Although counseling has had some profound results in working with individuals, marriage counseling in general has not been as successful. For some in-depth reading about the differences, you might want to read this article by a well known Marriage and Family Therapist.

Just as the approach to therapy may differ from one counselor to the next, it is also important to understand some of the fundamental differences between an educational approach to improving marriages and a therapeutic approach. The following chart identifies some of the most obvious differences that exist between marriage therapy and relationship coaching.

Categories	MARRIAGE THERAPY	RELATIONSHIP COACHING
Process Goals	Problem exploration and developing explanations	Solution exploration and results-based.
Marriage Advocate	Most therapists are patient advocates, favoring the specific emotional needs of an individual over the needs of the marriage	Our coaches are marriage advocates, blending the needs of both partners into a healthy and mutually beneficial marriage
Training and Credentials	Theoretical, academic	Practical, real world, experienced training, consulting
Session Focus	Relive the past to determine who or what was the cause of the problems	Concentrate on the present and look to the future to envision what it will be like without the problems
Duration of Process	Open ended	Average of 3-6 months
Approach	Psychoanalytical, Freudian, clinical; self-exploration based; looking for pathology and symptoms for diagnosis	Educational & skill based
Materials Provided	None	Books, workbooks, homework, journals
The expert in your relationship	The therapist	You, the client. All great coaches know that the answers come from those that are being coached.
Talking versus Action	More talk, more time, more complexity, less action	Less talk, less time, more simplicity and more action
Typical questions that would be asked	How did that make you feel?	What do you want to become? What are the necessary steps to get there?
Outcomes	Concrete explanations on why you’re not performing the way you want	Quickly identified explanations on why you’re not performing and concrete action plans on how to move ahead
Accountability	Patients are responsible to be accountable but without consistent follow up from the therapists.	Everything our coaches do is designed to hold our clients accountable for change. From the payment to the homework…clients feel a sense of accountability to their coaches. Every appointment holds accountability for the action plan and assigned homework.