Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy: This technique suggests that human experiences center around emotions, that this is how we structure our lives. It aims to make the emotional bonds between a couple stronger so that they can withstand any issues that may arise now or down the road.

As we have learned, discernment counseling prioritizes helping the spouses clarify whether they want to remain in the relationship. On the other hand, marriage counseling emphasizes immediate change as it seeks to address and resolve the issues that couples face in their marriage.

Couples therapy may use emotion-focused therapy or the Gottman method to help partners improve communication and deepen their emotional connection. In contrast, marriage counseling may use cognitive-behavioral or solution-focused therapy to help partners address specific issues in the marriage.

In fact, research shows that couples therapy positively impacts 70% of those receiving treatment. And for many couples, seeking out professional help can be the difference between making the long haul or becoming a divorce statistic.