Relationship Counselling

I provide relationship counselling for couples, separated parents, families and groups. I also work with clients who choose Polyamory, Consensual Non-Monogamy and other relationship arrangements.

Relationships can become difficult for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes there’s a particular conflict that keeps coming up. Sometimes communication has broken down, or something has changed and you’re not sure how to find your way through it. Relationship counselling can enable honest conversations that may not be occurring outside of sessions. Exploring reasons for conflict, and obstacles to conflict resolution are all part of the work, and I can offer specific strategies to help you improve your communication, understanding and connection, whatever your relationship looks like.

What we might explore

  • Communication and recurring conflict

  • Intimacy, connection and trust

  • Understanding each other’s needs

  • Family and parenting conflict

  • Neurodivergent–neurotypical relationships (where one or more people are neurodivergent)

  • Changes and transitions in a relationship

  • Different relationship structures and expectations

  • Difficult conversations that are hard to have at home

  • Infidelity and other breaches of trust

  • Substance use, addictions and other issues that may be co-occurring

  • Romance, attraction, and sexual health

What to expect

Broadly speaking, we begin with an assessment of your relationship, followed by some information gathering about how each person operates individually. This includes exploring your backgrounds, how you were raised, the relationship models you grew up with, and your attachment styles.

I maintain neutrality, and seek feedback regularly throughout sessions to ensure that everyone feels equally supported and no one feels judged or ganged up on.

For couples counselling, I often draw on the Gottman Method, a practical, research-informed approach to understanding conflict and strengthening relationships. I trained in the Gottman Method through the Relationship Institute Australasia.

Sessions

Standard appointments are 50 minutes.

I generally recommend booking your first three appointments close together for the initial assessment phase, ideally within two weeks of each other. This gives us some continuity while we get to know each other, work out what’s happening within the relationship and develop a plan for the work ahead.

Sometimes people request longer appointments (75 and 100 minutes are available). This can be especially helpful for relationship counselling, where stopping and starting can be disruptive.

After the initial three appointments, the frequency of sessions depends on your needs. We can adjust this as we go.