Don Paglia | Marriage and Family Counseling. Constellations Workshops

Core Philosophy and Beliefs

My psychotherapy practice is predicated on the belief that you, the client, whether an individual, family or couple, are the source of your own strength and resilience.

My role is to assist in you reconnection to that source, to get in touch with your potential, and make peace with the past.

In addition, I support marriage as an important personal, professional, and social value. I believe in helping couples restore their marriages to health if that is possible. Most people assume this is what all therapists believe, but it’s not so. Because of their professional training, many therapists hold a “neutral” value orientation towards whether a marriage survives or whether the couple divorces. In fact, this is the most common stance even among therapists who identify themselves as marriage and family therapists.

A recent study reports that 60 percent of professional therapists indicate they are “neutral” on marriage versus divorce for their clients. Only one-third said they “I am committed to preserving marriage and avoiding divorce whenever possible.” Some state they frequently recommend divorce. The bottom line: most therapists are neutral when marriages are in trouble, whereas I hold the position that I aim to directly support the viability of troubled marriages. This difference is why I am considered a “marriage friendly” therapist.