About WMMC
Our purpose:
West Michigan Marriage Center (WMMC) is a not-for-profit organization solely dedicated to building secure relationships and helping struggling couples heal.
Our heartbeat:
If life has taught us anything, it's that feeling loved and giving love is what life is all about. That's the epicenter. At WMMC, our heart beats for helping couples rekindle and strengthen that ability to give and receive love. It's why we get up in the morning. It's why we relentlessly build effective services for couples of all shapes and sizes.
We also think it's really sad when couples can't access marriage help because they don't make enough money or don't fit into a certain kind of box. That's why WMMC made two special commitments in how we do business. First, we established a scholarship fund to help cover the cost of our services for anyone who can't afford them (ask for info HERE). Second, all types of couples are welcome here. No matter your race, sex, or religion, you still deserve to be loved and we are absolutely here for that.
Our approach:
All of our services at WMMC are grounded in the principles and practice of Attachment Theory and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). That means all of our services are backed by substantial research and focus on nurturing the bond between you and your spouse, rather than focusing on skills building or behavioral adjustments. We teach you how to find each other's hand in the middle of the storm, rather than expect you to somehow control the weather. The goal of everything we do is to build connection and we accomplish that in two primary ways:
Marriage Therapy
This route probably looks like you would expect it to. You and your spouse sit down with an EFT-trained therapist and work on slowing down your destructive cycle and ramping up your experiences of hope and connection. While sessions are typically once per week, 45-60 minutes per session, couples are encouraged to set whatever session frequency works for their schedule and budget.
Marriage Restoration Program (MRP).
This route is a highly efficient and effective way to regain hope, make progress, and set yourselves up for long-term growth. The MRP involves three strategic stages:
- Stage 1 - Marriage Intensive
- You and your spouse attend our Hold Me Tight® 2-day marriage intensive (more info HERE). This will jumpstart your growth and get you pointed in the right direction.
- Stage 2 - Video Series
- From the comfort of your own couch, you and your spouse watch a series of six videos and complete the accompanying worksheets and exercises. This will build on your momentum by digging deeper into key topics and helping establish new habits.
- Stage 3 - Marriage Community Group
- You and your spouse gather monthly with a few other MRP couples to enjoy some food, a short lesson, and good discussion. This ongoing experience of being encouraged and doing real life alongside other couples who "get it" will help ensure that your marriage enjoys the long-term benefits of a secure connection.
Hope starts here.
We know how to rekindle love, nurture connection, and create moments of bonding simply by helping couples talk with each other
in a deeper, more vulnerable way.
If family is the building block of society, and marriage is the foundation of a family,
then strengthening marriages is a challenge worth facing.
The WMMC Story
The vision for WMMC first began in Colorado Springs when our founders, Scott and Betsy Nuismer, were just coming out of a long season of pain and uncertainty in their marriage. Addiction, loss of a career, shattered trust, and infertility left their marriage on the edge of a knife. Over the next 5 years, they dug deep into themselves, had many hard conversations, and learned to be rigorous in their honesty and vulnerability with each other. Through time and hard work, they slowly rebuilt the secure bond between them.
As darkness gave way to light, a passion to help other marriages suddenly burst into flame inside Scott and Betsy's hearts. They wanted every struggling couple to experience hope and healing. They felt a strong pull to move back to West Michigan and start a counseling practice that would offer high-quality marriage services to all couples...no matter what corner of society they live in.
At first, the thought of moving back to West Michigan was scary. Scott and Betsy both loved living in Colorado. They loved the mountains. They loved the sunny winters. They couldn't imagine leaving the dear friendships they had built over the last 8 years.
Waves of resistance, excitement, fear, and confidence washed over Scott and Betsy as they began the process of uprooting a life they loved and diving into a new and purposeful adventure.
It didn’t take long, however, before Scott and Betsy were overwhelmed by evidence that going back home was the right move to make.
Since the day they moved back, Scott and Betsy have worked together with a singular focus - and you are seeing the evidence of that here. WMMC is a safe place for all struggling couples…because every marriage deserves hope!
Because every marriage
deserves hope–yours too.
Marriage is the foundation of family and family the foundation of society.
There is no cause more worthy than the restoration of your marriage.