Marriage therapist (in Illinois)? Marriage counseling weekend?
June 17, 2008 9:00 PM Subscribe
Marriage therapist (in Illinois)? Marriage counseling weekend?
My spouse and I have been coasting in our marriage for a few years now, but have a history of a very warm and loving relationship. External stressors (jobs, kids, house) have been doing a number on us individually and I believe that it is affecting our relationship. I'd like to engage in some preemptive counseling in order to get back on track with communication. But I've never done this before and don't know where to go.
We used to be very good about discussing things and working them out, but it takes a lot of time and energy. Lately, we haven't had the time and energy to work things out and it's led to the bottling up of a lot of feelings. I don't want these problems to fester and get worse, I want to get back to the fun and connection that we used to have. And I think having someone else facilitate this would be a good idea. If we could go away for the weekend to some kind of program, it would be awesome. But, if that doesn't exist, a counselor on the far north side of Chicago or close suburbs (we live in a suburb on the border of Chicago's northside) would be great, too.
My spouse and I have been coasting in our marriage for a few years now, but have a history of a very warm and loving relationship. External stressors (jobs, kids, house) have been doing a number on us individually and I believe that it is affecting our relationship. I'd like to engage in some preemptive counseling in order to get back on track with communication. But I've never done this before and don't know where to go.
We used to be very good about discussing things and working them out, but it takes a lot of time and energy. Lately, we haven't had the time and energy to work things out and it's led to the bottling up of a lot of feelings. I don't want these problems to fester and get worse, I want to get back to the fun and connection that we used to have. And I think having someone else facilitate this would be a good idea. If we could go away for the weekend to some kind of program, it would be awesome. But, if that doesn't exist, a counselor on the far north side of Chicago or close suburbs (we live in a suburb on the border of Chicago's northside) would be great, too.
My parents were (are still, I think) super involved in Marriage Encounter. I can't speak as to it's ease of use or anything like that, since I spent a good part of my childhood resenting how much time they spent doing "weekends," but I think for the most part it's a pretty decent organization. My parents are still married, 31 years later and all their Marriage Encounter friends seem happy. Good luck!
posted by banannafish at 6:02 AM on June 18, 2008
posted by banannafish at 6:02 AM on June 18, 2008
One of my friends says that Retrouvaille saved her marriage. It's a Catholic-sponsored program but she and her husband are not Catholic and were very comfortable with it. Apparently it begins with a hotel weekend with follow-up over the next few months. It is very affordable--they have a recommended donation for participating; my friend and her husband paid nothing because they were not in a position to contribute at the time they went through it. I see they have a program in Chicago.
posted by not that girl at 2:51 PM on June 18, 2008
posted by not that girl at 2:51 PM on June 18, 2008
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posted by daisyace at 4:51 AM on June 18, 2008