Coun 501

Running Head: Marriage Counseling

Marriage Counseling:

Righting the Wrongs in a Relationship Counseling

Robert Hammond Jr.

COUN 501

Abstract

This paper will discuss the definition of marriage on a worldly and a biblical standpoint and also raise the question as to whether it is beneficial for married couples to seek help through a Christian counselor rather than a non-Christian counselor. This paper will discuss the history of marriage and couples counseling along with the challenges it face in the field of counseling. This writer will also discuss biblical and worldly approaches to marriage and divorce and how both Christian and professional counselors can incorporate the two in their practice. The examples in this paper will also show what qualities professional and Christian counselors should have in order to provide counseling to clients in need of their professional advice.

Not so long ago, the United States was known for having the most married couples in the world. Today, the trends and traditions of the past have definitely changed in this country. In a study fromAccording to the United States Department of Justice it was founded that, 79 percent of men who married in 1955 to 1959 stayed married for at least 20 years, only 58 percent of men who married in 1975 to 1979 stayed married as long (U.S. Department of Justice, 2001).

In today’s time, about one out of five Americans has been divorced. The median duration of the first marriage is 8 years and those who divorced entered the second marriage within 3 to 4 years on the average (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2005). Despite the fact that the number of marriages has been at record highs, the number of marriages ending in divorce has increased steadily.

Before the introduction of marriage counseling, married couples were face to rectify their problems by using family members, members of the clergy, or even a close friend. The concept of treating in the context of a...