Relationship Counselling Melbourne

Relationship problems might occur between a married couple, work colleagues, within and between families and friends. Our team of Melbourne CBD based relationship psychologists focus on resolving and nurturing these vulnerable relationships to build support and elicit clarity to strengthen your relationship – no matter what nature that relationship is.

Everyone can agree that building healthy and lasting relationships takes a lot of work. Despite the passion and attraction that might exist between the two of you, there are times when a relationship feels like an unnecessary burden, and can even have negative impacts on your mental health.

And it’s not just romantic relationships that can give us a heartache. Sometimes, an argument with a close friend or poor communication at work can affect our sense of social wellbeing.

This can, in turn, result in numerous emotional and psychological problems that require the care and assistance of professional counselling services.

And this is why relationship counselling Melbourne isn’t just for married couples – it’s for anyone who is looking to improve any type of relationship in their life.

If you feel like you’re not clicking with your partner, work colleague or family member then relationship counselling is exactly what you need to rekindle and cultivate a lasting relationship full of respect, love and joy.

With the help of a licensed counsellor or psychologist, you (and your partner) can overcome the challenges of a long-term relationship and rediscover the joys of sharing a deep and lasting connection with another person.

In essence, relationship counselling is a therapeutic approach designed to help someone in a relationship solve the problems and issues they can’t deal with on their own.

The purpose of this process is to help partners understand themselves (individually and as couples) better, to identify each other’s needs, preferences, or desires, and to strengthen their relationship for the better.

Naturally, the first step is of counselling is gaining a better understanding of the psychological factors that influence couple dynamics and how interactions between partners, as well as personal habits, can become ineffective or problematic.

In many cases, the first aspect that counsellors or therapists address is communication. Getting two people to share their needs and desires, vent painful emotions, and cultivate empathic listening are top priorities.

But relationship counselling isn’t just for couples. In fact, our relationship counsellors are trained to handle any problematic dynamic that can occur between two or more people. And that’s why this approach can also be your ticket to close friendships, healthy workplace interactions, and a more united family.

You might be surprised to discover that it’s easy to address problems that threaten your social and romantic relationships once you learn to communicate effectively and empathically with the other person.

Aside from restoring good communication between partners, relationship counselling can also unveil irrational thinking patterns, negative emotions, and problematic behaviors that each person in the relationship might be struggling with on a personal level.

In short, even though the goal is to improve the relationship, counselling requires both individual and team effort.

For some, seeing a relationship counsellor means accepting a harsh reality – that things are no longer as they used to be.

There are times when one side of the relationship might insist that the relationship is going smoothly or that any problem they might be dealing with can be easily managed without a third party.

Long story short, there are countless reasons why people might develop misconceptions or unrealistic expectations regarding relationship counselling.

So, let’s take a closer look at how this process works.

The first session is almost exclusively dedicated to getting to know you and discussing the relationship issues that brought you to the session. If your goal is to learn better ways to interact and communicate with other people, then the first session will revolve around the obstacles or problems that prevent you from cultivating healthy and functional interactions.

Once your counsellor or psychologist explains to you how the process works, you can focus on setting relationship goals that will help you (and your partner) build healthy and lasting relationships.

In general, relationship counselling provides a safe and confidential space where you can discuss your beliefs, views, thoughts, and emotions under the guidance and supervision of a trained professional.

But counselling isn’t just about venting emotions and talking about your problems for hours on end. In other words, our Melbourne CBD based team have an entire arsenal of strategies, techniques, and practical exercises that facilitate therapeutic change and strengthen your relationship.

People in all types of relationships seek professional counselling for a variety of reasons – whether it’s a professional work relationship, a complex family relationship or even a long-term friendship. From communication issues and sexual problems to infidelity, jealousy, and mistrust, numerous factors can harm the integrity and well-being of your relationship.

If we are to look at this question from a broader perspective, there are three main reasons why people request relationship counselling services through us:

• To ‘repair’ or improve something that isn’t working well (often work-based relationships)
• To figure out if they should remain together or split (couples counselling)
• To cultivate a stronger and/or more intimate relationship.

Fortunately, our team of highly trained relationship counsellors and psychologists can help you identify and work on the problems within your relationship, establish a set of therapeutic goals, and help you two design a strategy to boost relationship satisfaction and well-being.

Whether you wish to fix a ‘broken’ romantic relationship or invest in your social skills, counselling can be a vital resource.

We’re going to start by saying that the purpose of relationship counselling isn’t necessarily to save the relationship at any cost or make you immune to other people’s toxic interactions.

Sometimes, the best you can do is work on your communication skills, become mindful of your emotional needs, and learn how to set healthy boundaries. This can help find and address issues within your relationships.

Paradoxically, when it comes to romantic relationships, therapeutic success can mean restoring balance within the relationship, but it can also mean facilitating a process of separation that is accepted and acknowledged by both partners as a viable solution.

But before we reach that point, we’re going to work on helping you identify the root of your relationship problems. Only then you will be able to make a conscious and informed decision about the future of your relationship.

Based on these newly gained insights – and the therapeutic goals you wish to pursue – we can facilitate professional solutions that help you cultivate healthy social interactions, repair your romantic relationship or reach a mutually agreed separation.

Lastly, it’s important to note that many experts recommend doing counselling even before any serious problems arise. Even if it seems complicated or useless, talking to a relationship counsellor from time to time is a healthy way to boost communication and ease the tension and friction that may exist between the two of you.

Whether you’re looking to repair, rebuild, improve, or end a relationship, our team of experienced counsellors and psychologists can help you gain clarity and learn how to build and maintain healthy relationships, which in turn can have many positive impacts on your own mental health and wellbeing.

Counselling provides a confidential and secure environment to discuss any challenges or issues you are experiencing in your relationship. Counselling can help you effectively identify issues, design a strategy to try and resolve those underlying issues to ensure a better sense of clarity you both deserve.

There is a lot we can do to learn about how to manage and understand individual and couples relationship issues. We may need to adapt or evolve our strategies so we become more resilient and resourceful to cope with the many varied and diverse challenges that arise during the lifetime of any relationship.

If you are feeling stressed in your relationship, it is a good idea to talk to a counsellor or psychologist to see what might be underpinning your sense of being overloaded or overwhelmed and to seek an outcome that will help you feel greater peace and well-being.

Counselling in Melbourne’s relationship psychologists will provide a caring and safe non-judgmental environment. Our relationship utilise core evidence-based therapies such as; Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) or Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Mindfulness strategies and Assertiveness training may help to:

• Explore mixed feelings
• Provide clarity and acknowledgement
• Teach effective communication strategies
• Alleviate distress
• Support more positive thinking
• Inspire effective problem-solving
• Improve relationships
• Boost self-confidence and self-esteem
• Explore the balance between personal goals and relationship priorities

If you’re looking to improve the relationships in your life, then relationship counselling Melbourne can help – contact us today to get started.

If you are seeking a counsellor for marriage issues (ie couples counselling), our team of psychologists can also provide marriage counselling services. Many couples benefit from our Melbourne CBD marriage counselling, where your experienced psychologist will provide a safe environment for couples to share your troubles, explore options, discuss strategies, develop a plan, build support and elicit clarity to help strengthen your relationship.

All of our psychologists are Melbourne CBD based, however we do also offer online counselling for both marriage counselling (also known as couples therapy) and other counselling services.