Marriage is meant to be a long-term commitment between two people. This is agreed upon at the wedding ceremony, and all seems well. As time passes, obstacles can arise that threatens this agreement. Sometimes the challenges pass. However, some challenges may need to involve a counselor for the couple to survive. Realizing that you need the help of a counselor is an important first step.
Once you realize that you are in need of outside help, the next obstacle is finding a counselor that you trust and respect. This can be a difficult task; it is often troubling to speak of the problems, let alone share them with a complete stranger. However, once you find a trustworthy counselor, you are on the road to repairing the relationship. The following counselors are reputable members of the San Antonio community.
Dottie Miller is a marriage and family therapist with over 30 years of experience. These years have practice have given her an understanding of how to deal with issues that arise in marriages and families. She prides herself on being able to help family get out of tough situations. She focuses on creating goal-oriented solutions to each problem, allowing the family to return to a strong, conducive state as soon as possible.
Miller focuses her work on the adult members of the family. These members are going to be most affected by her solution-oriented process, as they are able to fully comprehend the process, as well as the sacrifices or benefits involved. Her processes are based on Cognitive Behavioral studies and Re-decision therapy. She works with both individuals and couples in sessions, and is also available for sessions in French. She prides herself on being accessible and reasonably priced.
Mr. Elder is a newer therapist who specializes in improving family and marital dynamics. He is goal-oriented therapist who works with families as they navigate the difficult areas of life. He is non-judgmental and has a culturally-diverse clientele. He focuses on the improvement of the individual, with the belief that personal betterment will flow into the relational aspects of one’s life.
Mr. Elder is a Christian therapist who works with all ages and groups of people. He takes on children, adolescents, adults, and seniors as clients, and works with them to meet their goals. He uses Relational therapies, life-coaching techniques, and other methods to create the best solution for each client. He works with individuals, couples, or groups during sessions depending on the needs of the clients.
Ms. Santos is an experienced therapist who has also been married for 34 years. She focuses on helping couples and families collaborate and solve problems that come between them. She focuses on building compassion and trust within these relationships, and helping the members grow towards reparation and a strengthened relationship. She also helps build the spiritual strength of the couple, seeing faith as a means of building the relationships of her clients.
Ms. Santos uses a combination of techniques that include Cognitive Behavioral and Imago methods. She works with individuals, couples, or groups during sessions depending on the clients and issues being dealt with. She works with adolescents as well as adults and seniors. She focuses her work on the Hispanic and Latino communities, and offers sessions in both English and Spanish, and offers counselling from a Christian perspective.
Marriage Retreats
Sometimes it is difficult to find the time to put into counseling, or perhaps the financial commitment to extended counseling creates the need for an alternative measure. Marriage retreats are an option that can be helpful for couples. The theory behind these retreats is that when a couple is removed from their routine, they will be able to better focus on the marital problems at hand.
These retreats tend to take place at holiday locations. The belief is that when a couple is in a quiet, relaxing place, they will be able to deal with relational problems more clearly, allowing greater growth to take place. It also makes the weekend more enticing to attend. The retreats are often put on by church groups or therapy centers, and are led by counselors who give seminars throughout the retreat. There are also times of group and couples therapy available during the retreat.
In San Antonio, an organization called San Antonio Marriage Initiative is attempting to help couples in the region by offering a multitude of different retreats. These retreats are usually 3 days in length, and are led by Christian counselors who are experienced in helping couples truly grow together. There are retreats for every level of relationship, from those on the brink of divorce, to those who want to improve an already strong marriage. These retreats focus on building strong marriages within all levels, with the belief that marriage is intended to be permanent.
Read also: There are a number of marriage counselors in the Jacksonville area, that are available to help.