Are you trying to figure out what to do in your marriage?
Did you know that over a third of all couples who enter our doors at Wise Choice Educational & Family Solutions come in confused about the status of their marriage and whether they should divorce?
The good news is they leave within 5 sessions knowing what their next step is and what their direction will be thanks to a process called Discernment Coaching.
Discernment is the ability to obtain sharp perceptions. It has 3 steps to obtaining truth: Awareness, Understanding, and Action.
Coaching is a method of training, counseling, or instructing on how to develop skills to enhance productivity or solve a problem (talenlyft.com)
Can a marriage be saved?
The scenario I most often work with is where one party wants to hang on to their marriage, while the other spouse is leaning toward or ready to leave the marriage.
With one party potentially wanting a divorce, and the other party not being ready to do so, the discernment coaching approach helps them navigate to discover where they truly stand.
If both parties are willing to spend 5 weeks or less working on developing a plan, they can gain the tools they need to work together. This gives them time to gain clarity and understand if they really are desirous of a divorce or to work toward restoring their relationship instead of slipping down a pathway that was not where either party truly wanted to go.
Over five weeks or less, we cover topics dealing with what has worked well in the past, expectations of gender roles, budget, parenting plan, communication, and spiritual direction. Often, both people are working in collaboration with other counselors, church communities, and substance abuse experts to stabilize the family in crisis.
This discernment coaching protocol protects the couple from drifting into half-hearted couples’ therapy or a premature divorce that leaves one partner baffled about what exactly happened. In the context of discernment coaching, divorce is not a failure. However, not learning anything that can help in a future relationship is a failure. As a Mediator and Coach, I have developed confidence in having this structured approach to help couples in crisis who are often poorly served in our communities. And following the protocol we can accomplish all this within 5 sessions.
If you are living with a marriage partner, but are experiencing relationship ambivalence and feeling like you are living with a roommate instead of a partner, this could be a perfect way to get back on track and find a solution, instead of living with insecurity and awkwardness.
We offer a brief no-cost discovery session to see if discernment coaching might be a good fit for you.
If you are ready to book now, we are offering a special through the end of September. If you book before Sept 30 you’ll receive $50 off a single coaching session (use code FALL50) or $250 off a 5-session package (use code 250SEPT).