Client Satisfaction with Marital and Divorce Counseling

Abstract

Data are presented concerning the experience of 429 men and women with a courtrelated marriage and divorce counseling service. Descriptions of how this agency is perceived by the clients as helpful or not helpful are examined as are the sociodemographic characteristics associated with client satisfaction. Implications for marital and divorce counseling are drawn from the data which suggest that counseling should be adapted to the client's stage of marital dissolution and should employ a variety of treatment techniques. Courts throughout the country are becoming more responsive to the extra legal needs of the growing number of people facing marital disruption and divorce. Some courts have set up conciliation offices, others have sponsored counseling services which are independently administered and insulated from the legal process. Certain states require attendance at such services if the divorce involves children. Most simply offer counseling services as a way for a couple to receive either help with a deteriorating marriage or support and guidance during the period of divorce adjustment. This report is part of a larger study investigating the ways in which people cope with marital disruption (Brown & Manela, 1974). Four hundred and twenty-nine men and women were interviewed at the time of their