What Makes A Good Marriage Counselor?
Training and competence are the keys to success as a provider of Marriage Counseling. Historically, Marriage Counseling has been provided by Clinical Social Workers or Psychologists. Beginning in 1968, California created a new profession called Marriage, Family and Child Counselors. This group was later changed to Marriage, Family Therapists, MFT.
Solid training in Social Work, Psychology or Psychiatry plus additional training in relationship counseling provide the bost core of skills necessary to succeed at this work. Coupes may be seen together and or separately depending on the needs based on assessment.
A good marital counselor has been through the counseling process herself (or himself). She won’t be just lecturing to you about something she has never experienced herself, and she doesn’t seem ashamed that she’s had counseling. Instead, she sounds proud of herself for taking responsibility for that choice. I want a person who “practices what she preaches” about therapy. She must believe it helps in some way or she wouldn’t have spent her time and money getting counseling herself.) You may be surprised to find out that many counselors have never had counseling as clients and consequently have never faced their own relationship or individual issues. Are you shocked that they could get their graduate degree and therapy license without participation in personal growth therapy? It is astonishing to think of that happening, but it does happen—quite often. When you think about it—would you want to go to a counselor who recommends therapy to others but has never taken his (or her) own advice?
