Couples Counselling Melbourne

Couples counselling is designed to dismantle the negative patterns of interaction that keep couples stuck. Partners are then able to see each other from a new perspective, while responding in a more attuned way to each other's actual needs, thus strengthening their connection and intimacy.

What to expect from us?

We guide couples who are unable to resolve conflicts or avoid raising issues. We also help couples who find it difficult to repair relationship ruptures and are stuck or cannot de-escalate distress.

When partners become triggered, they can easily react defensively, misinterpreting each other and reacting in ways that can further hurt each other.

Couples become stuck in these defensive positions to cope and have no way to get out of these stuck positions on their own. They require the therapeutic holding and containment of a couple’s counsellor to manage the intense emotional affect, to re-align the couple and help them to become unstuck from these defensive behaviours.

Couples can then see each other more clearly, while understanding each other's real needs within the relationship, rather than reacting and misunderstanding each other.

We allow spouses to understand the part that they each contribute towards their problems to help them rebuild a stronger foundation for their relationship.

What to expect from the first couple counselling session?

Counselling for couples does not allow partners to blame each other by finding fault in the other, thus overcoming defensive cycles.
Couples will be encouraged to express their own experience within the relationship.
A safe therapeutic atmosphere is created, so each partner has enough space to be heard.
Couples can get in touch with the feelings that are beneath their reactions, within the safe parameters of the therapeutic frame.
Defensive reactions are eliminated so any underlying feelings can emerge while containing underlying hurt so that each partner is understood better.
Couples slowdown from reacting and listen to what is really going on for each other without defending
Couples get in touch with their feelings, so they can express themselves in a way that encourages their spouse to listen, rather than react.
By dismantling the defensive patterns of interaction and creating new ways of responding, new ways of relating are eventually achieved.

After the first couples counselling session together, each partner will be invited to an individual session to understand the underlying areas that are affecting each partner.

After this initial assessment process, it will become clear how to work with the dynamic of the couple and the areas that affect each partner. It is important to have enough couples therapy sessions to work through areas of stuckness within the relationship.

In order to resolve these patterns and form new ways of relating, a minimum of 6 to 10 relationship therapy sessions are usually required in order to begin this process. Changing these patterns with healthier responses can occur with more long-term therapeutic work for real gains to be achieved.

Our counselling specialists have done post-graduation in training couples and family therapies. They integrate emotionally focused couples therapy, psychoanalysis, attachment therapy, and systemic modalities into a coherent framework for treating couples.

Contact us today

Use the enquiry form or call 0449 861 147 to book an appointment. Sign up for our newsletter for free tips and advice.