Thursday, January 28, 2010

Free Marriage Counseling Is Available

By Sabrina Summerfield

This short article is an introduction to where you might be able to obtain free marriage counseling. Of course, if money is no object, you can and should be looking for the best marriage counselor you can find. Trust me when I say a divorce, especially one where minor children are involved, is worth saving if at all possible. But getting back to free marriage counseling: the cost of marriage counseling - especially for a couple that is fighting about money - can be prohibitive. But that doesn't mean there's no help available. There is help out there and this is where to look.

The primary source of free marriage counseling is churches. If the couple was married in a religious service, the best place to start looking for free marriage counseling is by contacting the church in which they were married. Most of these services are delivered on a pay what you can basis. Here are some of the largest groups:

In 2008 Catholic Family Service delivered almost 25,000 hours of marriage counseling in North America alone. The organization has set up hundreds of local websites, so to find information on what is available to you in your area, simply go to any search engine and enter "Catholic Family Services" and the name of your city. The marriage counseling services are extensive and professional.

Jewish Family Services are organized on an ad hoc basis, according to the size and needs of the local Jewish community. Services offered vary widely from one Jewish Family Service to the next. One of the few commonalities, fortunately, is marriage counseling. In North America you can easily contact the Jewish Family Service through your local synagogue or you can for online and enter "Jewish Family Services of (your city here)" and chances are excellent that the website for your local Jewish Family Services organization will pop up.

The Islamic Circle of North America is a social service group dedicated to establishing Islam, "in all spheres of life." The ICNA, though its ICNA Relief USA arm, offers marriage counseling and other counseling services through Muslim Family Services.

Other faiths all have there own marriage counseling services, though most are not as organized as Catholic Family Service, Jewish Family Services or Muslim Family Services.

For couples who were joined in a civil ceremony, it is noted that, like churches, governments have a vested interest in stable families, and an even more pressing interested in assisting unstable marriages. Contact social services in your municipality to find out what service might be available for you and your spouse.

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