Discernment Counseling is an approach to couple’s counseling to assist partners in figuring out if they want to continue their relationship. It recognizes that many couples seek counseling because they are close to separating. Counselors use this knowledge to design interventions and help the couple decide if they should stay together.
Counselors will start by asking plenty of questions in the initial assessment, such as your thoughts about the relationship, your strengths as a couple, common themes in disagreements, if children are involved, and the relationship history. After this assessment, your counselor will speak with you to determine whether there are solvable issues within the relationship. They talk to you about these things together and separately.
Discernment Counseling’s goal isn’t to fix relationship issues or solve problems but to discern whether there are issues that have the potential to be solved and if each partner deems them worthy of working through.
Discernment Counseling usually only lasts a couple of sessions. If couples choose to stay together, they might enter couples therapy after Discernment Counseling to engage in a more long-term process.
This type of therapy can provide a foundation of relational strengths for a couple, making couple’s counseling easier. If couples choose to separate, Discernment Counseling can facilitate that process.
Therapists Who Specialize in Using Discernment Counseling
You don't have to feel alone anymore. Relationships can be hard. Whether you are struggling with your partner, or hoping to find the right one for you, loneliness can at times feel overwhelming. It doesn't have to be like this. Hi, my name is Robyn and I'd like to help you have the relationship you want. Is your relationship on the brink? Maybe one of you wants to work on the relationship and t...
I am a licensed psychologist and licensed marriage and family therapist with a private practice in Amherst. I work with individuals, couples, and families who are feeling overwhelmed and troubled by symptoms such as anxiety or depression, or having difficulty with relationships. My therapy is collaborative and strength-based. I use the best practices emerging from current research and theory. I...
Finding a good therapist starts here! We have well trained and specialized counselors to provide you with trusted and effective services. Children, teens, adults, couples and families are all welcome to come improve their personal health and their relationships. We help couples with communication skills, rebuilding trust, and improving emotional and physical intimacy. We help children of all ag...
Currently Offering Telephone and Internet-Based Meetings. My name is Brian and I have over 20 years working with families, individuals and couples in conflict. My best work is in marital therapy, co-parenting, and discernment counseling to help couples decide whether or not to work on their marriage or move toward separation or divorce. I enjoy working with spouses and parents in challenging,...
"Growth is painful. Change is painful. But, nothing is as painful as staying stuck where you do not belong." Life is an amazing and very personal journey that at times feels manageable and at other times, it does not. These shifts are normal & reflective of our powerful drive towards wholeness. While ebbs and flows are a necessary part of living, the changes can be unsettling. At those times it...
I specialize in helping couples and individuals who struggle with various relationship concerns. Whether there are long-standing issues or new challenges, it is possible to reach a deeper understanding of yourself and your partner by addressing the issues in couples therapy. Your relationship can become the haven you hoped for --- a supportive environment where love and growth take place. My...
If you are having difficulty in your marriage, intimate relationship, or within your family, as an individual/couples counselor for over 35 years, I am committed to providing treatment that support and encourages individuals, couples and families in crisis to cope with these obstacles in their lives and relationship. Conflict, difficulties and disagreements can be inevitable in relationships. I...
If you have come here today, you are likely in a lot of pain. Your relationship is falling apart or is in a state of transition that's creating stress in your lives. Maybe you and your partner are just not as close as you used to be. Perhaps you are seeking Discernment Counseling to decide. As a solution-focused therapist, my goal is to help you uncover your true potential in relationship. I do...
If there is anything you should know about me, it is that I am passionate about my work as a psychotherapist. I love working with clients toward the changes they want to make in their lives. Therapy takes courage and I am humbled by that. It is an honor to share in people's lives. Therapy is a collaborative process. The most critical ingredient to successful therapy is the relationship you buil...
Often times we can find ourselves struggling with life transitions, anxiety, depression and self worth. This influences the way we view ourselves and the world around us. Sometimes these thoughts can be distorted and self defeating. I can help you in learning the coping tools you need to navigate these obstacles and challenges. I am LGBTQ+ affirming and trained and Poly/Kink informed and friend...
Marriage is usually the most important relationship you enter into as an adult. So If your marriage isn’t going well, your whole world can feel like it is crumbling. Such an important relationship evokes strong emotions in us and between us, such as reactive anger, avoidance, withdrawal, despair and hopelessness. If you and your spouse are stuck in the same painful go-arounds; even if you’ve lo...
I employ a holistic therapeutic approach. The foundation of my work with individuals, couples, and families is my understanding that each person has a unique life experience, and brings a distinct perspective to the process. Providing services that span from therapy for divorce mediation and co-parenting issues, anxiety and eating concerns, couples counseling and beyond. I have a special intere...
I am sex-positive, kink-affirming, LGBT+/GSM-affirming, and ENM/CNM/poly-affirming. I work with clients to notice, give attention, and slow down when the world wants us to ignore, distract, and speed up. By gently exploring family patterns and our ways of being in relationship, we can come to intriguing conclusions about ourselves and others. By cultivating and accessing community,...
Are you struggling in your relationship? Do you feel more like roommates than partners? Has conflict consumed your relationship? Deep emotional injuries can take a severe toll on both you and your relationship and inhibit you from having the connection you desire with your partner. Life is difficult. Your relationship shouldn't be another stressor or "chore" on a long to-do list. Find joy and...
Going through transitions and changes in life can be pretty scary and, quite frankly, sometimes it really sucks. Whether it is in your personal life, at work, at school or in your relationship (or all of the above!), you might feel stuck and uncertain about what to do and where to head next. It's hard for you to picture where you want to see yourself in the future. Maybe you are in a place in...
