The American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists reports an overall success rate of 98%. However, other research suggests that couples counseling has a limited effect. US studies place the counseling success rate between 11 and 18%. Not only does it seem like it doesn't work for most people, but most people don't think about having it.
A BBC survey revealed that 75% of married couples with children had ever had serious problems in their marriage; of those, only 8% had sought counseling. Often, when couples seek help, their relationship is already in its throes. For example, many men have told me that their counselors ended up giving them the same advice they had already learned in Manly Marriage Revival. If you think your chances of success in marriage counseling are low, or if money is tight, there are many marriage counseling alternatives that could give you a better return on your money.
Sadly, that statistic can make people feel like their marriage is half over before it even begins, and unfortunately, that statistic may not be true for modern marriages. If you or your wife don't want marriage counseling, or if you seek an inexperienced or untrained counselor, the chances of recovering from marriage are greatly reduced. According to some research, approximately a quarter of couples receiving marriage therapy report that their relationship worsens two years after ending therapy, and up to 38 percent of couples receiving marriage counseling get divorced within four years after the end of therapy. The most important one here is that marriage counseling DOES NOT WORK when only one spouse wants to save the marriage.
