Therapie | 210 25th Ave N suite 601, Nashville, TN 37203(615) 551 9195 | 1330 Lagoon Ave 4th Floor Ste 459, Minneapolis, MN 55408(612) 287-5100

Discernment Counseling in Minneapolis

Are You Questioning Whether It's Time To Walk Away From Your Marriage?

Here’s the truth: thinking about divorce or separation is brutal.

But getting here hasn’t exactly been a walk in the park either. You and your partner have probably spent months—maybe years—stuck in the same exhausting patterns of fighting, emotional withdrawal, shattered trust, and conversations that go absolutely nowhere. And chances are, one of you is still desperately holding on while the other is already halfway out the door.

When you’re trapped this deep in a destructive relationship dynamic, feeling completely drained, confused, and at your wit’s end makes total sense. The question rattling around in your head: is this really over, or is there still something left worth saving?

Therapie’s Minneapolis location on Lagoon Avenue in Uptown offers proven, evidence-based discernment counseling for couples facing the separation or divorce question. When at least one of you is contemplating leaving, this therapeutic approach helps you both reach a thoughtful, confident decision about your next steps and how to move forward in a way that’s healthy and respectful for everyone involved.

Interested in discernment counseling? Send us a message!

Discernment Counseling Prioritizes Decision-Making Over Fixing

Here’s what discernment counseling isn’t: traditional couples therapy. Standard couples therapy works for partners who both genuinely want to stay together and repair things. Discernment counseling, on the other hand, is specifically built for relationships where one person has emotionally checked out or is actively planning an exit.

Research demonstrates that roughly 75% of divorce proceedings cite lack of commitment as a primary factor, making it the leading reason couples split. While our practice provides both relationship therapy and discernment counseling, we typically suggest the discernment route for couples who:

  • Can’t seem to bridge the emotional gap or break free from constant conflict
  • Previously attempted couples therapy without seeing real improvement
  • Have already started exploring divorce logistics, regardless of whether one partner still wants to fight for the relationship
  • Have kids and want to make intentional choices about either rebuilding their marriage or setting up a functional co-parenting arrangement

 

Rather than rushing into solutions or staying frustratingly hands-off, this approach balances careful reflection with the pressing need to move forward, honoring what both partners are experiencing and hoping for.

What To Expect From Discernment Counseling At Therapie

Our Minneapolis therapists deliver more than simple clarity through this process: you’ll walk away with real understanding and solid footing at a time when everything feels chaotic, emotionally reactive, overwhelming, and honestly pretty sh*tty.

Data shows that nearly half (47%) of couples finishing discernment counseling decide to give intensive couples therapy a shot, while about 41% choose to separate, but they do so with way more certainty and peace about their choice.

Our goal isn’t forcing you toward quick fixes: it’s helping you determine whether working on this relationship even makes sense right now. Whether you’re driving in from Northeast, St. Louis Park, or anywhere across Hennepin County, our Uptown location is here to support you through this crossroads.

How Our Process Works

Every client who comes through our doors gets guided by three core questions: What is happening and why? Where do you want to go? and How do we get there? When it comes to discernment work specifically, we spend less energy dissecting every relationship problem and more time helping you both land on a shared understanding of whether divorce makes sense or if committed couples therapy is the better path.

Each appointment lasts 80 minutes, and most couples complete the process in 1 to 5 sessions. You’ll spend time both together and individually with your therapist, who’ll help you visualize what different futures could look like, whether that means recommitting to each other or going separate ways. From there, you’ll choose one of three directions: keep things as they are, move toward separation or divorce, or commit to a minimum 6-month intensive couples therapy program.

What you gain through this work includes deeper self-awareness, genuine clarity on next steps, a solid decision-making framework, stronger communication abilities, and renewed motivation for growth, even if that growth happens on separate paths. The perspective you develop ensures you’ve truly explored every possible angle before making such a significant decision about your marriage.

Even when your relationship feels like it’s barely hanging on, you still have options. Our Uptown office serves the Twin Cities metro with a direct, honest approach that acknowledges your timeline without pressuring you into choices you’re not ready to make. If you’re torn between fighting harder or letting go, Therapie gives you space to slow down and find real clarity. And that clarity? It can be its own form of hope.

You've Got Questions About Discernment Counseling...

Couples therapy already failed us once, why would this be different?

Plenty of Twin Cities couples come to us after spinning their wheels in counseling that didn't create any real change; we completely get how disheartening it feels to invest so much time, money, and emotional labor into something that basically went nowhere.

Here's the key difference: discernment counseling exists purely to help you make the stay-or-go decision. Most couples wrap up in just 1 to 5 sessions with mutual clarity about whether they want to maintain the status quo, start divorce proceedings, or dive into intensive couples work focused on actually solving their issues.

Isn't the counselor just going to pressure us toward divorce?

Absolutely not: pushing you in any particular direction isn't part of our job. The entire point of discernment counseling is creating space for couples to find their own consensus about what genuinely serves their relationship best.

Therapie doesn't operate with a hidden agenda about how things should go for our Minneapolis clients; we're just committed to getting you both to a place where you can make a well-informed, sustainable choice about what comes next.

My partner refuses to even try counseling, now what?

Fighting about your relationship is hard enough without the extra pain of feeling completely alone in wanting to address it. That kind of disconnection hurts deeply, and our therapists recognize the stress, frustration, and helplessness you're probably drowning in right now.

It might help to figure out where your partner actually stands: are they committed to making it work, or are they already mentally filing divorce papers? Understanding their position can shed light on what's making them resistant to meeting with a counselor. We're always happy to offer a no-cost consultation to address whatever concerns are holding them back. And if they still won't budge on the counseling front, remember that individual therapy can be incredibly valuable for helping you gain clarity and decide how you want to handle things on your own terms.

Get Clear On What's Next For Your Relationship

Therapie’s Minneapolis practice provides discernment counseling to help couples make informed choices about staying together or pursuing separation. You’ll find us at 1330 Lagoon Ave, 4th Floor, Suite 459 (next door to Landmark’s Lagoon Cinema), with easy access from Uptown and I-94, serving couples throughout the Twin Cities region. Sessions are available both in-person at our Minneapolis office and through online therapy. For more information, contact us below.

1330 Lagoon Ave 4th Floor Ste 459,
Minneapolis, MN 55408