Court Ordered Marriage Counseling in Colorado Springs

Colorado Courts and Marriage Counseling

We saw in an earlier article, that the only valid grounds for divorce in Colorado is that of "Irretrievable breakdown." It was also mentioned that in case one of the parties has denied that such a breakdown exists, the court might strongly suggest to both the parties that they seek marriage counseling. f you're involved in a marital dispute, you can ask your divorce attorney what your options are and whether or not you think it's a good idea to try counseling.

One might wonder why the State of Colorado wants to play an active role in encouraging estranged married couples to reunite. In fact, this is the very purpose of the "Marriage Counseling" section of Colorado law found under Title 14, Article 12. The State of Colorado declares a specific intent to further the continuance of peaceful marriage relations between two parties. This intent becomes a compulsion when there are minor children involved in the equation. In addition, there are undesirable economic and social consequences arising from broken homes which the state is desirous of avoiding.

In every judicial district, the chief judge can appoint domestic relations counselors who are qualified to mediate between parties involved in a marital dispute.

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Privacy of Marriage Counseling

It's very important to note that all communications between the two people and the marriage counselor is privileged and cannot be disclosed to any third party. Perhaps most importantly, no information or communication gathered during counseling can be used against either party in the court proceedings even if the counseling was urged by the judge involved.

After Counseling

Sometimes the marriage counselor comes the conclusion that further treatment is necessary for a prolonged period of time. Such treatment can be psychological or even religious in nature. In which case, they refer either or both parties to the relevant person who can help them.

The fees for the marriage counselor can come from either the husband, or the wife or both. The judge can decide who is to pay for the counseling and apportion the costs.

Ask your Divorce attorney

Our Clawson & Clawson divorce attorneys have lots of experience in observing various cases and can assist you in deciding whether or not marriage counseling could play a role in improving your situation. Contact one of our attorneys now for an initial consultation and obtain their advice.