by Diana Peyton

Created on: October 04, 2008   Last Updated: October 11, 2008

He says she puts the bathroom tissue on the wrong way, she says he is a Neanderthal and needs to learn that ladies do not want to fall into the porcelain throne, ahem the seat please? Sometimes, he is unfaithful or her love has waned. In any event, most couples and families at some point are driven to ask for help in sorting out the complexities of living together.

Marriage counseling has become a part of the conversation in many American households. Whether it is faith based such as Christian marriage counseling or secular, people are reaching out for opinions from professionals about their relationships and facing a hefty price tag.

Marriage and family counseling is not without serious financial consideration. The average one-hour session can run from $75 to $200 or more. Should a client be in a financial pinch, practitioners often accept payment on a sliding scale. For the discreet, there is on line marriage counseling, or one may get a little free advice off some independent advice websites.

Taking a chunk of money each week to pay for the privilege of some common sense advice could cause conflict in itself between spouses who are already not getting along, and especially for families who could buy a tank of gas and/or food for the family with the money.

Sometimes spouses cannot seem to come to resolution on major issues of communication. Professional help could be an answer but occasionally, professionals can do more harm than good, urging people to discuss issues that cause more pain and are off target instead of helping to resolve conflicts. I know of a couple who went for help where one was encouraged to leave the other. This appears to be bad counseling as the couple had gone for help to work out their relationship, not end it.

Divorce seems to be a common occurrence in situations where a third party, (sometimes right out of college with no life experience) is seen as an expert in an area foreign to their own lives. "Book learnin' " isn't always the answer.

Couples need to learn to own the relationship, determine to find their our own way, change attitudes and work hard at what marriage is all about, commitment. No one ever said the honeymoon would last forever.

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