How To Find Affordable Marriage Counseling
Despite popular opinion to the contrary, marriage counseling is not that expensive. Sure, you could travel to places like New York and spend thousands on a high profile therapist, but they are the exception, not the norm. There are couples who still struggle to find the money to pay for marriage counseling. That doesn’t mean you have to struggle through without any form of help at all. Here are a number of suggestions for finding affordable marriage counseling or advice.
- Church – Your church will often have some form of marriage counseling available.
- Community Groups – There are community groups available that may offer free or nominal fee counseling. If you’re a single parent, elderly, or have a special need, check with community groups in your neighborhood.
- Online – With online counseling you are only paying for the time you use. This is ideal for times when you need help right there and then.
- Telephone – Phone counseling is similar to online counseling in that you only pay for the actual time used. Again, great for that instant help.
- Self Help – While not counseling in the strictest sense, there are plenty of books and DVD’s available. Your local library may have some. If not, you can find plenty of self-help material that is inexpensive online.
- Forums – One of the best options for inexpensive marriage counseling can be through forums – they are free. Counselors often visit forums to offer advice and you can also pick the minds of couples and individuals who have already been through what you are going through.
- Government – In some states there are government programs that provide free or inexpensive counseling for people who cannot afford to pay for private counseling. The downside – you may have to wait for some time before your name is on top of the list.
With those options, everyone can have access to affordable marriage counseling.
I think it is easy to forget about the church we go to, it can provide counseling that is both affordable and practical.
Warren Pettitt
That’s a great list of resources. There are so many excellent marriage counselors out there who are well trained and willing to work based on a sliding fee scale.
I have so much respect for pastoral counselors who apply biblical principals in their counseling orientations.
I wanted to add one more valuable suggestion to your list. A little known but incredible source of very high quality but free marital therapy, can often be accessed through research projects going on at local colleges, universities, teaching hospitals and clinics.
Such free marital therapy is often evidence-based these days and the level of supervision and model-adherence is top notch in these academic settings.
Thanks for the great article!
– Duddy.