If you and your spouse are having trouble resolving your marital problems on your own, you may want to do what many other couples do in order to have an impartial third party offer them and advice”visit a marriage counselor. When it comes to finding the right marriage counselor, knowing what you and your spouse want, need, and expect can save you a lot of time.

Ask yourself, and your spouse, this question: why is marriage counseling important to our relationship? Your combined answers to this question will help you to determine the type of marriage counselor that is best for you. When you are interviewing potential counselors, ask them how long they have worked with couples. If credentials are important to you, make sure you ask about those as well.

When marriage counseling is covered by insurance, it is important to choose a counselor from the list of your plans preferred providers. Most counselors recommend that couples plan on attending six sessions initially, so make sure that you know how many sessions your plan covers and decide whether or not you and your partner will be paying for some sessions out-of-pocket if necessary.

There are many other things to consider in addition to credentials and costs. IF you have strong religious or spiritual beliefs, you and your partner will want to find a counselor who is familiar with your beliefs. The idea of marriage, including roles and meaning, differ between religions and religious denominations, so it is important to find a counselor with the same beliefs if this is important to you and your spouse. You should also keep in mind that therapy styles vary widely from counselor to counselor, so dont hesitate to ask any potential counselors about their orientation. Above all, make sure that you choose a marriage counselor with whom you both feel comfortable. Marriage is team effort, after all.