Relationship & Couples Counselling
Relationships are a core aspect of our lives, and can be a source of joy. Healthy relationships can contribute to higher levels of emotional and mental wellbeing.
It is human to relate. It is also human for issues to arise in many, if not all, relationships. Just as issues occur in friendships, romantic relationships also follow cycles of creation, expansion, exploration, and deterioration. Sometimes people need trained support and guidance. At Life Growth Psychology, we have psychologists trained in providing you with evidence-based treatment to help you manage challenges in your relationships.
It is important to note that there does not necessarily have to be issues or a relationship crisis present to attend couples therapy. You can choose to engage for preventative reasons, or for growing further as a couple.
Unlike individual therapy where the individual is the ‘client’, in couples therapy, the couple is the ‘client’.
What you can expect from a couple’s therapy session:
A safe and compassionate space is created to talk about and reflect on emotions, needs, challenges, and resources.
Attention will be given to your history; more so, history of the relationships, history of the distress, and, personal histories (e.g. childhood, family) that the individual brings to the relationship
Therapists use their training to help the couple to work together and achieve your therapeutic goals, which can lead to improvement in the quality and fulfilment of your relationships.
Learning of new skills (e.g. conflict resolution, communication) to implement in your relationship
The therapist prioritises the relationship over any individual. The therapist will not be taking sides.
These are some ways you can benefit from couples therapy:
Management with stress and other emotions that are impacting upon the relationship
Learning to become curious about each other's past history and how some patterns may be affecting your current relationship.
Learning more about our partner - their fears, challenges, and viewpoints
Processing grief and loss.
Identifying and analysing unhealthy communication patterns.
Unpacking infidelity issues.
Exploring challenges that parenting can bring up.
Learning about our own and our partner’s personal boundaries.
Processing unhealthy communication patterns.
Learning each other’s fight languages without engaging in relationally destructive behaviours.
Exploring emotional and physical intimacy issues.
Feeling more at ease with life transition concerns.
Exploring if there is enough of a relationship to retrieve what has been ‘lost’
There are a several frameworks that our couples therapists use:
The Gottman Method
Schema Therapy for Couples
Emotionally Focussed Therapy for Couples (EFT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for Couples
Internal Family Systems (IFS) for Couples
Important note: Life Growth Psychology is not a crisis service. If you are experiencing a lack of safety in your home and/or relationship and are having concerns relating to abuse and/or domestic violence, please engage with the below services:
However, if you find yourself in immediate danger, please call 000 and ask for Police.
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