Positive intimate relationships can be the most fulfilling and supportive connections in our lives and most often contribute to a sense of emotional wellbeing. Conflictual, emotionally challenging, negative, combative, neglectful, or abusive intimate relationships by contrast, can have a serious negative impact on individuals and family members, leading to additional personal and mental health difficulties.

Many issues can put strain on a relationship, such as workplace stress, financial burdens, differing expectations, parenting problems, and differences in hopes, goals, and expectations for the future. Relationship therapy can help you gain new insights and perspective on your partners views and opinions, and to work towards change while focusing on what is most important to you as individuals and as a couple. Therapy can be effective for couples to help gain knowledge, improve communication and problem-solving skills, to assist with parenting post separation, and to consider the choices associated with your unique your situation. Most often, partners will attend sessions together with the same psychologist through their treatment, however, some session may involve partners individually without the other partner present. However, the couple will work together in most sessions.

Relationship therapy focuses primarily on facilitating communication and helping partners find their own solutions. The methods and strategies used in relationship therapy may vary from one therapist to another. Some therapists may for example, have a more educational approach, while others may put more emphasis on emotionally focused therapy. Some will follow the Gottman Methods of practice while others may be more solution or Family Systems model focused. Regardless of the therapeutic model used, relationship therapy can be a powerful tool in assisting couples and families with mild to serious concerns.

Common issues that couples seek counselling for include:

• Marriage and Relationship counselling
• Managing conflict in relationships
• Divorce and separation
• Family violence
• Older adult relationship counselling
• Cross Cultural counselling
• Pre-marriage counselling
• Grief and loss
• Family counselling
• Intergenerational counselling
• Adjusting to the birth of a first child
• Managing post-natal depression in relationships
• Parenting issues
• Intimacy and sexual related issues

Relationship therapy can revitalise your intimate relationship and create a renewed sense of excitement and optimism.