How to Find Low-Cost Marriage Counseling

Money (or lack thereof) can kill the mood in any marriage.

Financial woes aren't the only reason for disharmony with couples, of course, but they're up there, according to numerous studies and surveys. For instance, in 2013, the Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts surveyed 191 of its members and concluded that "money issues" are the third leading cause of divorce, after "basic incompatibility" and "infidelity."

If you're in a marriage that's falling apart, and especially if your money problems are a primary reason, you probably find it hilarious when a well-meaning friend or family member suggests you and your partner get marriage counseling.

[See: 13 Money Tips for Married Couples.]

After all, an hourlong session can range from $75 to $200, experts say.

On the other hand, as Carole Lieberman, a psychiatrist in Beverly Hills, California, points out: "The financial and emotional cost of divorce, especially the scars on the children, is much higher than any therapy."

Still, if money really is tight, but you have two willing partners (which is half the battle, getting both spouses to agree that they need counseling), there are resources available, says Shannon Battle, a licensed counselor and clinical director of Family Services of America, an outpatient mental health and child-placing foster care agency in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

"Marital problems don't have to stall because of finances," Battle says.

She is right. Here are some strategies you can try.

Check if your health insurance policy will pay for counseling. Almost any expert will tell you to look at your health insurance policy; those same experts will also typically concede that with many insurance plans, you're going to be out of luck.

But not always. Sara Corse, a licensed clinical psychologist in Philadelphia says that insurers will be more likely to pay for marriage counseling if there's a diagnosis attached to one or both spouses. If you two are merely incompatible, you likely won't get coverage, but if one of you has been diagnosed with depression or bipolar disorder, and it's affecting your marriage, that's another story.

Try your local university. Many universities offer marriage counseling on the cheap. Why? Because graduate students studying to be marriage and family therapists could use the hands-on practice.

Not to worry. These are highly educated students who are treating patients -- and under the supervision of a licensed professional, says Stephanie Ariganello, a marketing and communications specialist with the University of Michigan Mary A. Rackham Institute, which offers low-cost marriage counseling (and if your relationship is too far gone to be saved, also has free workshops designed to help couples make their way through separation and divorce).

"We've just adopted a financial policy that allows for lower-income people to pay what they can afford, with up to 75 percent reduction in fees. I think you'll start to see this at many universities or nonprofits," Ariganello says.

[See: 9 Scary Things Consumers Do With Their Money.]

Explore nonprofits that offer low-cost marriage counseling. The Council for Relationships is a nonprofit in Philadelphia, and it's both a training and treatment program for all types of therapy, from individual counseling to couples and sex therapy. Similar to how the colleges you might tap for help work, the Council for Relationships has highly educated people (with master's degrees, Ph.D.s, etc.) studying to be therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers, and who are supervised by people like Corse, a psychologist and one of the nonprofit's directors.

"We're a training program," Corse says, "and that's why we've been able to offer marriage counseling for as little as $15."

Many cities don't have nonprofits like these, but again, many universities have similar programs.

Don't overlook your workplace. If you work at a big company, contact your human resources department, Battle suggests. She says some companies have employee assistance programs, in which a certain number of marriage counseling sessions will be covered by the employer.

[See: The 25 Best Jobs of 2016.]

Tap your military background. If you have been a member of the military, both Battle and Corse suggest visiting GiveAnHour.org, which specializes in finding free counseling for troops and families affected by the post-9/11 conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. MilitaryOneSource.mil also has information on finding free marital counseling.

Seek out a church. Shelly Watts, a Detroit-based fundraising consultant for nonprofits, says she and her husband use free marriage counseling that their local pastor provides.

"He is extremely accommodating," Watts says. "We oftentimes meet at our house because we have small children and we pay him with delicious, home-cooked meals."

She adds that many local churches provide free or low-cost marriage counseling, and if they don't or feel that your problems are beyond what they can handle, you'll likely at least get a referral to a marriage counselor.

Battle also suggests trying this route and says that many churches now have licensed pastoral counselors.

However you go about it, if you and your partner want low-cost to zero-cost marital counseling, you can probably get it. And it may ease your mind to remember that this may not be an ongoing expense.

"You may not need a weekly session in the way we've had it imprinted in our minds on TV," Corse says. "Sometimes I'll meet with couples once a week for two or three weeks in a row to get momentum, and then we meet once every two weeks or once a month. It's good for people to realize that you're not necessarily signing up once a week for the rest of your life."