Discernment Counseling: Is It the Right Approach for You?

If your relationship is at a breaking point, you may be looking for discernment counseling—a way to decide whether to keep working on the relationship or move toward separation.

Watch this video (under two minutes) and I’ll explain how I can help.

You may be in a situation where:

  • One of you is seriously considering leaving
  • The other wants to preserve the relationship
  • Or both of you feel uncertain about what’s possible

I often work with couples in this situation.

What Is Discernment Counseling?

What distinguishes discernment counseling is the goal of the work: deciding about the future of the relationship, typically in a limited number of sessions. At the end of the work, you’ll decide among three choices:

  • Commit to working on the relationship
  • Keep things as they are
  • Separate

Another goal — equally important — is to help the two of you work cooperatively with each other in whatever ways you need to, whether you’re staying together or separating. 

My Approach

My approach to this work is consistent with the goals of discernment counseling.

As I describe here and here, the first part of our work is all about clarity — which is just what you’ll need to be able to decide how to proceed.

You don’t have to know in advance what direction to go. You just know you want to feel better.

Whether you’re looking specifically for discernment counseling, or you’re just looking to find ways to get unstuck from a painful situation, working with me can start you on a path forward.

Ways to Get Started

You don’t have to decide everything right away.

But you don’t have to stay stuck, either.

Work with me directly

If you want a structured way to think through your situation, we can work together in couples sessions.

Start on your own

If you’re not ready for sessions — or want a way to begin independently — my self-paced video course The Passion Paradox is designed for exactly this kind of situation.

Questions?

Feel free to contact me with any questions you might have. I usually respond the same day.