Although being in a fulfilling relationship is not easy, you have probably noticed how some people make it look so easy. When you look at them or listen to them talking about their partner it all sounds so natural.

This is certainly because those who manage to remain happily married throughout the years have reached such an understanding of each other that to them living means living with their other half. They cannot even consider life without their partner.
This state of "domestic bliss" is reached by some naturally. This does not happen for the vast majority of people. Divorce rates fully illustrate that.
What if this "domestic bliss" was not that natural after all? What if you actually had to WORK to get there?
That is what you do when you choose to enter marriage counselling.

When your relationship is strained, when both of you begin to question the relationship, you then have 2 options :
 - you can either decide to walk away from this relationship
 - or decide that you can do something about it.
Strains in a relationship are very often caused by misunderstanding, frustration and anger. Going through marriage counseling can help a great deal.

How does it work?

A marriage Counselor is no Judge or Referee. He or she will listen to both of you making sure that both of you express yourselves fully. He or she will help partners understand each other.

A marriage Counselor is there to ease the communication between partners in order to clear any misunderstanding or misinterpreting.

The marriage Counselor also helps couples state clearly what their expectations are in terms of :
 - the type of relationship they want to be in
 - major decisions about where they live, their careers, children and so on.

How long does a couples therapy last?

This question is very difficult to answer because the length of the therapy varies according to many factors :
 - how deep-rooted the problem is
 - how dedicated to solving the problem the couple is
 - how willing they are to open up

Specialists agree on the average period of 9 months (source John M. Gottman and Nan Silver)
For some people it will take less time (two months) and for some others, the therapy will have to last longer to prove effective.