Counseling to Overcome Problems in Married Life (A Phenomenological Study of the Sakinah Exemplary Family in West Kalimantan)
Authors: Hidayati Sri 
Published: October 2023

This research departs from concerns over the increasing divorce rate in Indonesia from year to year, which requires attention from various parties, including the counselor profession. This study aims to describe the problems husbands and wives face in married life and their experiences in solving these problems. The researchers formulated the marriage counseling process and stages based on the existing problems to help couples find problem-solving. This study uses a qualitative method with a phenomenological approach to reveal the experiences of married couples related to problems and how they solve the problem. The unit of analysis of this study consisted of 14 couples who won the Sakinah Teladan Family in West Kalimantan Province. Data analysis uses phenomenological analysis procedures and is assisted by Nvivo 12 Pro software. The research findings are: (1) problems faced by participants who have been married for more than 30 years include differences of opinion, partner behavior, jealousy, family problems, communication, and financial difficulties, (2) how participants solve the problems they face, namely: the existence of mutuality, being silent, deliberation, not involving parents, arguing, adhering to a religion, introspection, understanding the character of a partner, solving problems immediately, parents being role models for children, and developing a humorous attitude, and (3) a series of processes and the stages of counseling to help overcome the problems of married couples can be carried out in four phases, including the pre-session planning and task stage, the initial session or the initial stage, the mid-counseling phase, and the termination stage. Penelitian ini berangkat dari keprihatinan atas meningkatnya angka perceraian di Indonesia dari tahun ke tahun, yang memerlukan perhatian dari berbagai pihak termasuk profesi konselor. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan masalah yang dihadapi suami dan istri dalam kehidupan pernikahan dan pengalaman mereka dalam menyelesaikan masalah tersebut. Berdasarkan masalah yang ada, peneliti merumuskan proses dan tahapan konseling pernikahan untuk membantu pasangan menemukan problem solving. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kualitatif dengan pendekatan fenomenologi untuk mengungkap pengalaman pasangan suami istri terkait masalah dan cara mereka menyelesaikan masalahnya. Unit analisis penelitian ini terdiri atas 14 pasang suami istri pemenang Keluarga Sakinah Teladan di Provinsi Kalimantan Barat. Analisis data menggunakan prosedur analisis fenomenologi dan dibantu dengan software Nvivo 12 Pro. Temuan penelitian yang dihasilkan, yaitu: (1) masalah yang dihadapi partisipan yang telah menikah lebih dari 30 tahun meliputi perbedaan pendapat, perilaku pasangan, cemburu, masalah keluarga, komunikasi, dan kesulitan keuangan, (2) cara partisipan menyelesaikan masalah yang mereka hadapi yakni adanya kesalingan, bersikap diam, bermusyawarah, tidak melibatkan orang tua, adu argumen, berpegang pada agama, introspeksi diri, memahami karakter pasangan, menyelesaikan masalah dengan segera, orang tua role models bagi anak, dan mengembangkan sikap humoris, dan (3) rangkaian proses dan tahapan konseling untuk membantu mengatasi permasalahan pasangan suami istri dapat dilakukan dengan empat fase, mencakup tahapan perencanaan dan tugas pra-sesi, sesi inisial atau tahap awal, fase pertengahan konseling, dan tahap terminasi.