Helping you find clarity and confidence.

If you or your partner are considering divorce but are not completely sure that this is the right path, you are not alone, and you are in a tough spot. Discernment Counseling is designed for exactly this kind of situation. It offers a chance to slow down, take a breath, and look carefully at your options for your marriage.

For Couples on Different Pages

Discernment Counseling is a helpful process when one partner is leaning out of the relationship and unsure that couples therapy would help, while the other partner is leaning in and wanting to work on things. The aim is not to solve your marital problems, but to figure out whether they are solvable.

The therapist will guide you through a structured process to help you both gain clarity and confidence about your next step. That might mean making a commitment to work on the relationship, deciding to separate or divorce, or pausing before making a decision. Throughout the process, you will be treated with compassion and respect, no matter how you feel about your relationship. There are no bad guys or good guys here—just two people trying to understand what is best for themselves and their family.

What to Expect in the Process

Although you will attend sessions together, much of the work happens through individual conversations with the therapist. This is because each of you is in a different place emotionally, and it is important that you each have space to process and reflect. The therapist will hold space for both of your perspectives, support your reasons for wanting change, and gently explore the possibility of healing the relationship. A key focus is helping each partner see their own role in the relationship dynamics, which can be valuable whether you choose to stay together or not.

Discernment Counseling is a short-term model. It includes up to five sessions only. The first session is two hours, and the following sessions are ninety minute.

This approach is not appropriate in all situations. It is not a fit if one partner has already made a firm decision to divorce, if there is pressure or coercion to attend, or if there is risk of domestic violence.

Next Steps

To help determine if Discernment Counseling is the right fit, each partner is invited to schedule a complimentary twenty-minute consultation with Cristina Trette. These brief individual calls offer a chance to ask questions, share where you are coming from, and receive support in deciding whether to move forward.