Marriage Counseling

Relationships are hard. This is even more true for first responder couples. You try so hard to support each other, to keep each other strong. Especially when the world is against both of you for serving in this calling. But the way the job impacts your life, it's overwhelming. Where is the fulfillment? The joy? Why do we both feel so alone? You both have needs that aren't being met. You don't feel understood by your partner. You feel lost. And you don't know how to navigate these waters by yourself. You just can't keep going like this.
When you fight, it gets ugly. It goes against everything you have tried to build in your marriage. Or maybe, you don't even talk enough to have a fight. You avoid interactions in order to avoid the arguments. Somewhere along the way, you lost each other. And now, you can't seem to get back on track. You have tried everything, from self-help books to talking with friends, and nothing seems to make it better. The job of the responder doesn't help. If anything, you resent the job for the way it is tearing your relationship apart. All the mandatory overtime, the inconsistent hours creating inconsistent sleep patterns and unhelpful family interactions, it is as if your responder’s calling in life has set your marriage up for failure.

But there is hope! You do not have to do this alone! You can reignite the fire and fall in love all over again!

You don't have to be married to enjoy the gift of couples counseling. Whether you have been together for two months or two decades, counseling will help you to connect on a deeper level than you ever thought possible. Couples counseling can help both of you to strengthen your communication, use conflict (yes, I said conflict) to bring you closer together, and find joy in your relationship. As a first responder couple, you have the ability to create a bond that is stronger than any other kind of marriage. And you can find it together.
At Code 3 Counseling, we understand the first responder lifestyle in ways most professionals can't imagine. We are able to genuinely meet you where you are at. We can help to heal the hurts that you have experienced together, whether these hurts are recent or have been slowly built over the years. You will find the fulfillment in your relationship that you have longed for.
In counseling sessions, we work with you on finding ways to connect and overcome the barriers of the first responder lifestyle. Some of the ways we do this includes helping you to strengthen communication, increase intimacy, and provide hope for the future. To live in a first responder marriage that brings meaning and passion to your life.

Increase your intimacy. You can find a deep level of connection and intimacy (both emotional and sexual) after going through marriage counseling. Even with the crazy ways the job can impact your relationship.
Strengthen your partnership. Sometimes couples need support in finding ways to be on the same team. You can strengthen those connections to fight the battle against the world together in ways you hadn’t thought possible.
Strengthen your communication. When you go through counseling together, you both can develop new ways of connecting and communicating with each other that are realistic with the lifestyle. Not all tools are created equal for this in the first responder world.

You don’t have to be married to come in for couples counseling. There are many reasons first responder couples find counseling to be helpful. The first responder lifestyle can create even more challenging stressors for you both. Here are a few reasons counseling can help you in your relationship:

Marriage Counseling sessions last between 50-90 minutes. To know the fees and costs for sessions, look here. Sessions occur on average once every week or two weeks, but we can also schedule these less often for those who have shiftwork schedules that make it difficult to plan regular sessions. Based on your goals and treatment needs, counseling can be as brief as 8-10 sessions or can be longer-term over a year or two.