Free Online Marriage Counseling

Can online marriage counseling work for you?

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When money is tight, many couples who are experiencing marital problems may desperately seek alternative ways to get professional help, such as online marriage counseling.  Free of charge is very appealing, but there are many things which should be taken into consideration before relying on the vast number of resources you can find online to help your flailing marriage.

When it comes to online marriage counseling, free services ranging from e-courses?to actual direct email interaction with a therapist may be available depending on the resource.  And like anything online, the quality of what you are getting for free (or even for a price) can vary greatly.   But if you approach it as a resource similar to purchasing a book on the topic of helping you with marriage problems, then there can be some benefit to be gained.

So let's look a little further at what you may find in terms of online marriage counseling.  Free e-courses, as mentioned above, are often available from various resources.   Usually you just sign up for these and they are delivered to your email box.  Most of these will be delivered to your email over a period of time.  For example, you may receive one lesson?every few days.  This gives you time to digest the information rather than read through the entire course in one sitting.  Depending on who wrote them, they may contain some very helpful information and exercises which you can apply to your particular situation.  Again, this is similar to using a book as a help guide.

Some sites also offer complete eBooks which you can download to your computer as soon as you sign up.  Similar to e-courses, some of these can also give you some good information.  Don't expect them to be as comprehensive or thorough as a book you would purchase at a bookstore.  The nature of eBooks is that they are relatively short, usually anywhere from 30 to 100 pages with large font.  EBooks and e-courses are often a primary part of any online marriage counseling.  Free resources such as these may be better than nothing when finances are tight.

Where things start to get questionable, in terms of ethics, competence and confidentiality are when individuals or companies claim to offer actual therapy?via email.  With the rapidly growing popularity of the Internet as a primary resource for just about everything, it is no surprise that you can find actual online marriage counseling.  Free email interaction with a therapist or counselor is offered by some online sources.

Email, by its very nature, has limited confidentiality.  And it may be difficult to verify whether or not the therapist is truly competent or is even actually trained or licensed.  This is where you really need to be wary.  Also, before you engage in any actual free counseling or therapy via the internet, be sure to do your due diligence to determine if the person has the appropriate credentials and qualifications to be helping you.

These are just a few things to consider if you feel you and your spouse need professional help for your marriage and you are considering online marriage counseling.  Free services may be very appealing, but you may not be getting what you think.  Use it with caution, if at all.  The e-courses and eBooks may have some good food for thought, but if your marriage is in a serious crisis, it is better to find a way to see a local therapist with whom you can interact face to face as you work through the issues in your marriage.