Melbourne Marriage & Couples Counselling

Marriage counselling is a psychotherapeutic approach designed to help couples develop the skills they need to resolve their marital problems and rediscover the joys of a fulfilling relationship.

In other words, marriage counselling isn’t the solution to your marital problems but the guide that helps you find and implement the right solutions, based on the goals that you and your partner wish to pursue.

One of the primary purposes of marriage counselling is to help the couple learn the art of communication. Once they develop a healthy and active communication style, married couples can build and maintain a positive and lasting relationship.

Throughout the whole therapeutic process, the marriage counsellor is both a therapist and an educator. His/Her aim is to provide a safe space where both spouses feel comfortable enough to express emotions, give voice to their worries, and know each other on a deeper level.

Having the opportunity to listen and be listened can give spouses a different perspective on the problems they might be dealing with. And a different angle gives rise to insightful solutions.

All and all, marriage counselling is the journey toward discovering and reinventing yourselves as individuals and as a couple.

Most couples who arrive in marriage counselling usually experience a lot of pain and distress. In other words, people tend to resort to therapy when all other options fail.

There are also cases when married couples request therapy because they wish to improve their relationship, and that allows them to address potential problems before things take a turn for the worse.

With the help of a licensed counsellor, couples can develop the skills they need to:

• Become active and empathic listeners
• Improve their communication styles
• Express their needs, desires, and expectations
• Develop the courage to make positive changes
• Cultivate intimacy
• Resolve their conflicts in a healthy and non-aggressive manner
• Identify and solve their personal problems in order to build and maintain a relationship based on equality and mutual respect.

The moment you feel like your marriage is going through a rough patch is the perfect time to schedule an appointment with a counsellor.

You can also seek counselling assistance before marriage.

A counselling session before marriage can help you nurture necessary skills to manage personality differences, gain a clear idea about your wants and needs, and gain a better understanding of shared values to make a long-term commitment to your partner.

Our psychologists have a wealth of experience and a fresh approach to help our clients overcome issues in a relationship or a marriage. We can help you get a better outcome from marriage counselling so you’re able to enrich your relationship with your spouse to strive for a harmonious life together.

Choosing to see a marriage counsellor can be a massive step for both of you. This choice implies admitting the fact that your relationship isn’t perfect, and there’s still much work before you can call yourselves a happy couple.

On top of that, some couples don’t feel comfortable discussing their intimate issues in front of a stranger, even though that stranger is a licensed and trained professional who can provide clarity and practical solutions.

Perhaps taking a closer look at how marriage counselling unfolds will make you feel more comfortable about this process.

As with individual therapy, marriage counselling provides both solutions to your relationship problems and the means to identify them.

Let’s say the dynamics of your relationship have changed, but you can’t really put your finger on a specific problem. Or perhaps you no longer feel comfortable and connected with your partner.

Regardless of the difficulties that your relationship might be facing, our team of counsellors will start by evaluating the current status of your marriage and propose a personalized intervention plan.

The entire therapeutic process will take place in a warm, comfortable, and confidential environment where spouses can discuss delicate aspects of their relationship without having to fear criticism or judgment.

In a healthy marriage, both spouses communicate directly and sincerely, support each other, accept their differences and mistakes, and respect each other’s individuality.

And that’s precisely what our team of professionals can help you achieve!

There are numerous reasons why married couples arrive in therapy.

Some wish to address a specific problem that has affected the quality of their interactions while others are looking to improve an already functional relationship.

Some feel like their marriage isn’t what it used to be while others wish to reach a healthy separation.

Some of the most common problems that bring married couples to therapy are:

• Lack of understanding and communication
• Lack of love, passion, and intimacy
• Boredom and routine
• Disinterest or indifference towards each other
• Reduced sexual activity
• Frequent quarrels over important or unimportant matters
• Financial instability
• Jealousy and mistrust
• Infidelity

These are often early signs that couples’ interactions are becoming unhealthy or dysfunctional. This does not mean that a person is to blame, but rather that the relationship itself needs a refresher, and the counsellor’s office is the best place to start rebuilding and strengthening your relationship.

It is more beneficial for your marriage or relationship if you consider seeing a marriage counsellor when the differences of opinion or issues in your relationship are in the initial stage of conflict rather than seeing a psychologist when the problems have become irreconcilable. The more you invest into the process of marriage counselling, the more you will benefit from it.

Marriage counselling sessions can provide many benefits to both partners including:

• Bringing clarity to your marriage
• Setting the stage in a safe neutral environment where each individual can begin the process of breaking down barriers, learning new strategies and acquiring a new skill set to rebuild your commitment to each other and subsequently to your marriage
• Improve your communication levels with your spouse in way that each person knows how to engage with each other in a respectful way
• Gaining more confidence in how you manage your relationship
• Effectively manage unpleasant feelings and negative thoughts

If you are seeking individual counselling for relationships, our relationship counselors can also help you work through personal relationship issues without requiring the other party to be present. Through individual relationship counselling, we can assist in helping you work through persistent issues to build and strenghten your relationships – whether that be family, professinoal or friendships.