That’s a question that we hear often from people before they decide to see a marriage counselor. Many therapists say that a significant factor in the success of counseling is the motivation of the couple. The more that a couple wants to work on their marriage, the more likely it is that counseling will help.

The Journal of Marital and Family Therapy published the results of a study that asked clients of family therapists and marriage counselors to rate their experiences and their results. The results were overwhelmingly...