Am•biv•a•lent: Having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone.
We can become ambivalent about many things in life. However, one of the more distressing things to become ambivalent about is your relationship with your spouse or dating partner. When an individual or couple feels conflicted or unsure if they wish to stay in their relationship, discernment counseling can help provide clarity.
Discernment counseling is a way to help you evaluate your relationship, looking at both the strengths as well as struggles so that decisions about the relationship can be made with confidence. Successful discernment counseling allows for you to walk away from counseling knowing you are doing the right thing, whether “the right thing” is staying in the relationship and working on improvement, or ending the relationship with confidence.
Discernment counseling is not the same as couples counseling. In couples counseling, the goal is to solve a problem, change a behavior, or learn new skills to stay together that will enhance the relationship. In discernment counseling, the goal is figure out if the relationship is worth continuing.
For those who have completed discernment counseling, the overwhelming response has been one of gratitude for the clarity it has given. If you are thinking about it even a little bit, this might be the right kind of counseling for you.
