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What Is It?

Married parties who are contemplating divorce or in the process of divorce are eligible to participate in conciliation counseling. The primary focus of conciliation counseling is to support each party to make an informed and thoughtful decision regarding their marital relationship. Conciliation counseling is initiated by the filing of a Petition for Conciliation through the court, generally requested by one of the parties. A good alternative is Discernment Counseling, which is not court ordered; however, both parties must be willing participants.

Potential benefits of conciliation counseling:

• Opportunity for each party to hear one another’s perspectives and in turn, be heard
• Improved communication between parties
• Conflict resolution/problem solving
• Explore potential alternatives available
• Provide closure for each party in the case that marriage conciliation efforts are not successful

We encourage the following schedule at minimum:

• One (1) initial individual session with each party
• Three (3) subsequent sessions with the parties together

Neither party is pressured by the conciliator to make a decision to divorce or to stay married as a part of this counseling. Once conciliation efforts are completed, the parties may be referred for other therapy services if indicated. Conciliation may not be a covered insurance benefit and may be considered an out-of-pocket expense. Payment is due at the time of service.