Frequently asked questions

Can we talk before I/we decide to make an appointment?

Yes, I find it best if we have a brief phone call (around 15 minutes) before making your first appointment. With couple clients, this includes speaking with both partners. The purpose of this chat is to find out why you’re wanting couples counselling and for you to ask any questions you might have. This will help you to decide if you feel comfortable to go ahead and helps me understand whether I am the right person to work with you.

Relationship therapy typically lasts from 6 to 20 sessions depending on your situation.

The first 3-4 sessions of therapy will be focused on understanding your situation including your current challenges, your relationship history and individual backgrounds. We will also discuss your goals and decide on an approach to your sessions tailored to your particular needs and challenges. For couples, I recommend that our first two or three joint sessions are either extended (80 mins.) or long (100 mins.) to enable us to cover as much information as possible.

For couples, most or all sessions with be with both partners but I will often have an individual session with each partner early on in the process.

Yes, I offer appointments on weekdays after 5pm and on Saturdays.

I am a registered provider for Counselling services for the following private health funds: BUPA, Doctors Health Fund, Police Health Fund, Emergency Services Health, Phoenix Health, St Lukes Health, GMHBA, see-u by HBF (telehealth only), Teachers Union Health, AIA and Westfund.

My services do not attract a rebate from Medicare under a Mental Health Treatment Plan.

Get clear on what you want. Like anything else in life, it’s very helpful to understand what you’re seeking from therapy.

Go in with an open mind. You may have ideas about how therapy will work, based on your past experience or what you’ve been told by others.

Accept that it is about change. For therapy to be useful, you need to be willing to change. We human beings generally struggle to change and find ways to resist it. In couples, sometimes one partner will come to therapy wanting their partner to change but not being willing to see how they contribute to negative patterns in the relationship. It takes two people to change a relationship.

Make a commitment because therapy takes time. Your therapist needs time to get to know you and understand your patterns. It can take a few months of attending therapy regularly to begin to judge the progress you’re making. And sometimes things feel worse before they feel better. It’s important you take an active role in your therapy process, taking in what you’re learning and applying it in your daily life. It’s also important that you give your therapist feedback on what’s working for you and what’s not as we’re not mind readers.

Common issues for couples coming to therapy include conflict, emotional distance, parenting, sex and intimacy, affairs and other betrayals, serious health issues, addictions, finances and domestic responsibilities.

Couples can also go to therapy to work though hard decisions together, or find ways to cope if there’s been a major stressor in the relationship.

Some people will have negative experiences in therapy. This is very true for couples counselling which often asks you to have tough conversations that can make one or both of you feel distressed or vulnerable. This can feel like things are getting worse even if the process may be helpful in the long run.

Certain couples do decide to break up after couples counselling, but sometimes that’s the right thing for them. Some people stay in a relationship for their children or because they don’t know how to make a change. In these cases, one or both partners can be more unhappy staying in the relationship than leaving it, therefore separation could actually be a form of success. Having couples counselling while making a decision to separate can help partners navigate this painful time with greater care and respect for each other.

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