Discernment Counseling

If you or your spouse are considering divorce but are not completely sure it is the best path, you are may want to consider discernment counseling. It’s a chance to slow down, take a breath, and look at the options for your marriage.

Discernment Counseling is a new way of helping couples, where one person is “leaning out” of the relationship—and not sure that regular marriage counseling would help—and the other is "leaning in”—that is, interested in rebuilding the marriage.

Dr. Coumbe-Lilley will help you decide whether to try to restore your marriage to health, move toward divorce, or take a time out and decide later.

The goal is not to solve your marital problems but to see if they are solvable. You will each be treated with compassion and respect no matter how you feel about your marriage. No bad guys or good guys here.

You will come in as a couple but the most important work occurs in the one-to-one conversations with the counselor. Why? Because you are starting in different places.

The counselor respects your reasons for divorce while trying to open up the possibility of restoring the marriage to health.

The counselor emphasizes the importance of each of you seeing your contributions to the problems and the possible solutions. This will be useful in future relationships, even if this one ends.

Number of Sessions & Session Length:

• A maximum of 5 counseling sessions

  • The first session is typically 2 hours

  • The subsequent sessions are 1.5 or 2 hours.

  • Session Rate: $200/HR

Discernment Counseling is not Suited for these situations:

·       When one spouse has already made a final decision to divorce

·       When one spouse is coercing the other to participate

·       When there is the danger of domestic violence

If you would like to get started with discernment counseling today, please contact Dr. John Coumbe-Lilley here!