Counseling generally helps people gain perspective of their emotions, behavior and relationships. Psychological Counseling as a profession has been in existence since 1931 in ancient Greek and Roman empires. Today counseling is a vibrant profession run by professional bodies, principles, philosophies, standards and ethical codes of conduct. This paper explores counseling among couples and families. The paper explores the history of counseling among couples and families since the World War 1. The interventions practiced then included the establishment of centers and workshops to offer couples advice on contraception, psychological and relational issues. The paper also highlights on the formation of organizations such as the American Association of Marriage Counseling (AAMC) in 1945. These organizations were mandated with the provision of family therapy. The paper also explores the publications of couple and family magazines and textbooks such as the Journal of Marriage and Family Counseling in 1970. In addition, the paper presents the scope of family and couples’ counselors. The strategies used by marriage and family counselors aim at simultaneously reducing family isolation, re-balancing the family’s power dynamics and improving spousal relationships. The paper also highlights the qualities of a good family counselor. In conclusion, the paper explores the counseling strategies employed in counseling a couple (Ann and John) undergoing marital strain. The paper explores the current situation of the couple, the causes of their current predicament and the ways in which they can handle and improve their relationship. The paper explains the steps the counselor would employ to attain effectiveness in counseling and thereby restore happiness in the couple’s marriage by helping them deal with their problems batter and learn better ways of handling them.
Key Words: counseling, family therapy, psychological health, spousal relationships and family counselor.
