Step 1: Talk about why you want help
Before you search, sit down together for fifteen minutes. Each of you names one thing you hope will change and one thing you want to protect. Keep it short and specific: "we argue every time money comes up," or "we stopped going out together after the move to St. George." You are not solving anything yet. You are giving a future counselor something concrete to start with.
If only one of you is ready, that is common. The willing partner can still make the first calls and share what they learn.
Step 2: Decide what kind of help fits right now
Not every couple needs the same starting point. Some want weekly sessions with a counselor. Others prefer to begin with a class. Utah State University Extension's Stronger Marriage site for the Utah Marriage Commission, cited below, says the commission focuses on strengthening marriages and families, and it points to free courses for stepfamilies, singles and parents through Healthy Relationships Utah and other partners.
If you are parents and one of you has raised separation, know that Utah State Courts require a divorce orientation class for parents with children under 18 in divorce and temporary separation cases. The courts' page says it covers divorce and its alternatives, marriage-strengthening resources and options like mediation, in person or online through USU Extension. In Washington County those cases are filed at the Fifth District and Juvenile Court, listed at 206 W Tabernacle St. Counseling can happen before, alongside or instead of any of that.
Step 3: Build a short list
Use this directory to find independent counselors who serve St. George and nearby towns. Pick three. Look for people who say they work with couples, and note whether they offer evening hours, weekend hours or video sessions. The directory does not check credentials, so the next step matters.
Step 4: Look each counselor up with the state
The Utah Division of Professional Licensing handles licenses for clinical mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists, with a Behavioral Health Board whose members include both professions. DOPL links a public Licensee Lookup and Verification System. Search each name on your list there and read what the state shows. If a name does not turn up, ask the counselor about it directly.
Step 5: Make the calls together if you can
Put the phone on speaker or join a short video call as a pair. Ask each counselor:
- How much of your work is with couples?
- What should we expect from the first session?
- How do you keep things balanced so neither of us feels outnumbered?
- Can some sessions be online when one of us is away?
- How will we know together when it is time to wrap up?
Afterward, each of you rates the call privately from one to five, then compare. A counselor you both score well is a good place to start.
Step 6: Fit sessions into Washington County life
Many couples in St. George work in different towns: one in Washington City and one downtown, or one in Hurricane and one in Ivins. Choose an office that is reasonable from both workplaces or from home, and remember that drive times here are approximate and can stretch during busy seasons. If weekly in-person visits feel like too much, ask about alternating office and video sessions.
Step 7: Give it a fair trial
Agree to attend a set number of sessions before deciding whether it fits, perhaps four to six. Between sessions, try whatever small exercises the counselor suggests and talk about how they went. Note what is changing, even slightly. Keep a shared note on your phone where either of you can jot down a moment that went better than usual, or one that went badly. Bringing those notes to the next session gives you both something specific to work from instead of a vague sense of the week.
Step 8: Check in and adjust
After that trial, sit down together again, the way you did in Step 1. Has the thing you each wanted to change moved at all? Do you both still feel heard in the room? If yes, keep going. If not, it is fine to try a different counselor from your list. Finding the right fit sometimes takes a second try, and that is part of the process, not a failure.