Increase in marriage counselling figures

The number of hours of marriage counselling sought by couples in the Mid-West has been steadily increasing in the past three years, according to a report this week from ACCORD.

The figures indicate an increase in demand for the Catholic organisation’s two key services – marriage preparation marriage counselling.

They show that in 2012, 14,232 people nationwide attended ACCORD’s marriage preparation courses while it delivered more than 50,000 marriage counselling hours.

Ennis, the association’s Clare centre, is designated as part of the South-West Region, which also covers Killarney, Tralee, Bantry, Cloyne, Limerick, Newcastle West and Nenagh.

In this area, 1,164 couples attended marriage preparation courses last year, down on 2011 when 2,379 individuals undertook the course. It is up on the 2010 figure however, when 1,123 couples did the pre-marriage course here.

Counselling hours delivered in the region has gone up steadily since 2010 when couples attended counselling added up to 5,576 hours. It went up 11% in 2011, to 6,211. Last year, the number of hours increased to 6,272, up just short of 1% on the previous year.

The voluntary Catholic organisation reports a marginal decrease in levels of anxiety and stress reported by clients despite the figures remaining high at 87% in 2010, to 83% in 2011 and to 82% in 2012.

Reports of communication difficulties have risen since 2010, when 74% of individuals reported criticism and insults and 79% reported not listening/ignoring as a problem in their relationship. In 2011 and in 2012 the figures rose to 78% and 82% respectively.

More than half of individuals, 58%, presenting to ACCORD in 2012, rated financial difficulties as a problem, this is a 2% increase over 2011, when 56% reported finances as a problem.

Levels of emotional abuse reported by clients have risen in the three-year period from 54% in 2010 to 59% in both 2011 and 2012. Levels of depression reported by clients have remained the same in 2012 and 2011, at 51%. This is a decrease of 6% from 2010, when 57% rated depression as a problem.

Concerns about separation have risen over the past three years, from 52% in 2010 to 57% in 2011 and 58% in 2012. The number of clients reporting infidelity as a problem has risen slightly over the three-year period, from 24% in 2010, to 25% in 2011 and to 26% in 2012. Reports of physical violence in relationships have shown a decrease over the three-year period, ranging from 19% in 2010 to 14% in 2011 and to 13% in 2012.