You typed "marriage counselling" because something is not working. Before you book anything, two minutes here will save you weeks.
Some marriages need a counsellor. Some need a coach. They are different jobs. Pick the wrong one and you pay for a few sessions, feel a little better, and the fight comes back.
I am Dave Gor, a relationship coach in Singapore. I am not a counsellor. I will tell you straight when a counsellor is what you need.
Answer yes or no. Be honest. Nobody is reading over your shoulder.
Any yes in Part A: see a counsellor first. Read the next section.
Yes in Part B and no in Part A: coaching will get you there faster. Skip to "If coaching fits".
Yes in both: counsellor first. Coaching after. Many couples do it in that order.
Marriage counselling in Singapore is for pain. Betrayal, grief, trauma, a condition that is running the house, or one partner with one foot out of the door. A trained counsellor makes it safe to say what has not been said, and works through it at the pace it needs. That is not coaching, and a coach who says otherwise is selling.
Where to go:
Family Service Centres. 48 across Singapore. Anyone can walk in with a marital or family problem, and fees are low or waived. Find your nearest one through the Ministry of Social and Family Development.
Private counselling practices. Ask two questions before you book: what is the counsellor's training, and are they registered with the Singapore Association for Counselling. A good counsellor answers both without hesitation.
If you feel unsafe: call the National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline on 1800 777 0000, or the Police on 999. Safety first. Everything else can wait.
What to do now: book the counsellor this week. Come to coaching later if you want to. The door stays open.
Part B is a loop, not a wound. The love is there. The habits are not working. That is coaching's job.
Mine starts from your two birth charts. Before we meet, I read how each of you loves, what each of you needs, and where the two rub. Each of you gets your own written report, S$350 for the pair. If you add coaching, it goes straight to the fight you keep having, and you leave with one technique for it.
Couples counselling in Singapore will often spend the first three sessions getting your history. Coaching from the charts starts with the history already on the table. That is why it is faster for a loop.
Everything about how it works, what it costs and what the charts show is on one page: Marriage and couples coaching in Singapore.
Want the longer explanation of the difference first? Marriage coaching vs counselling: which one do you need?
You can, but I do not recommend it. Two people giving you two kinds of homework is a third thing to argue about. Counsellor first, then coaching.
Not always, and that is the wrong question. The question is which one fits the problem. A loop treated as a wound costs you months. A wound treated as a loop costs you more than money.
For counselling, ask the counsellor. For coaching, no. I can read your chart and your half of the pattern. You can change half of a loop on your own.
Counsellors follow their professional code and will explain it on day one. For coaching with me: your charts, your report and what you tell me stay with me. I do not share them, and I do not post anonymised stories.
No. Pre-marriage counselling is talking through the big topics with a counsellor. Pre-marriage coaching from both charts shows you the shape of your future fights before they start, and how to stop them early. If you are not carrying a wound into the marriage, coaching is the faster route.
Any yes in Part A: find a counsellor through MSF today. Only yes in Part B: send both sets of birth details and start with the charts.
Any yes in Part A: find a counsellor through MSF today. Only yes in Part B: send both sets of birth details and start with the charts.
