Why Couples Avoid Counseling

Cost & Bickering: Just a Few Reasons Why Couples Avoid Counseling

Marriages and relationships have always been difficult. Divorce is quite common, with as many as 50% of marriages ending in divorce. This statistic probably isn't anything new, but with the advent of the internet and information sharing, it's becoming more and more apparent.

With such a high statistic, one might wonder why more people aren't seeking a solution. The truth is, there are a lot of reasons that people aren't looking for marriage counseling. In this article, we'll discuss some of these reasons.

Why Aren't People Seeking Marriage Counseling?

There are tons of reasons that people aren't rushing to marriage counselors to help them save their marriages. Even if their relationships are in turmoil, many people prefer to avoid marriage therapy in hopes that things will get better on their own.

Unless you're a very reflective and introspective person, willing to acknowledge your own shortcomings and issues, then unfortunately the marriage probably won't get better on its own. But that still might not be enough to convince people in a failing marriage to seek help. Some of the most common reasons for this include:

• The cost of therapy. Therapy is downright expensive, especially for a couple who are struggling to make ends meet. When you factor in the fact that many couples are experiencing marital problems as a result of their financial problems, it makes sense that they might be unwilling to spend some of their hard-earned funds on marriage counseling.
• Disagreements. It's all too common for couples to disagree on whether or not they need marriage counseling. Often times, one member of the marriage suggests the idea of counseling and the other completely refutes this idea. This can be a source of further arguments and can aggravate the problems in the relationship.
• Fears. Another one of the main reasons that people don't seek marriage counseling is because of fear. In many cases, this fear is entirely subconscious.
• These fears arise because the idea of marriage counseling causes people to recognize that they might actually have to be accountable for their own personal problems. It presents the possibility that the problems in their marriage are not the fault of their partner, but of themselves. This fear, for many people, can be so great that they completely brush off the idea of therapy.
• Stigma. In many areas, therapy is still stigmatized. Some people view therapy as an admission of weakness, and many couples refuse to seek therapy for fear of being seen as weak.

These fears and warriors are valid, but unfortunately, they do little to help couples find a solution to their problems. Fortunately, there is one valid alternative that has provided couples with an alternative to traditional counseling.

Online Help for Marriage Counseling

Many married couples have decided to go online to seek help for their marriage. There are a number of reasons that online marriage counseling may be a desirable alternative to traditional counseling.

• Online marriage counselors can provide people with the same tools, techniques, and advice that they would provide to couples in person.
• Online marriage counseling allows couples to engage with a therapist from the comfort of their own home, via video chat on a smartphone or a computer.
• Marriage counseling online is generally cheaper than it would be in person.

• Online marriage counseling helps to eliminate many of the fears associated with traditional counseling, especially the fear of stigma.

As you can see, marriage counseling online provides many of the same benefits that one could achieve from seeking counseling in person.

In Conclusion

Many couples are resistant to seeking marriage counseling, despite the benefits that it can provide. Fortunately, many couples are turning to online counseling to help them improve their relationships.

Online counseling provides many of the same benefits as traditional counseling. However, it also offers a number of unique benefits that traditional counseling does not. Online counseling is cheaper, less stigmatized, and more accessible than traditional counseling.

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash