Free Marriage Counseling Is Available
This short article is an introduction to where you might be able to obtain free marriage counseling. Of course, if money is no object, you can and should be looking for the best marriage counselor you can find. Trust me when I say a divorce, especially one where minor children are involved, is worth saving if at all possible. But getting back to free marriage counseling: the cost of marriage counseling – especially for a couple that is fighting about money – can be prohibitive. But that doesn’t mean there’s no help available. There is help out there and this is where to look.
Were you married in a religious ceremony? United Church? Roman Catholic? Presbyterian? Jewish? Muslim? Religious organizations deliver thousands upon thousands of hours of free (or pay what you can) marriage counseling every year.
For Roman Catholics, obtaining marriage counseling is as easy as contacting your local Catholic Family Service. You can contact them through your local parish office or you can phone them directly. This organization has hundreds of offices and thousands of well trained counselors across the continent. If your Catholic marriage needs help, don’t wait.
In the Jewish community Jewish Family Services organizations are established on an as-needed basis and are run entirely from within the local community. Counseling services offered tend to be extensive. As with Catholic Family Services, the organizations identify themselves with the name of the organization followed by, “of …” If you live in Cleveland, for example, simply enter “Jewish Family Services of Cleveland” in any search engine and the correct website will pop up.
ICNA stands for Islamic Circle of North America. Counseling is delivered to married couples within the context of the expectations of the Faith. Marriage counseling is delivered by the ICNA through Muslim Family Services. MSF is a division of Islamic Circle of North America Relief USA.
Other faiths also offer marriage and relationship counseling. This is not an exhaustive list by any means. Baptist congregations, Episcopalians, United and just about any other religious organization recognized by the US government offers pay what you can marriage counseling for members. The notable exception is the Church of Scientology, which charges set donations for its counseling services, frequently as high as $500 per hour.
If you and your spouse are not religious, various levels of government, as well as private non-profit social welfare groups, are interested in assisting families in attaining and maintaining stability. To this end, there are any numbers of programs available for families in distress that include martial counseling. In order to receive the free marriage council it is usually necessary for couples to met specific criteria. Program typically have specific mandates; issues like anger management, financial difficulties, child rearing problems or marital difficulties arising out of the stress of raising a special needs child. Take a look at your main issues and see if there isn’t an existing program for that that includes spousal counseling on the issue.
