Tosca, no one is saying that marriage counseling doesn't assist some people.
That is not the point of this thread.

The point is that the Government want to spend $200 each on 100,000 couples (married or not). How much is one of your sessions then? Will the $200 cover 2 sessions?
For most couples, is that enough to really help them?

Many couples won't be able to afford anymore themselves, so I think this handout is a waste of money, and Kevin Andrews should be sacked for suggesting a scheme that will personally benefit him financially.

In my opinion and from observation if someone needs to be told how to get along with their partner there is every chance they wont.
SD

Oh I don't know Shaggy. I am sure that marriage counseling could work very well, provided they can find some way of convincing HER that she is WRONG.

Suseonline - You may have missed the real point of this issue. Marriage breakdown has escalated to critical proportions in Australia. Principals in some of our schools report that a majority of their students do not live at home with their biological parents. Divorce and remarriage (and remarriage) have become an accepted norm in our culture.

If you want to talk $$$ there are plenty of studies demonstrating the billions of dollars that this costs the taxpayer.

If you want to talk psychology there are plenty of studies demonstrating the damaging outcomes for men, women and children resulting from marriage illiteracy and breakdown.

If you want to talk Australia Day, marital failure is one of the greatest social ills this nation faces.

I am just glad the PM has raised the issue, as marital breakdown is largely tabooed as a political discussion point, seeing that there are so many voters who have experienced its misfortune.

You asked how much we charge for our sessions.

We charge:
$80 for 5 sessions on pre-marriage.
$100 for 7 sessions on marriage and
When we assist couples in a bad way, in their marriage, we have never been paid.

Not a real money spinner, but it does cover the cost of the chocolates we provide during the sessions.

We have had many couples return to us years after having done our courses to say that they have been greatly assisted as a result of what they have learned. Similarly, we have seen couples who were in a bad way, assisted to reconciliation, just as we have also seen some not reconcile and take their journey through the processes of divorce. We try to journey with them too.

Irrespective of the $$ issue. This wound on the well-being of our peers and on the future of their children needs healing, whenever possible.

My hope is that over the next few years, people will take this issue SERIOUSLY, irrespective of their pet assumptions, and that we will develop policies which alleviate the deep heartache we are currently seeing across the nation.

Tosca,
Anything worthwhile takes some effort.
It is just too damn easy to walk away from your responsibilities these days.
It is not a marriage problem so much as a problem with society overall, a few marriage counselors are not going to change what ails society. If you don't like it, discard it, is the way to go it would seem.
I have been happily married twice, children from both, now adults.
I have also seen the damage some counselors have wrought on unsuspecting couples/families. Divisive if anything.
You may be a good one but that is not universal by a long shot.
Take it easy.
SD

While there always were earnest individuals and organisations usually churches to give advice and support, the entrepreneurs will take advantage of the commodification of marriage. That is the inevitable negative consequence of government handouts.

No-one has grasped RObert's nettle: that government itself has contributed to the problem of marriage break-up through constant, ideologically-driven re-jigging of laws and policy affecting marriage and families. The fact is that feminist policy rules in all major political parties. What about that? When will there be some rigorous, independent study of the negative outcomes, such as the sledging of mothers who breast feed?

To be brutally honest, I reckon that the great majority of psychologists and counsellors are as worthless as tits on a bull and no better than kindly grandparents. At least the extended family support group don't charge.

Unfortunately the extended family tradition has been trashed in Oz. 'Progressive' governments and Labor leadership was taken by 'Progressives', do not see any value in families or in extended families('Progressives sledge families as 'traditional families, where 'traditional' is always intended as a slur,. The self-titled 'Progressives' are Statists who believe that children being cared for and raised by the State. That gives the 'Progressives' the opportunity to 'educate' the infants in their ideology.

I believe that all of us would benefit from regular sessions with an independent philosopher to help us identify the repetitive poor judgements we made and our often flawed assumptions. Who should be paying though?

The Abbott government is trying to treat a symptom. Taxpayers' money will be wasted and entrepreneurs will come out of the woodwork everywhere to commodify marriage and 'relationships'.