What Is Couples Counselling?
Is your relationship falling apart?
Are you wondering how to return the spark to your relationship?
Are you struggling to communicate with your partner?
These signs are not the end of a relationship. Only that you need a little helping hand.
The practice is simple, I help couples who are experiencing negative and destructive patterns of communicating and to help them develop the skills for forming and maintaining healthy and loving relationships.
If you’re wondering if couples counselling will help you, it’s important to understand that every single relationship is different.
The short answer is that every partnership can benefit from couples counselling.
There is no such thing as the perfect couple. All couples have their upsets, their moments of weakness, and their feelings of distance.
However, trouble is no reason to give up.
Listening, understanding, talking, empathising and learning are all important tools in the relationship-fixing toolbox.
As your counsellor I will teach you how to listen to one another deeply, and form careful, caring responses that do not anger but empathise with your partner and their viewpoints.
Looking for more ways to connect as a couple? Meditation, hypnosis and psychotherapy may all bring benefits and return your relationship to a state of love and acceptance once more.
Why do people choose me?
- I have a proven track record as one of the best couples counsellors on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, with over 20 years of experience.
- I provide couples with the support, safety, and healthy coping mechanisms that can help them function better as a team
- I create an atmosphere of compassion, empathy and understanding for all of couples.
- I believe the best approach to couples counselling is centred around the healing power of mindfulness.
- I am always attentive to and aware of the present state of your relationship.
- I constantly consider all aspects of your emotions, thought processes and histories.
Explore my other services
Hypnosis
I can help you to free yourself from unhelpful beliefs, habits or negative thought patterns with the use of Ericksonian hypnosis. This method allows us to create a script together, using words and phrases that have meaning for you, facilitating a way to loosen blocks you may have to change or to help with pain management. Hypnosis allows us to engage fully with your mind, bringing the underlying causes of relationship dysfunction to your conscious awareness, where we can work towards resolving them.
Individual Relationship Counselling
I have extensive experience and training in many areas of the counselling field, however my speciality is working with individuals who are experiencing relationship pain, whether with partners, or with various family members or even within friendships. Providing insights into the dynamics of your relationship, learn to apply an assertiveness that takes care of both your needs and the needs of your relationship. When relationships become unbalanced, it can be beneficial to attend a session on your own.
EMDR
Developed from Thought Field Therapy by psychologist Roger Callahan, this is an energetic therapy which uses our body’s energy system to release blockages created by negative thought patterns. We release these by tapping on acupressure points throughout the body, rather like ‘do it yourself’ acupuncture, without the needles. I have been doing EFT with my clients for 14 years and many report feelings of immediate relief as well as the reassurance and comfort that comes with knowing you have a tool you can use any time you need it. EFT works especially well for those who have experienced a trauma of some kind
Emotional Freedom Therapy
Developed from Thought Field Therapy by psychologist Roger Callahan, this is an energetic therapy which uses our body’s energy system to release blockages created by negative thought patterns. We release these by tapping on acupressure points throughout the body, rather like ‘do it yourself’ acupuncture, without the needles. I have been doing EFT with my clients for 14 years and many report feelings of immediate relief as well as the reassurance and comfort that comes with knowing you have a tool you can use any time you need it. EFT works especially well for those who have experienced a trauma of some kind
Meditation
I offer meditation practice and instruction for those who are interested in learning more about themselves and who wish to foster an increased ability to self soothe and relax, using various breathing techniques. Creating awareness of your surroundings, meditation encourages you to see your partner’s needs more clearly, helping you work towards common ground. Teaching forgiveness, developing gratitude, spreading positivity, and bringing contentment, meditation can help keep you connected with your partner.
Psychotherapy
I work with couples who are experiencing negative and destructive patterns of communicating and help them develop the skills for forming and maintaining healthy and loving relationships. I also work with couples who have committed to a relationship and want to learn how to make it work as well as they can. Whether you and your partner are arguing more often, find your relationship has lost its spark, or there is a major difference in opinion across cultural, racial or financial aspects, couples counselling can help you reconnect with your partner and in many cases leave with a stronger bond.
Experiencing any of these problems in your relationship?
#1 Depression
If depression is affecting either one or both of you in your relationship, attending counselling together is a great start. You don’t have to simply suffer through it in silence – in fact, suffering in silence may only make your depression continue. Opening up is the key to starting the healing process.
#2 Anxiety
Suffering from anxiety can put enormous pressure on your relationship. If you suffer from anxiety, it may be that you struggle to leave the house or interact socially with others, your partner may grow frustrated at this, especially if they don’t experience anxiety themselves. Conversely, your partner may suffer from anxiety, and you struggle to cope with their distress. Counselling can help you to understand one another, and reduce anxiety for the both of you.
#3 Terminal illness and bereavement
When struck by the worst news imaginable, the effect on a relationship can be profound. It’s crucial to talk about these feelings and work through them rather than simply leave them to grow worse, making couples counselling the perfect place to begin. There is everything to gain from taking that first step together.
#4 Disability
A disability can affect your relationship dynamic and present new hurdles that may not be present in other relationships. Talking over these issues in counselling can help you to empathise further with your partner in ways that you may previously have overlooked.
#5 Sexuality and self-image issues
A sufferer of low self-esteem, low sex drive, or the polar opposite – a sex drive through the roof – may not always find themselves in sync with their partner’s needs, desires and emotions. Opening up together in couples counselling is a great strategy, and a solid first step into reconciling your differences and reaching a satisfying, healthy conclusion.
#6 Issues resulting from adoption
Adoption, as wonderful as it is, can sometimes leave feelings of confusion and other negative thought processes behind. I view all aspects of a client’s life as potentially relevant. That’s why, if you or your partner are adopted, I will factor this into our process of questions and discussions in order to discern whether this is something that could be affecting your relationship in the present.
#7 Issues resulting from a history of abuse as a child
Of course, childhood trauma can have an enormous impact on who we become as adults. If you or your partner has suffered through abuse as a child, opening up in a safe, controlled environment can be an enormously important step towards becoming a healthier, more loving couple that understands one another and works through any issues together.
If you have repeatedly experienced difficulties relating to any of these issues, counselling is an effective method of helping to alleviate negative emotions and distress.
Benefits of Couples Counselling
✓ Dramatically improve your understanding of each other
✓ Resolve long standing conflicts
✓ Build a stronger relationship together
✓ Resolve performance anxiety in men and women
✓ Build intimacy and connection
✓ Learn to manage a difficult relationship
✓ Improve communication and emotional skills
✓ Help resolve destructive addictive/compulsive behaviour
✓ Help with dating/confidence building
✓ Learn skills founded in wisdom, compassion and empathy for each other
Couples Counselling
What should you expect?
It’s perfectly natural to feel a little nervous before beginning couples counselling.
Upon your arrival at your first session I will simply listen, free from the constraints of theories or assumptions, in order to view you and your partner’s relationship with a fresh, clean outlook.
Nobody understands your own experience better than you.
So the first steps in couples counselling will be to give you the space, the safe environment and the stimulation required to voice concerns and begin to examine your relationship from new angles.
What happens in couples counselling?
My holistic approach means that everything is potentially relevant.
Your past, present and future goals all play an important part in piecing together the bigger picture of who you both are as individuals, who you presently are as a couple, and who you could be.
The therapy room is a safe place for you to learn and grow together, and over time you will gain new methods of handling situations and managing your own emotions.
Together we may use ‘transitional objects’, which could be a shell or a ‘rescue remedy’, which we would create together over our sessions.
These objects act as a cognitive tether between the therapy room and the outside world and will remind you of the techniques and coping mechanisms you have learned, allowing you to continue your healing and learning process after or between sessions.
Getting started with relationship counselling
Step One – Book a free 10 minute phone consultation
Taking the first step to attend counselling can be a challenge.
Convenient, flexible and with your needs in mind, let’s chat about your expectations and concerns in a complimentary 10 minute phone consultation.
Step Two – Make an Appointment
If you choose to go ahead and book a counselling session we’ll arrange a time that’s suitable to you and your partner (if applicable).
As a safe and transparent space my consulting room is private, tranquil, and completely confidential.
With your privacy my priority, there are no notes unless requested, with any notes taken yours to access at all times.
As an experienced counsellor it is my goal to equip you with the skills to overcome your obstacles in the real world, not to stay in the cycle of counselling long-term.
Couples Counselling
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