Services

Couples counselling

Couples counselling, sometimes referred to couple therapy, marriage counselling or relationship counselling is for people who are in a relationship regardless of marital status, sexual orientation or gender identity. The goal of couples counselling is to help you and your partner work through issues that are having a negative effect on your relationship. My approach to your couples counselling is tailored to your situation and your goals. Relationship therapy can help you both to better understand the patterns of thoughts, feelings and behaviours that lead to unhealthy dynamics and learn how to make more thoughtful choices. Ultimately, couples therapy aims to help you rebuild and strengthen your relationship or for some partners, come to a mutual decision to end their relationship. In these cases, I can provide separation counselling to help you navigate this painful process with mutual care and respect.

What can couples counselling help with?

Couples therapy can help people in all types of intimate relationships understand and manage issues that can create conflict and disconnection.

Couple in conflict - younger woman and man in street facing camera, woman is frowning, looking down with arms crossed and man is behind reaching forward to touch her arm.

Communication problems

It is easy for couples to fall into patterns of communication that create misunderstandings and emotional distress for example, not listening to your partner and overreliance on written communication such as arguing by text message. Couples therapy can be used to identify the thoughts, feelings and behaviours behind distressing interaction patterns and work with you to identify and experiment with new ways to communicate respectfully and effectively with each other.

Two women in room, one is sitting on wooden floor against wall with arms crossed looking unhappy and the other is facing away from her looking out window with arms crossed and back to camera. There is a pot plant behind them in the background.

Conflict and anger

Are you and your partner stuck having the same arguments over and over again? Conflict is a normal part of any relationship but if we’re not careful it can become almost constant leading to both partners feeling fearful, misunderstood, and frustrated. I can help you understand how you’ve developed this unhappy cycle and learn ways to change your patterns so you can increase feelings of affection, respect and trust with each other.

Woman with hands on her head and man following her walking away from camera outside a house

Affairs and other betrayals

Is your relationship on shaky ground from an affair or other betrayal such as a secret addiction? Has trust been lost and you’re not sure if you’ll ever feel secure again? Couples therapy can help you to find a way forward. We will work through the messy stuff together so you can recover from the breach of trust and make clear decisions about the relationship you each want into the future.

Woman sitting on outdoor stairs with hands to mouth looking downward and man is walking up stairs away from her

Disconnection

Does it feel like you and your partner have grown apart? You’re like strangers living in the same home? You’re lonely even when you’re together. We can explore how you’ve come to feel so distant from each other and experiment with ways to reconnect.

Male couple walking along the edge of the sea with one carrying the other piggyback both have dark hair and beards and are looking out to sea smiling

Sex and intimacy

Some couples discover differences in the need for physical intimacy and affection early on in their relationship whereas for others, desire and the need for physical closeness change over time. If your differences in desire for sex or physical closeness are creating dissatisfaction or distress, I can help you explore any experiences, emotions, and concerns that may be contributing to this issue in a safe and respectful environment. From there, we can explore your options for making changes that can increase intimacy between you and your partner.

Serious illness and other stresses

Is your relationship struggling in the face of a difficult life event such as a bereavement, serious illness, retrenchment or financial loss? Couples counselling can help you explore the impact of these events on each of you including feelings of fear, sadness, anger and helplessness. Couples therapy can support you to express your feelings and needs with your partner and learn how best to support each other to cope. These life events often require partners to change their roles within the partnership and we can work together to help you both adjust to your new roles. Relationship therapy can ease the pressure on you and your relationship while navigating these stressful and challenging times

Older man and woman lying on yoga mats looking at each other with two yoga block in foreground

What does it cost?

I offer three session lengths: 50 minutes, 80 minutes and 100 minutes. Session length is your choice, and I recommend 80 or 100 minutes for the first few sessions, to give us time to start building a clear picture of your situation.

Contact me for fee information including whether you may qualify for a fee discount

Commitment coaching | Premarital counselling

Commitment coaching, sometimes called premarital counselling or pre-marital education is a valuable investment for partners who are planning to get married or make other major commitments such as having a child, relocating cities or countries, moving in together, or starting a business or buying property. Prevention is way better than cure especially when we consider that around half of all marriages end in divorce. Tailored commitment coaching can help your build a strong foundation for your relationship by achieving a deeper understanding of each other and learn how to diffuse the impact of differences that can create problems down the track.

Younger woman and man standing at railing facing out to sea holding hands shot from shoulders down, facing away from camera

What does premarital education involve?

I send you a package of questionnaires that each of you complete separately online. The questionnaires include topics including communication, conflict resolution, finances, values and beliefs, attachment style, personality, family background, and relationship dynamics. We will then have three sessions together (either online or face to face) where we will discuss insights from questionnaires including your strengths and potential challenges as a couple.

We will then work through areas where you can make changes to improve areas such as communication and conflict resolution, strengthen your friendship and intimacy, and clarify your individual and shared goals. The aim of this to strengthen your bond and help ’future-proof’ your relationship against the inevitable challenges that life can bring.

What does it cost?

The cost for the questionnaires and three sessions is $700.

Relationship counselling for individuals

For both solo and partnered people, I can help you with a range of relationship-related issues.

Why get relationship counselling?

For solo people, if you’ve recently split up, separation counselling or divorce counselling can help you process painful feelings and unresolved issues and move on with your life.

If you’re single and would like a partner but suspect that you might have some unresolved issues that are getting in the way of having a healthy relationship, I can definitely help you. We can work together to better understand how your background and experiences have led you to this point and identify any thoughts, feelings and behaviours that may be holding you back from getting the love you want.

For partnered individuals, you may be unhappy in your relationship and wanting support to make some changes. Or perhaps you’ve experienced betrayal by your partner and would like help to process this.

You may want to do couples counselling but your partner is not willing.  In this case we can work together to explore your options to make changes. 

What does it cost?

I offer three session lengths: 50 minutes, 80 minutes and 100 minutes. Session length is your choice, and I recommend 80 minutes for your first session, to give us time to start building a clear picture of your situation.

Contact me for fee information including whether you may qualify for a fee discount

Mature woman with fair skin and brown hair looking at a mobile phone
Scroll to Top