How to Discontinue Marriage Counseling

You've made the healthy decision to get help with your marriage, and now you and your spouse feel that it's time to discontinue your marriage counseling. Ending the counseling process in a productive way will set your marriage up for success in the future and ultimately bring the two of you closer together.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Discuss the option of discontinuing marriage counseling seriously with your spouse to make sure that you are both on the same page. Make a list of reasons why you feel you are both ready to end your counseling sessions.
2. Inform your therapist at your next session that you have decided together that you are ready to discontinue the sessions. Explain to her the reasons why you have come to this decision and ask for her opinion.
3. Listen to the counselor's advice on whether or not you are ready to discontinue the therapy sessions.
4. Talk with your counselor about the problems that you initially came in to address and whether or not these problems have been resolved.
5. Make a plan with your therapist on what you will do as a couple to make the marriage work from this point on, and set up a system for how to address problems without the help of the therapist.
6. Schedule at least one final meeting with your counselor to finish the work you have started and to continue planning for the future.
7. Set aside alone time each week where you and your spouse will evaluate your relationship post-therapy and continue to work together to make healthy decisions for the good of your marriage.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't discontinue your marriage counseling abruptly. This will not allow for the proper closure that needs to take place.
• Ending marriage counseling because you or your spouse feel uncomfortable sharing your feelings or because you don't have the time are not great reasons to stop working on your marriage. Attending counseling sessions with your spouse, however uncomfortable and time consuming it may be, will ultimately pay off in the end.