Analyzing the Genre of Narratives of Women with Marital Conflict from the Experience of Visiting a Family Counseling Center

The conflict between husband and wife seems an inseparable component and an inevitable thing in married life, which usually occurs after passing the first passionate period of joint life. Unlike in the past, women as active members of society refer to  counseling centers when conflicts arise to find effective solutions to resolve conflicts, live with less worries, learn how to face problems correctly, strive for family cohesion, and find a way out of it. The purpose of this study is to analyze the genre of experience of women with marital conflict from visiting a family counseling center. This research was carried out using Rogers' person-centered therapy, Chesler's feminist family therapy approach, White and Epstein's narrative therapy, and the typological narrative analysis method in 2021 in a counseling center in Isfahan. The participants in the research were 17 married women with marital conflict who had visited the counseling center. They were were selected using maximum variety method and subjected to narrative interviews. The findings showed that most women's experience of consulting a counselor is narrated in the genre of romance. Based on the issue that women rely on their abilities as heroes of life, they are looking for a solution to resolve marital conflicts and consider going to the counseling center as a part of this inner motivation, whether their efforts lead to solving the problem or not. A group of women who have problems, take the common life lightly and make it possible to continue the common life with skill training. On the other hand, another group who perceive marital conflicts as chronic and do not consider their efforts to continue life fruitful, also experience the divorce. It can be concluded that women's experience of visiting counseling centers is a step towards solving conflicts.