Does marriage counseling work? People who are planning to attend marriage counseling programs are often in doubt. Many a research has been made in an effort to find out on a more scientific level the effectiveness of marriage counseling. It is interesting to know what type of couple gets the most from marriage counseling therapy. Couples who are young, non-sexist, open, and still in love are more likely to succeed than other couples. Couples who wait too long before seeking counsel are prone to receive the least from a marriage counseling therapy. If one or the other of the partners is keen on getting a divorce or is unwilling to take the counselors suggestions, nobody can save their marriage.

Any honest marriage counselor would certify that motivation of the couple is the single most important factor in bringing about success in marriage counseling. Generally, marriage counseling works only when the two of you decide to go for marriage therapy. Even a brilliant and outstanding counselor would not be able to save a marriage where one of the partners has already decided upon a divorce. Researches have shown that happy couples evidently know how to eliminate their disagreements on a foundation of affection and friendship. Unhappy couples do not know how to handle a marital dilemma.

In a study undertaken recently, the clients of marriage and family counselors from 15 different states were asked to report on their experience with counseling. Clients from some 526 counselors responded to the survey. The findings revealed that the marriage and family counselors treated a wide range of subjects in relatively short times and that client satisfaction and relationship improvement was quite high. As high as 98.1% rated the services excellent and 91.2% were satisfied with the assistance they received. 94.3% of them would return to the same therapist in case there arises a need in the future. Improvement in childrens behavior was also high --73.7%.

Marriage counseling works when both parties are desirous of improving the marriage and dedicated to achieve positive results.