Economy Drives Free Relationship Counseling

Economy Drives Free Relationship Counseling

Date:8/14/2009 6:05:00 PM

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Aug. 14 // -- Allowing regular people (instead of professionals) the opportunity to help resolve marital, family, and dating disputes for free is catching fever. Men and women are turning to Internet sites like SideTaker.com not only to ask advice about their problems, but to help decide their arguments, noting it's a cheaper alternative to professional relationship counseling, where average billing exceeds $1,200.00 (12 one-hour sessions).

Unlike traditional forums offering only one side to a conflict, SideTaker.com allows for both sides of an argument to be voiced simultaneously, letting others vote on who's at fault while giving their own advice in the matter. Keeping it all completely anonymous, arguers can offer all the facts and the outcome is brutal truth.

"It becomes easier for SideTaker users to open up and tell in more detail their problems than to tell someone they know (even a counselor) - especially if the argument involves sordid details," explains Justin Marinos, creator of SideTaker.com. "It's not and will never be meant as the deciding factor to any relationship dispute, but it does offer many other points of view about your problems from people unbiased of the situation."

Some believe this type of forum adds fuel to a fire and does more damage than good. When asked the question of if SideTaker.com helps or hurts a situation, user jaimems81 replied, "I have been helped. It's good to see what other people would do in a specific situation. It's hard to take a step back and look at your problem as an outside viewer, and seeing the blunt truth of the matter is what you need sometimes." Another user, Sundial, writes, "When people run to friends for opinions, they get the answers they want to hear. When people run to anonymous faceless strangers, they get the brutal truth." Many make mention that it's ultimately cheaper than therapy.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, median household income was $50,233.00 in 2007, so spending $1,200.00 on professional help is a large undertaking for most families. However, major issues should still be discussed with professionals and SideTaker.com encourages this by offering a directory to thousands of counseling experts. "It's worth the cost of an expert to save a marriage," Marinos adds, "but if you're fighting over the little things, you may just be able to squash those differences online for free before they begin to add up and cost you a mortgage payment."

About SideTaker.com:

Founded in September 2008, SideTaker.com uses the power of crowdsourcing people of the Internet to provide amateur advice, right/wrong decisions, and unbiased opinions on relationship disputes for anonymous arguments.

    Contact:

    Justin Marinos, owner
    SideTaker.com
    (424) 229-1027
   http://www.sidetaker.com

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