Power of Two: The Best Online Alternative to Marriage Counseling

TL;DR: Power of Two Marriage is the leading online counseling program that provides couples at any stage with convenient ways to improve their relationship. If you’re looking for an alternative to traditional counseling, you’ll hardly find a better service than Power of Two Marriage.

When a relationship is in jeopardy, most people turn to counseling to fix the problem. But what if you don’t have the time to meet with a professional once a week? You use Power of Two Marriage.

Whether you’re dating, engaged, married or any other relationship status, Power of Two Marriage is the premier online counseling program to turn your relationship around.

Power of Two Marriage was created in 2010 by Dr. Susan Heitler, who based the system off her books “The Power of Two, The Power of Two Workbook” and “From Conflict to Resolution.” 

Heitler, a clinical psychologist who’s had a private practice in Denver for more than 30 years, and her daughter Dr. Abigail Hirsch lead a team of top-notch coaches, including marriage educators and therapists who have all been trained in the Power of Two program.

Dr. Susan Heitler started the Power of Two Marriage program in 2010.

“Coaches are there to support members through the program and tailor the learning to address the specific needs of an individual, couple or situation,” said Director of Operations Lia Meador.

At just $18 a month, Power of Two is an inexpensive, skill-based program couples can do in combination with conventional counseling.

Using PDFs, podcasts, worksheets, interactive games and more, the program provides couples with a base set of skills that can fix almost any relationship – and not just romantic ones.

“PowerOfTwoMarriage.com teaches the communication, shared decision-making and emotional self-management skill sets that enable couples to succeed in sustaining a marriage,” Heitler said. “Without these skills, marriage can be a very bumpy ride. With them, couples generally can handle whatever life places in their pathways as a collaborative and loving team.”

Those basic skills can help solve a variety of issues, including infidelity, loss of a spark or adjusting to parenthood, by teaching couples how to reduce the amount of fights they have, be vocal about their feelings in a productive way, enhance intimacy, grow trust and so on.

Besides being convenient and inexpensive, the Power of Two Marriage program allows couples to go at their own pace and by their own schedule, making it valuable even without the in-person interaction.

“Essentially it’s just moving that information into a more easily accessible and widely accessible opportunity for people,” Meador said.

Couples also can work individually and share their progress with each other. This is especially helpful for long-distance couples, including those in the military.

Power of Two Marriage provides couples and individuals with a variety of interactive activities to improve their relationships, including questionnaires.

“You can do it anytime. You can do it from anywhere. You can do it in large chunk. You can do it in a small snippet here and there,” Meador said. “It’s a really nice way for people in those situations to use their time to learn the skills and also use their shared experience of the site as a way to stay connected and stay focused on their relationship and on their marriage.”

According to Meador, the main thing that’s often missing from other marriage counseling programs is specific skills, words and ideas couples can take and implement into their relationship every day.

“I think that’s the most impactful thing – that you take these skills and you start using them and you feel this shift in the climate of your relationship,” she said. “It’s been incredibly impactful on the people who have found us and who are learning the skills because those are things you don’t unlearn.”

Heitler said membership continues to grow every month, so in order to better adapt to members’ changing needs and provide them with the best service possible, Power of Two is looking to add other areas to the program, including parenting and marriage education.

“Medical insurance companies have begun showing interest in working with us as well, as their statistics show that teaching couples the skills for emotionally healthy relationships increases both the emotional and the physical health of both spouses,” she said. “Furthermore, loving couples produce happier and more self-confident kids, who in turn contribute to a more peaceful and productive world. Now that’s a win-win all around!”