Does Couples Counseling Actually Work?

In a research study published by the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, it was found that client satisfaction and relationship improvement is often high with individuals in couples counseling (Vol. 22, No. 1).

Specifically, out of clients surveyed from 526 couples counselors in 15 states:
• 98.1% rated their counseling services as good or excellent
• 97.1% received the type of help they desired
• 91.2% were satisfied with the amount of help they received
• 93% said they were helped to deal more effectively with problems
• 94.3% would return to the same therapist in the future
• 96.9% would recommend their therapist to a friend
• 97.4% were satisfied with the service they received
• 63.4% reported improved physical health
• 54.8% reported improvement in functioning at work
• 73.7% reported improvement in their children’s behavior
• 58.7% reported improvement in their children’s school performance

While many people are afraid to spend both their time and their money on counseling, it actually serves to be an extremely safe investment for them to make. We interviewed a receptionist for Charlottesville Counseling who stated that while many couples were uncertain about their therapy at first, in the long run they were extremely grateful for coming. She stated, “Even though one or both partners involved may seem skeptical, they’re amazed at the progress they make in only a few sessions. Their investment paid off very quickly.”

Investing in anything is scary. Our advice, however, is not to look at going to counseling as investing in a counseling practice. Instead, look at it for what it actually is – investing in your relationship.