Spouses often make the decision to divorce when their relationship is at an overall low point. Years of growing apart slowly or a major discovery by one spouse might lead to intense feelings and constant conflict. Spouses may realize that they simply cannot maintain the relationship anymore and believe that making a permanent change could benefit everyone in the long run.
Unfortunately, because their relationship is not in a good place, the spouses may have a very difficult time agreeing with one another to resolve divorce-related issues. In fact, they might fight unnecessarily over matters that they could otherwise resolve amicably. Their fights could lead to litigation and more intense conflict. Those who feel relatively certain that divorce is imminent prefer to pursue a dissolution, which requires an uncontested divorce filing.
Could divorce counseling potentially help spouses achieve that goal?
There are several types of divorce counseling available
Counseling can help people overcome or better manage the challenges inherent in the divorce process. Some spouses attempt couples therapy near the end of a marriage and may feel more confident about their decision to file, as they have made every reasonable attempt to work through their issues.
Other times, they may attend co-parenting counseling to acquire skills that can help them handle shared custody challenges. It is also sometimes possible for one individual to go through divorce therapy sessions on their own as a way of processing their feelings and being more rational in their approach to divorce negotiations.
For some people, talking to an outside mental health professional could help them stay focused on the big picture. In other cases, counseling might help people practice communication or conflict-resolution skills so that they can cooperate with one another more effectively.
Spouses who can control their emotional reactions and communicate calmly may have a better chance of resolving their ongoing disagreements about custody, financial support or property division. Counseling can, therefore, be one of several tools that could have set couples up for a dissolution instead of a stressful and relationship-damaging litigated divorce. At the end of the day, finding the right tools may help people control the degree of conflict and uncertainty inherent in Ohio divorce proceedings.