We live in the shelter of each other

• Have a more fulfilling relationship
• Feel emotionally and physically closer 
• Resolve conflict 
• Be able to have calm, conversations about difficult topics
• Understand each others’ needs
• Understand and communicate your own needs 
• Understand why you’re not getting along 
• Decide whether or not to separate 
• Heal after an affair, addiction, or shattered trust 
• Deal with a difference in libido
• Understand the patterns in your relationships
• Discuss opening up your relationship (consensual non-monogamy, polyamory) 
• Deal with change (retirement, gender transitioning, children, illness) 
• Set better boundaries or feel more confident in setting  boundaries.

Initially clients come in for a consultation and assessment with their partner(s), which lasts 90 minutes.  During this time I will help you identify the issues or problems which have brought you for relationship counselling, and we will also look at what you would like to get from counselling and whether I am a good fit as your therapist.

This 90 minute session gives me the opportunity to get to know you, the history of your relationship, what the core issues are, what has been working for you and what hasn't. It also starts to give me an idea of the dynamics of your relationship and whether or not I can help.

It gives you a chance to ask me about relationship counselling and to talk about any concerns you might have. We can then discuss whether relationship counselling is right for you, or whether another service would be better suited.

 If we decide we would like to work together, then I will book you in for an initial block of 6 counselling sessions, lasting 60 minutes each. Sometimes 6 sessions is enough, but more complex issues may take longer. 

Relationship counselling is confidential, and non-judgmental. It creates a collaborative environment where the counsellor facilitates open and productive dialogue between partners.  

The first step in relationship counselling is to understand what is getting in the way of you resolving conflict, being close, or trusting one another. Every relationship has a patterned way of relating or trying to resolve conflict, and sometimes these patterns are maladaptive and partners get stuck. Often, the surface issues are just that, on the surface and there is greater meaning behind them which needs to be explored. 

This “deeper” conversation isn’t about the details; it’s about unmet relationship needs which can be addressed. 

Relationship counselling helps you to identify these needs, and understand the cycle you are in. When partners don’t have a clear understanding of what’s going wrong, it’s impossible for them to fix it on their own, and the focus of therapy is to help you identify and practice new ways of relating, so that you can start to really hear one another, have more productive communication, and truly understand one another's needs.