Relationship Counseling
Individual Counseling
Do you constantly find yourself making the same mistakes and feel like there is no way out? Do you feel unable to make positive changes on your own? Do you feel trapped by your situation? Do you lack self -confidence or have automatic self-defeating thoughts? Troubled by guilt or shame?
I believe there are alternatives and solutions to any problems. With inner strength and courage anything is impossible.
There are many contributing factors to why we act and feel the way that we do. I will do a bio-psycho-social assessment on your second visit resulting in a treatment plan and goals unique to your situation. As a social worker I look at the whole person in his or her environment.
Each person and situation is unique. Together we can explore your current situation, your past history, and use your personal strengths to assist you in finding new solutions to improve your life.
For Teens/Minors
In cases where there is joint legal custody between parents or guardians who are not married or cohabitating, MDC Serenity Counseling requires both parents’ authorization and signature for treatment of their minor child/children, before the client is seen in a counseling session. In cases where one parent has sole legal custody of their minor child/children, only that parent is required to authorize treatment. Individual sessions are generally 50-60 minutes
Couples/Marriage Counseling
Working with couples to improve communication and emotional intimacy.
Couples Counseling is for anyone involved in a significant relationship or marriage. If you feel more alone with your partner than you do when you are by yourself counseling can help. Do you live in a house of secrets? No one deserves to be disrespected in any type of relationship. Are you tired of the constant fighting? Emotional abuse can leave bruises that no one can see. If you need help resolving a difficult situation, couples counseling can be helpful.
Many clients seek therapy when they are in the middle of a crisis and feel desperate. Before deciding whether to split up or stay together seek professional help. Learn how to resolve things in a healthy manner. Healthy Communication and negotiating skills can be discussed during sessions.
If your partner refuses to go with you it is okay to seek counseling for yourself. When one person in the family system makes a small change it can shake up the foundation of the system. Partners willing to take baby steps towards change may see improvement in their relationship.
Pre-Marriage counseling
Many couples view pre-marriage counseling as unromantic and unnecessary. But, with the divorce rate what it is now, it is surprising that more couples don’t choose to do it. How much time goes into preparing for a wedding which only lasts one day? Wouldn’t it make sense to put some prep time into your marriage that is supposed to last a lifetime?
I have many couples who come to me for marriage counseling with challenges that could have been avoided had they done premarital counseling. Basic, but important issues, not addressed prior to the “I do’s,” can become problematic under the stressors that most couples face as they begin their life and family together.
Whether it’s called pre-marriage counseling, marriage prep, or premarital counseling, the counseling I provide will give you a reality check about your relationship. The benefit of doing this before the wedding is that feelings of love and positive energy toward your partner are at such a high level. Sometimes “cold feet” appear in the months prior to the big day. This kind of counseling addresses any issues that are raising red flags for you.
Because this is not a one-size-fits-all class, we can tailor your sessions to your needs. Some of the common issues couples may discuss are:
• Money — including your money values, dealing with past debt, saving habits, future expectations, etc.
• Pre-marital Agreements — when they are helpful or necessary and how to navigate through the development of one so that no one’s feelings are hurt.
• Disagreements — how do you handle them now, how you would like them to be handled, expressing anger and frustration in a healthy way, and fair fighting and conflict management techniques.
• Family and Religion/Spiritual Life — planning holidays, pleasing both sides of the family, or not, and, who communicates with whom? do you share religious or spiritual beliefs? how will you accommodate each others’ needs for religious or spiritual expression?
• Children — when, how many, childrearing styles and beliefs, views on adoption or high tech ways to become pregnant if there is infertility, and with what, if any religion, will the kids be raised.
• Home — who is responsible for what chores, how do you incorporate each partner’s living style, and ideas about navigating entertaining, pets, interior decoration, etc.
• Community and Friends — do you like each others’ friends? do you have couple friends? how do you feel about your partner spending time with friends? how much is okay? how active do you foresee each of you becoming in your community, clubs, or groups?
• Intimacy and Sex — are you well matched in your need for affection? how is your sex life so far? are you comfortable talking about sex with your partner and are you comfortable with each others’ bodies? can you see the possibility of each having different levels of desire? how will you handle that?
These and other issues can be included in your counseling schedule. At our first meeting we will determine what is important to you. Sessions are informal and many people find them fun as they get to know one another better. We may do some assessments and you may have some homework. It will be up to you how many sessions you will want. Most pre-marriage counseling can be done in four to five sessions.
Some might say that this kind of couples counseling sounds unromantic. In fact, it’s just the opposite. It alleviates some of the pre-wedding stress, tackles difficult subjects that one or both of you may have a hard time bringing up, and most importantly, by dealing with issues now, you will have more time to explore the romance in your marriage later on!
Family Counseling
Counseling for families, adults and teens tired of the chaos and relationship difficulties in your family? Blended family difficulties? Is there substance abuse in your family? Teen depression? Are you tired of the arguments and drama in your family? Distress in families can cause physical illness as well as emotional distress. Counseling can help family members learn to communicate and cope in a healthy way. Find the peace and love your family deserves. Family sessions are generally 50-60 minutes
Divorce Support Group for Women
This group is for women at any stage of divorce and is a therapist facilitated, psycho-educational support group. Are you currently facing the devastating storm of divorce? The trauma of divorce causes tremendous loss, pain, grief, loneliness and fear. Join our group and learn many positive ways to empower yourself. You can find tools to turn the storms of divorce into new possibilities and Find Sunshine Again! New group currently forming. The cost is $35 a session. Space is limited. Please call Marty Devins- Horvath, LMSW.
