The decision to divorce is a uniquely personal one. Many individuals and couples struggle with the question of whether divorce is the right option.
Going to therapy, either as a couple or on your own can help you “find clarity,” as one therapist puts it, and make a decision about whether or not to divorce. Whatever your decision, working with a therapist can help you create a roadmap of the path forward.
What can a therapist do for you?
Besides finding clarity, there are a number of other things that counseling can help you with, depending on your situation. If you’re going to therapy alone, it can help you:
- Decide whether to tell your spouse you want a divorce and work out how you’ll go about doing that.
- Deal with your feelings if your spouse has told you they want a divorce or if you’ve both decided that this is what’s best for you.
- Help you find the tools to improve your communication and relationship with your spouse. Often, when one person in a couple changes their behavior, the other has no choice but to respond differently.
If you and your spouse attend counseling together, it can help you:
- Learn to better communicate and express your feelings constructively so that you can work through your issues as a couple.
- Determine, if you decided to separate or divorce, how you’ll break the news to your children and how you’ll co-parent.
A good therapist can often bring a fresh, more neutral perspective to any situation. When it comes to a troubled or unhappy marriage, they can ask the questions that will help people determine whether they really want to make the marriage work or whether it’s time to end it.
People who are or have been in therapy are often in a better position to make healthy decisions in their divorce. That will allow you to work more productively with your attorney to determine what you want so that you can work toward getting the agreements that will help you move forward.