Pricing and Booking Information

The first session can seem overwhelming, especially in the lead up to it. You may have a lot to get off your chest, and you may be feeling very anxious. This is completely normal. In our first session, we will spend some time getting to know you; exploring your background, family and lifestyle. We will discuss your challenges and work to understand the effect they are having on your daily life. This information is important because the more I know and understand you as a person, the more I can assist you.

During relationship counselling, it is not unusual for counsellors to request individual sessions with each partner. This can be for a number of reasons, including further exploration into the individual’s background, as well as their understanding and beliefs around an issue. If a partner requests continued individual counselling in addition to counselling with their partner, they will typically need to seek their own external counselling. However, this can be assessed on an individual basis and further conversation can be held.

This experience can happen. It can feel uncomfortable, and you may feel it would be easier to stop coming to counselling, rather than discussing it or risk offending your counsellor. However, I assure you this would not be the case. I encourage all my clients to be as open and honest as possible; even when discussing challenging topics. I appreciate ongoing feedback throughout our sessions, and if you find that I am not a good fit, then allow me an opportunity to support you in finding someone else who would be a better fit for you.

Terminating counselling can be a challenging conversation to have with your counsellor, however, it is important that clients are open and honest. If you feel that you would like to finish up counselling, I encourage you to speak with me regarding your thoughts, so that we may explore options should you choose to continue with counselling again.

This can come up during counselling, as you may not agree with some of the interventions, strategies or approaches. In our sessions, I value openness and honesty, even if this means a difference of opinion. I encourage clients finding themselves in this situation to discuss it with me, so that we can work together on ensuring you get the most out of your counselling experience.

When we reach out for support, it is generally because we want help in resolving or working on the issues we are facing. If I had a magic wand that would allow me to take away your pain, suffering and challenges, I would wave it in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, this isn’t possible. However, what I can offer you is a safe space to develop the foundations for growth and healing. A space for you to explore your hurt, build self awareness and learn through facilitated conversations and dialogue. Whilst I can assist you with these aspects of the process, I am unable to do the work for you, or “fix” you. This is your journey, and part of the counselling process asks you to take on your learnings, implement them into your life and continue to grow and heal within your own internal and external worlds.

This is a concern that can arise for clients when they feel that counselling hasn’t assisted them in the past. It is important to note that counselling is not about “fixing” people. Instead, it is about creating a deeper self-awareness, and understanding of you and your relationship. In order to see the benefits of counselling, it requires you to take your learnings into your everyday life and apply them daily. That being said, if you feel that the strategies we have implemented are not working for you, I encourage you to discuss your concerns with me. This is an opportunity for us to unpack what is and isn’t successful, why this may be, and move together in a different direction.

Reaching out for help, especially professional help, can be an overwhelming and intimidating process. As a partner, you might think that counselling is the best way to work through issues, or perhaps you’re at your wits end. I encourage couples to reach out for counselling together, however, this isn’t always possible. Whatever their reasons may be, it is important to have open and honest conversations with your partner as to why they don’t want to try counselling, and likewise, for you to have the opportunity to express the importance or benefit of counselling from your perspective.

At the end of the day, we are unable to make our partner come to counselling if they do not want to. Relationship counselling is available for individuals, and gives you the opportunity to explore your understanding of any issues, strengths and areas for growth. It can also assist you in developing tools that are transferable to your relationship. The purpose of this is not for you to go home and bombard your partner with “counselling strategies”, but to give you the skills to navigate conversations around what you have unpacked about yourself in a way that can be beneficial to the relationship.

Before coming to counselling, many different thoughts and emotions may arise, and this is especially true if you are new to counselling. If you are a heterosexual couple, you may wonder if a female counsellor will be one-sided. This is a valid question, and in order to work through this, I invite both individuals to provide ongoing feedback throughout our sessions. The emotional, physical, mental and spiritual safety for both partners is paramount, and I appreciate honesty and openness from my clients, so that we may work through any difficult or perceived bias.

Sometimes we can come to counselling with the hope that the counseller will echo what we have been saying all along, and prove that our partner is the problem. Whilst this may be true for some of the information shared, I am not in the business of changing or “fixing” one partner. My role is to explore the dynamics of your relationship, consider how both partners are contributing to a situation and identify where you as a couple may get stuck and work with you through these challenges.