How to use this guide
Finding a couples counselor goes more smoothly when both partners take part in each step. This guide is written for people in Muncie and the surrounding parts of Delaware County. Work through it at your own pace; there is no need to finish in one evening.
Step 1: Talk about why you are looking
Sit down together for fifteen minutes and each say, in a sentence or two, what you hope will change. Write both answers down. They do not need to match. A counselor will find it useful to hear where each of you stands, and the exercise makes the first phone call easier.
Step 2: Agree on the basics
Decide a few practical points before you start calling:
- In person, online, or either?
- Which days and times can you both reliably make?
- Is there a budget you need to stay within?
- Do you want to use insurance, or pay directly?
If one of you works on a campus schedule and the other commutes out of town, an evening video session might be the only slot that works. Say that early.
Step 3: Build a short list
Browse the listings on this page and pick two or three independent counselors whose descriptions match what you wrote in Step 1. Look for mentions of the kinds of concerns you have, such as communication, blended families, or adjusting to a new baby.
Step 4: Look up each license
In Indiana, the Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board grants the LMHC and LMFT licenses and their associate versions. The board's page, cited on this page, links to a public license search. Enter each counselor's name and read the record. If the counselor holds an associate license, ask during the call who supervises their work.
Step 5: Make the first call together if you can
Use speakerphone or a shared video call. Ask:
- How do you usually structure the first two or three sessions?
- Do you ever meet with partners one at a time?
- How long do couples you work with typically attend?
- What are your fees, and how much notice do you need to cancel?
Notice whether the counselor gives you both room to speak.
Step 6: Know what is separate from counseling
If a divorce or separation case is already open, counseling runs on its own track. The county's local court rules note that self-help forms are available at the Self-Help Legal Center in the lobby of the Justice Center and on the County Clerk's and Courts' websites. In contested domestic relations cases with two or more hours of hearing time requested, the rules call for a settlement conference that attorneys and clients attend in person. Indiana's statewide Self-Service Legal Center adds court forms, a child support guideline reader and support calculator, and a directory of local clerk's offices, and it suggests talking with an attorney before submitting forms. A counselor will not handle any of that for you.
Step 7: Book a first session and debrief afterward
After the first appointment, give yourselves a day, then talk about how it felt. Did you both feel heard? Was anything uncomfortable in a way that seemed useful, or in a way that seemed off? It is fine to try a second counselor before settling.
Step 8: Set a check-in point
Agree to revisit how things are going after a set number of sessions, perhaps four or six. Share that check-in with the counselor too. Having a planned moment to step back keeps either partner from quietly losing interest.
Step 9: Decide what to do between sessions
Ask the counselor whether there is anything you should try at home between appointments, such as a set time each week to talk without phones or a way to pause an argument before it escalates. Agree between yourselves how you will remind each other without nagging. Some couples keep a shared note of topics to bring to the next session so nothing important gets lost during a busy week in Muncie.
A last word
The license and court details in this guide come from official Indiana sources cited on this page. Check them directly, since procedures and pages change over time.