The Difference Between Marriage & Family Counseling
People throw the term "counseling" around loosely when it comes to
solving marital or family troubles.
But is marriage or family counseling better for your particular dilemma? Find out...
When we talk about marriage-family counseling, we're talking about almost the same thing, at least on the surface. A good marriage or family therapist is trained to sniff out the dynamics between members, and is also capable of guiding family members into gradually shifting their dynamics to better handle relationships.
On the other hand, the dynamics behind marriage or family counseling are somewhat different. While one could technically say that marriage and family are the same thing, the counseling techniques are going to be a little different. For example, issues of sexuality could be addressed in marriage therapy, you're not going to find that too much in a family counseling setting.
So when you are trying to determine if marriage-family counseling is right for your situation, consider the following:
Do your issues concern mainly your spouse? If so, then keep it between you and your partner. In this case, marriage, not family, counseling is your best path.
Do issues with all family members tend to escalate into major blow-ups? If this is the case, then everyone could benefit from counseling sessions.
Do issues with your spouse have a negative impact on other family relationships? If you're answer to this one is "yes," then it's a toss up. Either family counseling or marriage counseling will work in this case. What you need to consider here is whether counseling sessions for everyone will benefit the entire family dynamic over the long haul.
While marriage-family counseling techniques can overlap at times, before deciding on one over the other, determine what issues are bringing you into therapy and who those issues involve. With those answers, you can better determine the right sessions for you.