Sunday, March 13, 2011

How To Save A Marriage

After few years of marriage some conflicts between the couples may arise and married life may become stressful. How will you come to know that your marriage is in crisis? There are some reasons responsible for disturbed married life such as alcohol abuse, difficulty with children, financial problems, a situation when both the partners are unfaithful, major life changes and problems with fertility.

The marital relationships may be affected by the broken trust, boredom, infidelity, poor communication, lack of appreciation, addictive behavior, emotional abuse, absence of sex and no affection. When the marriage is in trouble, you should try to find out the solutions of how to save a marriage.

When you realize that something is wrong with your married life, don’t just think how to save a marriage, but immediately look for the solution. You try to find out the problems and adopt some qualities to save your marriage and to stop the divorce. There are always some hopes and ways to resolve the problems your marriage. The conflicts in married life may be due to ego or some misunderstandings.

Hence, to maintain healthy relationships, you should give up ego and should take an initiative to resolve the problems in your married life. Self-assessment is a very important step to save your marriage. You should be able to think about your mistakes and develop an improvement in your behavior. Avoid doing those things that can hurt your partner.

There are some beneficial options for the problem of how to save a marriage. If you want to be a good partner, you should have a capacity to listen to your partner and understand him/her. You should be able to keep calm and talk through the problem. When your partner is talking with you, you should ask the related questions and clarify all doubts.

Good communication is a very important factor for developing the healthy relationships. You should share all problems and feelings with your partner. The most important thing is that you should fully trust your partner and never be jealous about his/her personal and professional progress.

Your approach towards your relationships and married life should be positive. Whenever there are some problems or bitterness, remember the happy moments that you had spent together and try to reignite these moments. When there are some problems, don’t get disturbed or panic, just stay calm. Whenever you lose your temper during the arguments, you generally tend to say and do the things that you actually didn’t mean.

One of the best ways to save a marriage is to create long-term plans with your partner. Make some plans to spend the vacations at good picnic spot. Some future plans that are made together may help to increase the intimacy. It will assure that your partner is always there for you.

Your overall personality and hygiene also have great impact on your married life. Hence, try to be always presentable that your partner likes and adopt hygienic habits. How to save a Marriage should not be a problematic issue at all.

Try some of above solutions and make your married life hassle-free and pleasant one.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Save Marriage Alone

Marriage is often not easy. A successful marriage takes work, dedication, sacrifice, and compromise. But in some marriages, especially when serious problems arise or a crisis hits, you may feel you are the one who has to save marriage alone. This is particularly true if you have a spouse who has emotionally “checked out” or who is unwilling to communicate or work on the problems.

That being said, no matter what the situation the pressure really is on you to save marriage alone. The reason for this is twofold:

1) The only person in the marriage you have the power to change is you. You simply cannot change another person, even your spouse, no matter how much you want to.

2) If you make changes you spouse will inevitably change also. The reason for this is because when you change, the relationship dynamics change. This will require your spouse to adjust in one way or the other.

If you make changes wisely and carefully, your spouse may end up making some very positive changes also, and it will no longer feel like you had to save marriage alone after all.

Whenever there is a conflict in a relationship of any kind, the best thing you can do is ask yourself how you may be contributing. Relationship problems are rarely due to just one person. For example, if your spouse is treating you badly, you must ask yourself why it’s happening. Maybe your spouse really is a jerk, but if this has been going on a long time, it is because you are allowing it.

Dr. Phil, who has helped thousands of people in the course of his career, has stated it very well: “We teach people how to treat us”. That is a powerful truth. If you need to save marriage alone you must ask yourself what things you are doing that have taught your spouse to react to you or treat you in certain ways.

If you feel you are unworthy of being treated with respect, then people are often not going to treat you with respect. Somewhere along the way you have given your spouse the message that it is okay to treat you badly. Even if you have gotten upset, told him you didn’t like it, cried, or even thrown things at him, the fact that it continues to happen is because in one way or another, you are allowing it.

Now, this doesn’t mean you are the cause of your spouse’s bad behavior in any way. He is responsible for his actions. You are only responsible for your reaction as well as your attitude. But if you desire to save marriage alone, you must begin making changes in your reaction and / or your attitude. If what you’ve been doing up until now hasn’t worked, then to continue doing the same thing is futile. You need to do something different.

You have much more power to save marriage alone than you probably realize. By changing your attitudes, behaviors and reactions in the relationship, you will find that those changes will impact your marriage. The trick is in determining which ones will bring about the positive changes you desire. It may be that you need to seek the help of a skilled therapist to determine what changes will be the most beneficial. But there is hope, even when you must save marriage alone, as long as you are willing to make some changes first.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Family and Marriage Therapy Programs

If you are looking for a low cost alternative to expensive marriage therapy from a private professional, you may want to look to see if any colleges or universities in your area offer family and marriage therapy programs.

Therapy can be very expensive when you are paying anywhere from $80 to $150 per hour for a licensed clinician. Many couples don’t have an extra several hundred dollars a month in their budget to cover that type of expense, no matter how much they need the help. Family and marriage therapy programs offered by colleges and universities are usually much less expensive and thus much more affordable.

These programs provide valuable services to people in many ways. Not only do they conduct ongoing research on important topics, they also provide supervised student training. The therapy or counseling services offered by these family and marriage therapy programs typically utilize graduate students who are getting a degree in clinical psychology, general counseling, clinical social work or marriage and family counseling.

The students are not yet licensed, but are providing therapy in order to gain clinical experience which is required by most, if not all, graduate programs. They work under the supervision of a licensed counselor, therapist, psychologist or social worker. As they work with you as a client, they discuss your progress and any concerns or questions they have with their supervisor. This both protects you as a client and also ensures that you are getting quality therapy.

Some family and marriage therapy programs may require that you fall within a particular household income range in order to qualify. They also are usually only available to you if you do not have any type of health insurance which covers outpatient mental health services. In some programs there may be no fee at all, but many do require a fee for services. Part of the reason for this is because people are generally more committed to and invested in the counseling or therapy process if there is a cost to them. When services are free they are often devalued by the client.

Many family and marriage therapy programs have a facility that is separate from the college or university. But others offer the services right there on the campus. Confidentiality is required just as it is with any other type of mental health or medical care.

If you are reluctant to get help through one of these family and marriage therapy programs because you don’t think a student-in-training can help you, you may be short changing yourself out of a very valuable service. Graduate students are not only eager to learn, they are not yet burned out by the profession like some seasoned clinicians who have been doing therapy for years. Also, many graduate students are often very aware of and informed about the most recent advances in treatment for a variety of disorders, which may be to your advantage. So it is definitely worth making a call to see if there is a program in your area, and if you qualify. You will never know unless you try, and if your marriage is in crisis, isn’t it better to thoroughly check out all your options rather than just discount them? If you qualify, at least give it a chance. You may be surprised at how much benefit you may get out of it.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Save the Marriage

No marriage is perfect, but some certainly fair better than others. And many marriages fluctuate between periods of things going really well and periods of struggle. But when things get particularly bad, you may find yourself wondering what things you can do to save the marriage. While in some cases it may take drastic measures, there are often some less extreme changes you can make which will have much more positive impact than you might think.

If your marriage is currently going through a difficult time, read on for two seemingly small adjustments you and your spouse can make to save the marriage. Often it’s the little things that can really make a difference over time.

Get out of the routine rut

It is very easy to get stuck in a mundane routine which begins to make your marriage feel lifeless and dull. It happens in countless marriages because to a large degree, we, as humans, like to stay in our comfort zone. And routines are “comfortable”. That being said, routines do serve some purpose in terms of keeping life ordered rather than chaotic. So there must be a balance.

If you are at a point where you need to save the marriage, it may be time to spice things up a bit and change your routine. Decide to break your normal routine for a few weeks. Perhaps you can agree to be more spontaneous when it comes to intimacy. Rather than do the same activity week after week (like dinner at your parents every Thursday night) reserve that block of time and choose a different activity every week. It will help you pull out of the stagnant pattern you have fallen into.

Don’t forget the romance!

Often when two people feel they need to save the marriage, the romance has fizzled or disappeared altogether. When you were first dating, and perhaps even early on in your marriage, there was probably a lot of romance. Flowers, love notes, candlelight dinners, etc. were an important part of your relationship.

Romance is fun, exciting, and is a way to show your spouse how special he or she is to you. Romance is also part of what separates your relationship with each other from all your other relationships in life.

Too many couples quickly neglect this part of their relationship, especially when careers, children and household chores take up all of their time and energy. The romantic gestures and times together dwindle or cease altogether. Except for occasional sex, they begin practically living like roommates.

If your marriage is struggling and you are not sure what to do to save the marriage, one of the things which can help is to start “dating” again and bring romance back into the picture. While it may seem silly or superficial, those special loving gestures can help you begin to reconnect. You know what things make your spouse feel special. And that is really what romance is all about.

If you truly want to save the marriage, work towards bringing some spontaneity and romance back into your relationship. Not only will it make you both feel more energized and alive, it will add some much needed fun. But most of all, those romantic gestures will help reignite the passion that was once there as you strive to show your spouse, in little ways, just how much he or she means to you.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Save Marriage New York

There are many different options available to manage the problems in your married life and to save your marriage. The problems in the married life may be because of lack of communication, absence of love, no sex, abusive partner, infertility, unfaithful partner and financial problems.

When these problems go beyond the limits of tolerance, the couple may start thinking about getting separated. However, divorce can affect personal and family life of both the partners. Hence, the couple first should try to find the ways to resolve the problems in married life and save the marriage.

When you try some options like talking with each other, talking with your friends and family and if you come to known that it does not work, then you may go for the marriage counseling. Marriage counseling is a form of therapy applied for conflict resolution which is generally carried out by the trained psychotherapist.

It plays a significant role in preventing the divorce and maintaining the healthy relationships by resolving the conflicts, improving the relationships, overcoming the differences and reconstructing your marriage. You need not have to go far to seek the advice to save a marriage, New York itself offers a variety of ways to get the proper guidance.

In order to save marriage, New York has numerous marriage-counseling bureaus spread in the city. Marriage counseling in New York offers empowering, creative solutions to the family and couples based on Imago Therapy to overcome anxieties and inhibitions in their struggle for great emotional intimacy. It tries at its best to prevent divorces and save marriages.

For those who wish to save marriage, New York City’s counseling houses have the superbly trained staff. The psychiatrists in the bureaus are extremely skilled and highly experienced and with intense knowledge in marriage counseling. It is very important to choose the right marriage counselor and couple therapist to get the successful outcome. He should be highly qualified and should have master’s degree in counseling or social work. He should have enough experience of marriage counseling.

The mission of marriage counseling is to resolve the problems in married life, sex therapy, couples therapy, relationship counseling and family therapy. The different forms of marriage counseling are effective when accompanied by the methods of natural psychotherapy and holistic concepts.

Marriage counseling bureaus in New York specialize in the fundamental issues of modern relationships including building and ending relationships, relationship problems, couples counseling and also pre-marital counseling. If you are not from this city and want to save marriage, New York City’s counseling bureaus offer the online facilities for you.

The marriage counselors take the genuine efforts to prevent the divorce by resolving the problems in married life and by rebuilding your relationships. They provide the effective tools such as relationship skills and communication skills to save the marriage. Various counseling sessions are held for the couples which offer good opportunity to the couples to share their feelings and help to clear the misunderstanding.

The counselor may not solve the problems in your marriage, but will help you to solve them yourself by making your marriage bond strong and keeping your relationships alive.

The effects of marriage counseling in New York are found to be wonderful. After seeking this counseling, many couples have been successful in resolving the conflicts in their married life and have got back to a happy married life.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Christian Marriage Counseling

If you and your spouse are going through a difficult time, you may find that marriage therapy can be very beneficial. And if you and your spouse have a strong Christian faith, you may prefer to seek out Christian marriage counseling. Working with a counselor who approaches therapy from a theoretical perspective which aligns with your personal faith will prevent some of the clashes which may occur if you attempt to work with a secular therapist with a very different approach.

In order to find someone who specializes in Christian marriage counseling, you may want to consult with your pastor or other people in your church. You may also look in your local yellow pages or do a search online. If you search online, you can search for the terms “Christian marriage counseling”, “Christian marriage therapy” and that can help you get started. If you add the name of your city or county you will narrow down your search to someone in your proximity.

Once you have come up with a few potential therapists, you may want to try to find out a little information about them. For example, what are their credentials? Are they licensed? How long have they been practicing? You also may want to give them a call and see if you can find out a little information over the phone before committing to an appointment.

For example, you may want to ask them how much of their approach is based on Biblical principles. This can vary greatly when it comes to Christian marriage counseling. If you want someone who is going to use the Bible and prayer in the counseling session, you may want to inquire about that. Of course, this will depend on your personal preference.

If you can talk briefly by phone with two or three different therapists, you may get a better initial sense of whether or not this is someone with whom you want to set up an appointment. If the phone conversation doesn’t feel quite right, trust your instincts and move on to the next one.

In order for Christian marriage counseling to be truly beneficial to you and your spouse, it is particularly important that both of you feel comfortable with the counselor. If you meet for a session and one of you doesn’t care for the counselor, you may find the process very challenging if you continue to see this person.

Once you find someone who is a good fit for both of you, determine a schedule that will work for everyone. Having a therapy session early in the morning before work or mid-day is often not a good idea. Counseling can tap into some difficult emotions so it is best to choose a time of day when neither of you has other obligations immediately following the sessions.

As you begin the process of Christian marriage counseling, be sure that the counselor sets clear ground rules with regards to how the sessions will be handled, how long they will last, how emergencies will be handled, what to do if you need to cancel, and confidentiality issues. Also, be sure that you discuss your goals with the therapist so that everyone is on the same page with regards to what they want Christian marriage counseling to accomplish.

After you have done all this, approach the process with an open mind and the willingness to be ready to make some changes. Marriage therapy can be very beneficial, but you must be willing to do the work. In time, you may find that your marriage is back on track and stronger than ever!

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Saving My Marriage

If the primary concern going through your head these days is “what am I going to do about saving my marriage”, you are definitely not alone. At any given time thousands of couples are struggling with marital difficulties. Many are in a full blown marital crisis or have already given up and filed for divorce. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Allow me to share with you some steps I took to get my marriage back on track when, like you, all I could think about was saving my marriage.

Change expectations

When my marriage was falling apart I had to realize that if saving my marriage was truly important to me, then perhaps I needed to start by changing my expectations. I was young and naïve when I got married. I had all sorts of unrealistic expectations about marriage which were creating problems. Following were a few of them which I had to change:

• A good marriage should never have conflict • My spouse should know me so well that I don’t need to say out loud what I’m feeling inside – if I’m upset, he should just know why • There should always be lots of romance and excitement in our marriage

I wish I could say that is the entire list, but for the moment I will just share those. As you can see, I had expectations which were impossible for even the best marriage to live up to.

Be a giver not a taker

Another area which I really needed to change for the sake of saving my marriage was to stop always being a taker. While I didn’t mean to be, I began to realize that I was often very selfish in the relationship. I expected my spouse to give and give, but I wasn’t really giving much in return. I had to really step back and recognize that I couldn’t take my spouse for granted; that I needed to let go of my self-centered tendencies and start looking for ways to be much more giving to my spouse.

Build up my spouse’s self-esteem

One of the areas I had really let my spouse down was by not truly building up her self-esteem. I had just naively assumed that she never needed that from me. She had so many wonderful qualities. I rarely said or did anything affirming, because I thought she didn’t need it from me. Needless to say, when I really started focusing on saving my marriage, building up her self-esteem became a top priority.

Be supportive

One of the key areas I really needed to focus on with regards to saving my marriage was to be much more supportive of my spouse. I had foolishly taken her strengths and self-confidence for granted. I didn’t realize just how much she longed for my support, comfort and reassurance

Saving my marriage became a high priority for me. As I worked on each of these three areas I found that my spouse was responding by giving me more of the same in return. I had been neglecting my marriage for a long time. Hopefully, you will stop neglecting yours and begin taking some powerful steps. For me, it took time and effort, but it was well worth it. I hope it is for you also!