Q. How long will marriage counseling take?
A. While difficult to answer precisely, most of my work with couples is completed in ten – twelve sessions.
Q. Are there any issues for which marriage counseling doesn’t work?
A. Not per se. Active physical /emotional abuse is a serious issue that, left unchecked, would dictate serious consideration for separation. Addictions, to alcohol, drugs, gambling or other things would require the afflicted individual to seek outside help for their personal problem before marriage counseling would be appropriate.
Q. Does marriage counseling ever fail?
A. Yes, primarily when the levels of hurt, anger and resentment have built up to the point where they are too powerful to be overcome by one or both parties.
Q. My religious beliefs don’t allow for divorce. Is it wrong to remain in a bad marriage?
A. Not at all. Many people remain in less than ideal marriages for a lot of reasons: economic, religious, cultural, for the children, for fear of being alone, etc. If you do intend to remain in the marriage however, you should try to make it the best that it can be.
Q. How do I know if there is enough left in our marriage to save it?
A. You don’t exactly. But with good-will, respect, honesty and a willingness to be a little vulnerable you’ll find out soon enough and lay those nagging doubts to rest.
Q. How do we our confidentiality will be protected?
A. Because I’m not involved with any health insurance schemes there are no narrative statements or summaries being requested or provided. My building is a large mixed-use office building, not a medical complex. People enter and leave all the time for a wide variety of reasons.
Q. How can marriage counseling be done effectively via computer?
A. Skype or similar programs, offer the same visual and auditory cues as being in-person does. This makes possible to work with couples living outside of the metro NYC region.
Q. What if my spouse refuses to work on our marriage at all?
A. This is a difficult, frustrating and commonplace occurrence. As an alternative to living with rising levels of frustration, rage, resentment and despair, I wrote a course that helps. It teaches how to make your life and your marriage better while working on it alone. Click here for details.
Q. What qualifications do you hold for offering marriage counseling?
A. I have a Master’s Degree in counseling, am a licensed Mental Health Counselor in the state of New York and have over thirty years of successful experience working with individuals and couples.