Impact of Providing Marriage Counseling for Pre-Divorce Couples

Statement of Purpose
The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of providing 12 weeks marriage
counseling session on how marriage is important for the pre-divorce couples who have filed for
divorce to decide whether or not to stay in marriage at Tarrant County area. This study is to
measure the number of pre-divorce couples chose to stay in the marriage after attending marriage
counseling. A sample of 50 couples will be receiving marriage counseling session by an
experienced marriage counselor. This study will be the experimental design. The data collection
tool for this study would be a pre-test and post-test to collect data for the study. The pre-test
would be the number of pre-divorce couples wanted to end the marriage before the marriage
counseling session and post-test would be the number of pre-divorce couples who wants to stay
in the marriage after the marriage counseling session.
Significance of Study
The marriage counseling sessions for pre-divorce couples are is vitally important for the
couples and their children in Tarrant County. Marriage counseling session for pre-divorce
couples can help couples encourage doing everything possible to fix the marriages. Over the past
several years, the county has noticed an increased in the number of marriages filed for divorces
that has involved children of the married couples and effects of divorce to the children which
created problems. The department of the Tarrant County has decided to provide an effective 12
weeks marriage counseling session for the couples who have filed for divorce before taking any
action.

Research has shown that the twenty-first century begins with a marriage failure rate of 1 in 2
than a half-century. The article "A Systematic Approach to Marriage Education" Dinkmeyer
(2007) established that the marriage education began to increase in both sectarian and nonsectarian organization where couples attend and focus on marriage education. The Counselor
seeks for the purpose of behaviors with the marriage system which helps on the improvement of
the marriage. There were various examples have been found in any kind of marriages and it
emphasizes the repetitive problems in marriages. The perceptions can be changed through
educational experience (Dinkmeyer, 2007).
In the article A Systematic Approach to Marriage Education" Dinkmeyer (2007) introduced a
training program that enriched the marriage for couples. It was designed as a group education
experience. The role of the training is to create an atmosphere and process that encourage growth
in a marriage. Dinkmeyer (2007) also added various principles of training institute of marriage
enrichment. The principles includes and has the belief of small changes can improve the larger
change, love and care can return once the behavior changes in the marriages, changes can be
time consuming, and providing specific skills (Dinkmeyer, 2007).
The article has added the learning cycle that helps in marriage enrichment. The couples
whoever come to the counseling or therapist have some kind of encouragement or expectations.
The counselor or the group leaders needs to understand couple's frustrations and give them hope.
Dinkmeyer (2007) created eight specific activities in the learning cycle of the training program
including communication building, discussion of the activities, encouragement participation,
discussion of the reading, the brief recording, skill application, summary of the session, activity
of a week, and reading assignment. It seems like the way they are providing and performing the
training session very effectively for the married couples. It will be more effective if there is

assignments needs to be turn in any kind of course. It helps people to be more engage in that
subject matter (Dinkmeyer, 2007).
There are cognitive and experiential content in the article. Dinkmeyer (2007) established ten
topics for each session that is offering for the couples. In the session, there are only couples who
can join the meeting. The very first session is accepting responsibility where couples learn about
the positive sides of marriage. The second session includes encouragement. This focuses on the
assets, positive expectations, and efforts from both partners. The third session is priorities and
value which helps on deal with the substantive challenges of marriage. The session four includes
congruent communication. Marriage counseling focused on the clear communication with
partner. Effective listening and speaking had been taught in the session. The sessions were
focused on importance of understanding the partner's point of view. The session five includes
listening and responding where the team teaches couples how to communicate positively.
Choices lie on the seven sessions. Making choices results both negative and positive. Choice
making skills includes identifying alternatives and commitment to the revisit. The eight sessions
includes the conflict resolution.

The steps include showing mutual respect to each other,

identifying the real issue, identifying areas of agreement, and mutually participate in decision
(Dinkmeyer, 2007).
The term divorce is common in today's world. The divorce is the end of marriage in a legal
term or duties. If the married couples are not satisfied with their relationship or not happy with
each other than the topic of divorce comes in their mind. There are various laws of divorce which
may vary across the world. The article researched on marriage education for the married couples.
No one can give guarantee on whether it helps on the marriage satisfaction. Marriage counseling

can be only the skills that teach couples importance about marriage and give the opportunity to
build strengths in their marriage.
Operational Definitions
Divorce: The term divorce can be defined as the end of marriage or an end of relationship
between husband and wife legally.
Marriage Counseling Program: Marriage counseling program is kind of a treatment session for
the married couple which helps to resolve the problems in marriage relationship between
couples.
Marriage counseling for pre-divorce couples is the session is to help couples from their
relationship crisis. After attending to the session, the couples might change their decision and
save their marriage by giving each other sometime. The marriage counseling for pre-divorced
couples is the process to recognize and to manage their problem. The time duration is about 1224 session. The cost of the marriage counseling may vary from state to state, county to county,
and among marriage counselors. The experienced counselor will be cost effective. The Tarrant
County is currently offering pre-divorced couples $200 each per session.
The total population of 1,809,034 which is 100% has shown in the demographics of the
Tarrant County which was increased in 1,880,153 in 2012. The population percent has been
changed from 3.9% in a year. There are 66.6% of White, 14.9% of Black or African American,
0.7% of American Indian and Alaska Native, 4.7% of Asian, 0.2% of Native Hawaiian and other
Pacific Islander, and 10% of some other races lives in the Tarrant County.

Review of Literature
Research has shown that only 9 out of 115 married couples were separated after 6-month
follow-up of marriage counseling awareness. In the article "Initial relationship goal and couple
therapy outcomes at post and six-month follow-up" Owen, et al. (2012) established that the
married couples effect their own outcomes. A female partner have rational goal than male partner
in improving their relationship further. This can be associated with changes in female partner's
distress or a well-being at her post. This change will help her husband improve his goal at the
same time (Owen, et al., 2012).
In a research article by Owen, et al. (2012), there were relationship between the client initial
goal for the coupless treatment and the outcomes based on their relationship status after the
counseling has been studied. According to the study results, the men's and women's relationship
goals were both important and responsible for their relationship status. Owen, et al. (2012)
defined couple therapy is one of the effective way to improve marital relationship satisfaction
and communication value. This study explained how the counseling has been done and what the
outcomes were rating scales (Owen, et al., 2012).
The dissolution of marriage is the result of growing evidence on the importance of female
partner's economic independence. As researchers Kalmijn, et al. (2007) explained that women's
socioeconomic position and divorce is interrelated and has increased recently. The income levels
and effect of wife's labor force participation is one of the largest limitations on data. The divorce
rate is higher when the partner, husbands and wives have the same income level. The economic
influences are one of the main reasons why married couples forces to dissolution of cohabiting
their relationships (Kalmijn, et al., 2007).

The article has added the hypothesis to its study which includes economic and cultural view at
the effects of women's income on couple's separation. Both the hypothesis argued with each
other. Kalmijn, et al. (2007) explained that both the arguments might be true on its own reason.
There are two possibilities of arguments which is effect of women's relative income on
separation. Women more likely to leave marriage and decides to get divorce when they have an
independent income. Almost 40 percent of women make contribution economically in the early
marriage stage. It drops to half of it after 10 years of period (Kalmijn, et al., 2007).
Marriage Counseling is one of the effective principles with an enduring quality. The study by
Perkins (2004) noted that building house and marriages are same with a different meaning.
Married couples build their marriages only at one time just same we build house at one time.
Glasser's questions about marriage counseling were depending on couple's point of view
(Perkins, 2004). The article focused on the five main questions for the couple who wanted to
attend marriage counseling before getting divorce. In the article Perkins (2004) explained that
how the marriage counseling is positive and workable for the married couples and how it is
useful (Perkins, 2004). The study by Owen, et al. (2012) described that the married couples were
self-referred with a wide range of typical relationship problems. It includes various
communication difficulties, lack of feeling for each other, and conflict which make the
relationship status even worst (Owen, et al., 2012).
In a research study by Hawkins, et al. (2008), there was examination of efficacy of marriage
and relationship education on two different outcomes which were relationship quality and
communication skills. First there were 86 reports which yielded to 117 studies for the effective
sizes. The meta-analytical studies were between communication skills and relationship quality
where communication skills generated larger scale than that of relationship quality. The findings

in this study were supported by the three possible explanations. The first two-thirds of the
programs in the study had focused on communication skills training for married couples
(Hawkins, et al., 2008).
The results indicate that the comparison between providing marriage education or not do not
address the confusion. The study by Hawkins, et al. (2008) has provided support for the general
effectiveness so that the research can understand and concentrate on how changes can occur in
the future. The changes can lead to the design of strong interventions. The study has examined
both the immediate post assessments and follow-up assessments. The primary interest of the
study is the efficacy of marriage and relationship education for the couples which is addressed by
effective sizes symbolizing the differences between intervention and no intervention (Hawkins,
et al. , 2008).
The study by Farnam, et al. (2011) explained that the effect of selected aspects of marriage
counseling on the marital satisfaction on the couples of Iran. The study focused on 200 sample
couples which were divided into two main groups. One group received the ordinary education
(the no intervention group) and the other group received special education (the intervention
group). The intervention group completed four lecture session by the specialized researchers on
family planning, communication, and conflict solutions skills whereas the no intervention group
only received the normal lectures on family planning and health programs (Farnam, et al., 2011).
The final analysis of the study was based on 60 questionnaires and the intervention groups were
higher than that of no intervention group.
Pre-marriage counseling is the communication between the counselor and couples where the
counselor try to teach newly couples the communication and social skills verbally. The study by

Farnam, et al. (2011) analyzed methodology, sample group, possible measures, results, analysis,
and conclusion. The results showed that the pre-marriage counseling program had a significant
effect on marital satisfaction. It also showed that the classes were not being useful if participant's
does not show their needs, problems, and demands (Farnam, et al., 2011). Communication plays
a vital role in marriage. Research showed that the communication and sexual satisfaction
sometimes predict the marital satisfaction. The results showed that 68.8% of married couples
who attended marriage counseling as an intervention group satisfied the communication skills
whereas only 31.3% were no intervention group (Farnam, et al. , 2011).
The article studied by Huang (2005) explained and provided the couple therapists and
relationship educators with information to improve the cultural significance with Asian
population. According to Huang (2005) almost 60 percent of the world's population lives in Asia
and Asian origin people live all over the world. The study has shown the various marital trends in
various Asian countries. The divorce rate has been changed dramatically in many different parts
of Asia and around the world. The article also focused on the generic influences of Asian
marriages and divorce trends (Huang, 2005).
The article has added the marriage and awareness education for the married couples in Asia.
Huang (2005) explained that how the marriage education works in various parts of Asian
countries such as Singapore, Taiwan, China, India, Malaysia, Japan and many other Asian
countries. The study was also based on the cultural adaptation and a tropical comparison. The
studies by Huang (2005) have concluded that the high-quality marital educations are strongly
needed in many Asian countries. The western experience have been strongly welcomes and
respected in terms of providing education (Huang, 2005).

Taken together, the results indicate that marriage counseling for married couples plays an
important role to decide whether to stay in marriage and make stronger relationship status
(Farnam, et al., 2011; Hawkins, et al. , 2008; Huang, 2005; Kalmijn, et al. , 2007; Owen, et al.,
2012; Perkins, 2004). The married and pre-divorced coupled who have received marriage
counseling and marital education helps couples to stay in marriage and build their relationship
positively. It can be assumed from these six literature reviews that marriage education for the
couples increase to main their communication skills and a relationship status. It is important to
understand the value of marriage and families. Also, it is important to address values and
concepts of commitment, responsibility, and forgiveness to build a healthy relationship with the
partner. This would definitely help on stay in marriage and live healthy and successful lives with
the loved ones.