How can you go to couples therapy when your spouse betrayed you?

If your trust has been broken by your spouse—through infidelity, lies, financial betrayal, or other breaches—you may be asking:

“Why should I even consider couples counseling if I can’t trust them?”

It’s a fair, painful question. After all, you didn’t choose to betray your marriage. So why should you be the one to sit in counseling, invest time and money, and risk even more disappointment?

Here’s the truth: trust can be rebuilt, but only if both partners are willing to do the work. And even if you ultimately decide to leave the marriage, there are compelling reasons to enter counseling before you make that decision.

Why Counseling Still Matters When Trust is Broken

1. If You Have Kids, You’ll Always Be Connected

Even if you decide to divorce, you’ll still need to co-parent and communicate for the sake of your children. Counseling creates a safer way to do this, so your kids don’t carry the weight of ongoing conflict.

Decision-maker insight: Many parents attend counseling not to “save” the marriage, but to protect their children’s emotional stability.

2. You Take Yourself With You

Unresolved pain doesn’t vanish when you leave a marriage. Unless you process it, it will follow you into future relationships. Counseling helps you uncover:

• What went wrong

• Why the dream became a nightmare

• How childhood patterns and past wounds influence today’s struggles

This clarity benefits you—whether you stay or go.

3. Actions Speak Louder Than Words

If your spouse has stopped the behavior that broke your trust and is actively working to rebuild it, that’s significant.

Examples of genuine repair efforts include:

• Increased transparency (sharing phone passwords, schedules, finances)

• Sincere apologies with accountability

• Willingness to attend therapy, read, or do self-work

While forgiveness can’t be forced, these actions matter. They show willingness to change. The real question is: Do you want to leave for the unknown—or explore whether there’s something still worth rebuilding?

4. Good Marriage Counseling Doesn’t Pressure You

Not all therapy is the same. In Imago-based couples counseling and retreats, the relationship—not the individual spouses—is the client.

This means:

• No therapist takes sides.

• No one pushes you into uncomfortable compromises.

• The focus is on the space between you—the dynamic that has become unsafe and broken.

Through structured dialogue, you and your spouse will “cross over the bridge” into each other’s world—truly listening, reflecting, and empathizing. This doesn’t excuse betrayal, but it creates the first conditions where real accountability and understanding can happen.

FAQs: Counseling After Betrayal

Q1: How can I sit in counseling with someone I don’t trust?
Because the goal isn’t to instantly forgive—it’s to create safety, slow down reactivity, and hear the truth in a guided, contained way.

Q2: What if my spouse won’t admit what they did?
A counselor trained in structured methods like Imago won’t allow gaslighting or minimizing. They’ll create space for full disclosure and accountability, which is necessary for any chance of healing.

Q3: Do I have to stay married if I attend counseling?
No. Many couples use counseling to gain clarity about whether to rebuild or separate. The tools you learn will help in either outcome.

Q4: How do I know if my spouse is serious about change?
Look for consistent actions—ending the affair, showing transparency, and engaging fully in the counseling process. Words without action aren’t enough.

Q5: What if it feels “too late” to fix things?
It may not be. Many couples attend our 2-Day Marriage Intensives after years of mistrust, and still rebuild safety and connection with the right tools.

Counseling After Broken Trust — Stay or Go?

Key Takeaways

• Trust can be rebuilt, but not without accountability.

• Counseling helps whether you stay or go—clarity, co-parenting, or reconnection all require safe communication.

• Actions matter more than words. True change is measured by transparency and consistency.

• Imago therapy focuses on the relationship, not blame. This creates the best conditions for healing.

• Your decision matters. Counseling doesn’t force reconciliation; it gives you the tools to make the right choice for your future.

Sources

• Gottman, J., & Silver, N. (1999). The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work. Crown Publishing.

• Glass, S. (2003). Not Just Friends: Rebuilding Trust and Recovering Your Sanity After Infidelity. Free Press.

• Hendrix, H., & Hunt, H. L. (2019). Getting the Love You Want (3rd ed.). St. Martin’s Griffin.

• American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (2018). Effectiveness of Marriage and Family Therapy.