• Discussing various parenting responsibilities and how they can be shared fairly.
• Discovering how to better interact with your children to promote the behavior you want, and end behaviors you don’t want.
• Helping you and your spouse maintain a healthy, intimate marriage after children.

Christian marriage counseling can help parents at all stages maintain a healthy relationship. Roadblocks can pop up at any time, whether you’re expecting, just had your first baby, or have been parents for many years. If you feel stuck, we might have the tools you need for getting life back on track.

Don’t Lose Hope.

The Bible teaches that everything works for the good of God’s children. Though it can be hard to see that at times, we believe that the troubles you face now are meant to help your marriage grow.

At Spokane Christian Counseling, we are here to hold hope and faith for you and your marriage while offering tools for positive and lasting change towards a Christ-centered marriage.

The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce

Hope is often the thing that keeps marriages going. When you feel hopeless, lost, or like things will be difficult forever, it’s easy to feel that divorce is the only solution. You want to escape the pain you feel and have a fresh start. There are times when divorce is necessary, but more often than not people are actually less happy after a divorce.

Many who come to Christian marriage counseling are on the cusp of divorce. You might think divorce is the only choice, and even worth the pain to come. Before making this huge decision, know that divorcees have a much higher risk of developing serious health conditions like depression, anxiety, and substance abuse.

Other common effects of divorce include:

• Financial strain – Many people avoid Christian counseling because they think it is too expensive, but that cost pales in comparison to the cost of divorce. In the U.S. the average divorce costs about $15,000!
• Negative effects for your children – It’s no surprise that divorce affects children. You might think this is what’s best in the long run, but know that even the most peaceful of divorces can cause things like behavior issues, poor academic performance, and a developed fear of relationships. Divorce can have lasting effects on children, causing them difficulty forming and keeping healthy relationships as adults.
• Emotional and physical effects of divorce – Many mistakenly think that divorce will make them feel better, but in fact, people are at much higher risk for severe depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, and substance abuse after divorce. Divorced people also have 20% more chronic health conditions like heart disease, weight issues, strokes, and cancer when compared to married couples.

So, divorce doesn’t sound so good, but you still don’t have much hope for your marriage. What do you do? You try everything you can before giving up. At Spokane Christian Counseling, we are dedicated to saving marriages, especially those who are on the brink of divorce. We’ve helped couples in crisis overcome most any obstacle imaginable, even for those who have tried marriage counseling before.

Did you know that if you’re having trouble in your marriage and stick it out for five years that you have an incredible 80% chance of finding happiness in your marriage?

Those are the kinds of odds we like at Spokane Christian Counseling. Marriage is a life-long union created by God – one that is designed to help us grow into all we are meant to be in Christ.

Don’t continue unhappily in your marriage.
Now’s the time to set things right.

If you want to learn more about Christian marriage counseling or schedule your risk-free initial session, give us a call at (509) 209-8961 or contact us online.