5 Tips For Preventing a Divorce (3 of 3)

4. Give separation a try

You might not like that he/she is thinking of ending the marriage, but this doesn’t mean you have to be bitter or immature about it. In fact, even if you can’t convince your spouse to stay with you, allowing them to test out what separation is like might ultimately be the thing that changes their mind about divorce. Give them the space that they need. Allow them to figure out their new living situation. Find loving, supporting things to do for them and for the family as a whole. For instance, if the marriage involves children, make sure you make arrangements for them to spend time with both parents.

5. Ask if they are open to marriage counseling

In some situations, when a spouse asks for a divorce they automatically assume that it is something their partner wants as well. So when you express your wish to work on the marriage and take all of the necessary steps to bring back the love and passion, it might take them by surprise and it opens up the possibility that they’ll reconsider. One of the most important things you can suggest is marriage counseling both as a couple and individually. A marriage counselor will help you identify all of the problems in your marriage and tell you what needs to happen in order to make it work again. The sessions might not always make you comfortable — in fact, you will probably end up revealing a lot of things that you would rather not — but if you’re sincere about saving the marriage, you need to be honest and straightforward. And most of all, you need to be willing to take the counselor’s solutions to heart.