Marriage can be one of the most wonderful experiences of life. In the best cases, it is a partnership for life offering love, empathy, acceptance, and trust. Great marriages don’t just ‘happen’, however, and even exceptional marriages encounter difficult situations. In a good marriage, couples are quick to take responsibility for their actions and the good of the relationship. They’re able to see things from their partner’s perspective and empathize with their wants and needs. They’re able to forgive and move forward in their relationship and life.
This type of advanced conflict resolution isn’t easy. It requires high-level communications skills, non-confrontational dispute resolution techniques and a commitment to shared goals and a unified future. When this happens, couples must deal with the crisis using their communications skills and dispute resolution techniques. Unfortunately, many couples lack the skill set necessary for quick and effective action to resolve difficult issues.
Couples who are having trouble resolving a problematic situation on their own should consider turning to a marriage therapist with the training and experience to help. A marriage counselor can teach couples new techniques for open and honest communication. A relationship specialist can help couples learn to resolve their differences in a proactive and positive manner.
There are many excellent African-American marriage counselors throughout the country. Here are a few of the best in the state of Michigan:
Sharon C. Windfrey:
Ms. Windfrey emphasizes the importance of finding a therapist that will listen and not ‘judge, ridicule or humiliate’. She offers her clients ‘objective support, and guidance.’ Ms. Windfrey has experience in a number of clinical specialties including marriage, couples, and relationship therapy. She leverages her wide range of skills to build a course of treatment around the specific needs of her clients.
Ms. Windfrey can treat the many ‘extenuating circumstances’ that can contribute to tensions in a relationship. She is particularly effective treating drug and alcohol addictions and meets Federal government standards as a Substance Abuse Professional (SAP). In addition, she works with clients suffering from academic or vocational underachievement, eating disorders, depression, self-esteem issues and attention-deficit disorder (ADD).
She can also counsel clients in relationships strained by domestic violence, sexual abuse, and related situations. As a therapist, Ms. Windfrey’s goal is to help her clients realize their true potential. In addition to threatening relationship problems and related issues, she works with clients on ‘forward-looking’ strategies. This focus includes life coaching, career counseling, and the search for spiritual fulfillment. Ms. Windfrey is a graduate of Wright State University and practices in Southfield, Michigan.
Cutise Boswell:
Ms. Boswell works by the philosophy that while individuals travel different roads in life they encounter similar problems. This reality can result in despair, isolation or hopelessness–for individuals and couples. In her role as a therapist, she seeks to help people overcome the difficulties they encounter on their unique journey through life.
Ms. Boswell operates from the position that since every couple and their struggles are unique their treatment must be highly individualized. Her treatment process begins by working with clients to identify problem areas and formulate a plan of response. At the same time, she helps clients evaluate their intellectual and emotional resources as well as areas that need additional work.
Once a couple understands their relationship skill sets it’s easier to focus on the more problematic areas. Ms. Boswell helps couples understand where things went wrong–how attitudes and beliefs can lead to bad decisions and harmful action. The ‘end game’ is to facilitate an understanding of the ‘turning point’ that led to the situation and what would produce a different result. Ultimately, this new found self-awareness helps couples work through the current situation and plan for a happier future.
Ms. Boswell is passionate about the happiness and success of her clients. She quotes Nelson Mandela: “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” In her view, she is there to ‘help her clients rise’. She has experience treating couples, individuals, and families. In addition, she has experience dealing with a number of conditions that often cause or accompany relationship problems. These include infidelity, codependency, substance abuse, domestic violence, anger management issues, depression, anxiety, trauma, and many others. Ms. Boswell is a graduate of Wayne State University and practices in Clinton Township, Michigan.