Relationship Counselling Brisbane
No relationship is without its challenges. At the Centre for Human Potential, we have a team of relationship psychologists in Brisbane who work with couples to establish communication, rebuild trust, and work through difficulties together.
A 2024 survey by Relationships Australia found that 1 in 5 Australians described their most challenging relationship as the one with their partner. It is perfectly normal to have difficult periods within a marriage or relationship. Working with a couples counsellor can help to manage conflict, create healthier partnership habits, and improve and strengthen the bond with each other.
CFHP have created a compassionate and non-judgmental space for a psychologist to hear concerns, provide insight into the relationship, work towards a solution, and rebuild a genuine, lasting connection. Our Brisbane relationship psychologists are AHPRA-registered, rely and refer to the infamous Gottman methodology, and work with couples of different cultures, languages, and experiences.
Contact our team today on 07 3211 1117 or enquire online to learn more about our marriage and couples therapy sessions in Brisbane.
Couples Therapy Is Beneficial When…
Couples counselling is not just for married couples – relationship counselling is beneficial for all types of partnerships. Seeing a relationship psychologist can be beneficial at any stage, but often we see couples that are experiencing high tension, disagreements, or a breach of trust. Getting professional guidance can:
- Improve understanding and communication
- Stop the “blame game” occurring within the relationship
- Work through unresolved issues and concerns
- Express your true feelings in a safe, supportive environment
- Speak to each other in a more supportive and understanding way
- Practice active listening and empathy towards one and other
The Centre For Human Potential provide a fresh, tailored approach to relationship therapy. We know that every couple is different, which is why ensure that each session is deeply personal, considered, empathetic, and unbiased – at all costs. We’re not here to judge or side with one person; our counsellors are here to ensure that you have the support to become a stronger, more resilient couple together.
Relationship counselling can help you and your partner understand each other, restore lost emotional and physical closeness, and strengthen your bond.
Counselling For All Couples & Relationships
CFHP’s relationship psychologists are experienced in supporting all couples through marriage and relationship counselling in Brisbane, including:
- Multi-racial/ethnic couples
- Same-sex couples
- Bisexual/transgender/intersex partnered couples
- Polyamorous couples
- De facto relationships
- Straight couples
- Separated couples seeking resolution
- Couples with a history of infidelity or affairs
- Couples with blended families
Our counsellors provide guidance and counselling in a safe, accepting, and respectful environment. Whether you’re after individual counselling to cope with relationship issues or you’d like to seek couples therapy, we’re here to help.
How Does Marriage Counselling / Relationship Counselling Work?
There is naturally a lot of fear, stigma, and hesitation around attending counselling as a couple. However, we genuinely believe that it’s something every couple should do at some stage of their relationship to better understand each other, build strong communication skills, and reduce any resentment.
When you book your first session, you will be matched with (or you can select) a relationship psychologist who has specific experience to your area of concern. The first session is different for each couple, as some may attend separately and some together, but generally speaking, it will be an opportunity to let it all out – your fears, anxieties, concerns, resentments, or wishes. Your psychologist will do a lot of listening, learning, and asking of questions as they get to know you as individuals and as a couple.
If you feel worried or daunted about the prospect of sharing such personal information with a stranger, we work to ensure that each of our clients are aware of how we manage privacy and limitations before we start the session. We will work to ensure that you’re as comfortable as possible, as we truly want CFHP to be a place you feel you can be open and honest, without judgement.
Common Relationship Issues We Can Help With
Every couple has different issues and circumstances. In our experience, there are a few areas that are more likely to place pressure on the relationship – our relationship counsellors are trained to discuss these issues delicately without either partner feeling judgement or blame.
Conflict/Arguments
Even healthy relationships experience regular conflict. However, when arguments become unavoidable, unmanageable, or simply do not get resolved, it’s worth seeking help from a relationship counsellor in Brisbane.
Fertility Issues
Fertility is a deeply personal issue that can affect both sides. Our relationship counsellors can help couples navigate infertility, pregnancy loss, or disagreements around parenting and the future.
Infidelity
An affair or breach of trust can cause a great deal of pain. Our therapists can help couples process and heal from infidelity, deceit, or uncomfortable truths that come out during a relationship.
Life Transitions
Different career paths and life choices often cause fear and concerns about commitment. A couples counsellor can help you negotiate, manage, and come to terms with key life transitions affecting your relationship.
Parenting
Becoming parents can make life complicated and can cause distance in the strongest of relationships. We can help you both see each other’s position to build a more resilient, connected parenting partnership.
Sex/intimacy Issues
Intimacy issues are common in all stages of a relationship. It’s nothing to be embarrassed or dismissive of – we can facilitate open, vulnerable communication to help reconnect.
Stress
Managing stress is often overwhelming, especially if you take on the problems of your significant other. Our counsellors can help you strike a balance to improve your mental health and your relationship.
Trauma & Grief
Our counsellors can support couples suffering through trauma and grief, whether within or beyond the relationship.
When To Seek Help with Couples Counselling
While no relationship is entirely free from conflict or disagreements, the relationships that can benefit from seeing a couple’s psychologist are those that experience:
- Excessive criticism about each other’s behaviour or character
- Focusing on who’s right and who’s wrong
- Emotional withdrawal and distancing from each other
- Lack of intimacy
- A reluctance to communicate with each other
- Frequent conflicts and arguments that are often left unresolved
- Difficulty trusting one another due to dishonesty or infidelity
- Recurrent cycles of negative behaviours or interactions with one another
The CFHP Approach to Relationship Counselling in Brisbane
No two relationships are alike – trying to work through relationship issues using generalised strategies from books or online forums can often feel futile. At CHFP, our approach to relationship counselling is anything but generic; our Brisbane couple’s counsellors take the time to get to know both you and your partner and tailor sessions to get to the root cause of the issues within the relationship.
When we dig deep and pinpoint what is plaguing your relationship, we can start to determine solutions to rectify overarching problems, as well as your day-to-day issues.
Voice Fears and Concerns: Our psychologists provide professional couple sessions in a comfortable, non-judgmental environment where you can voice your concerns honestly. By being open and honest about what is upsetting you and acknowledging your partner’s input and your own shortcomings, you can both work together to fix your relationship.
Renegotiate Commitments: Our couples counselling can assist you in voicing worries about commitment before working towards a clear and workable agreement and offering tools and methods to help you move forward in a completely safe and confidential environment.
Stamp out Negative Coping Mechanisms: If you suspect your coping mechanisms may be tied to your relationship problems, then counsellors can help you get rid of these self-medicating solutions and remedy your relationship. If you feel they have become an addiction, we encourage you to engage in our addiction counselling services.
Positive Engagement = Positive Results: Couples therapy is suitable for all couples, married or not, heterosexual or homosexual, cohabiting or living separately, but it always has a greater chance of success when both partners are committed to the process and engage positively with the counselling.
Our Relationship Psychologists
CFHP’s Brisbane relationship psychologists have years of experience helping couples reflect on behavioural patterns and identify specific actions, beliefs, and behaviours contributing to the conflict. Our relationship psychologists are passionate and have a vested interest in helping couples communicate better and work positively towards long-term happiness.
We will connect you with a relationship psychologist from our team who is best suited to understand and tackle the issues you are facing, whether it’s related to addiction, intimacy, or communication.
Dr. Atholl Murray
Lisa Kunde
The Gottman Method
The Gottman Method is a unique, evidence-based therapy for couples that, according to the Relationship Institute, is the gold standard for successful couple recovery. Drs. John and Julie Gottman have spent over four decades researching what does and doesn’t work in relationships. They have observed over 3000 couples, some for up to 20 years, and they can, therefore, predict success with 90% accuracy. Gottman Method Couples Therapy was developed based on their observations of what is proven to work in creating happy relationships. It has been thoroughly tested on a variety of couple demographics, including Gay and Lesbian couples. Gottman Method is a process-oriented, phenomenological, cognitive, and emotionally based approach. It focuses on the three core areas of a relationship: maintaining intimacy and closeness, helpfully managing conflict, and creating shared purpose and meaning within the relationship.
The Gottman Method Involves Three Phases:
1. Assessment Phase
During the assessment process, you will be asked to complete a comprehensive online questionnaire. Although this may take some time, it will help your relationship therapist to understand each of your individual histories, your relationship dynamic and the challenges that have brought you to couples therapy.
It will take approximately six appointments to complete the Assessment Phase, which includes:
The first session, we begin by getting to know both of you, learning about your relationship, identifying your concerns and what you want to improve on, which is followed by several pages of assessment questionnaires that each individual must complete independently. The questions focus on your relationship, your history, your emotional well-being, etc. The therapist will then score these assessments, providing an insight into what areas need improvement.
A second session consists of two 50 minute individual sessions, in which each person explains their individual issues and history.
Third session is for treatment planning; during this session we discuss what the questionnaire scores indicate are the problem areas, and what we can do together to begin improving your relationship.
Summary
- 2 x 50 minute appointments during the initial assessment session.
- Each partner completes a comprehensive online assessment after the first appointment.
- 2 x 50 minute appointments for the second assessment session.
- 2 x 50 minute appointments for the third assessment session for treatment plan (work towards resolving the issues and supporting the relationship).
2. Focused Treatment Phase
The second phase involves focused treatment and can be delivered at a rate that suits you. Research evidence has established that couples make better progress with more frequent sessions in the early stages of therapy, which will be reduced progressively over time. Ideally, this will involve four or so fortnightly double sessions (100 minutes) before moving to single fortnightly sessions (50 minutes).
3. Relapse Prevention Phase
The third phase focuses on relapse prevention, with a reduction in the frequency of sessions to monthly for a few months before reducing to quarterly and bi-annual check-ins to ensure relapse prevention.
Speak with us
Get professional, compassionate, and confidential support from our leading team of relationship psychologists and marriage counsellors in Brisbane.
Frequently Asked Questions for Couples Therapy
How many sessions should we have?
That really depends on your relationship and what you wish to achieve with counselling sessions. It may take a number of sessions to begin making some real headway, as many couples may begin the process by simply venting.
Withheld emotions coming to a head is, of course, to be expected, but we would like to remind couples that you will get more out of your appointments if you approach the time with positivity, an open mind, and the humility to recognise that it takes two to make a relationship work.
Will couples counselling be impartial?
Yes. One of the main reasons partners may be reluctant to speak to a psychologist is the fear of judgement or worrying whether the counsellor will side with one person over another.
Your counsellor is here to act as a mediator between you and your partner and will provide an impartial and professional guide to the sessions.
Do we need couples counselling?
There’s no right or wrong time to see a relationship therapist. While some couples will see a psychologist after a major event or communication breakdown, many couples will also seek couples counselling prior to marriage or at any stage of their relationship to learn and use healthy communication skills.
The most common reasons that couples seek therapy include communication issues, major life transitions, intimacy and sexuality, anxiety and depression, anger management, infidelity, grief and loss, and regular arguments and conflict.
Couples counselling is most beneficial when both parties are ready to seek professional guidance together. While it can mend and restore broken down relationships, it’s important for both parties to be committed to making it work for counselling to be effective.
Is it too late for couples counselling?
It is never too late to start couples counselling if both parties are sincere and open to making changes to improve the relationship. Counselling can be effective in supporting couples through any stage of the relationship, from the beginning of a relationship to 50 years into a marriage!
How does relationship therapy work?
At CFHP, we provide couples with a safe space to talk through any concerns about their relationship. Working as a couple can be tricky, and communication is an essential part of making a relationship great. Our therapists can guide you through methods to raise your communication and, therefore, your levels of respect and enjoyment in your partnership.
One of our relationship psychologists will sit down with you and your partner and listen to both parties’ concerns in an impartial manner. This will take place over a number of sessions, either in our Brisbane offices or through Zoom, which will steer and guide your relationship to greater strengths. Throughout this process, your Brisbane relationship counsellor will appraise and analyse you both to determine the underlying core relationship problems.
What if my partner doesn’t want to attend?
Ultimately, you can’t force someone to do something they don’t want to do. Generally we find that counselling is effective if you’re both actively choosing to participate. However, if your partner does not want to attend couples counselling, there are a few ways you can manage the situation:
- Communicate openly with them – your partner may not be aware of the way you perceive your relationship, and telling them about how you feel or your struggles in the relationship can help to understand the need for couples counselling.
- Address their concerns – if your partner has reservations or fears about counselling, address them openly and honestly. Assure them that the goal of the therapy is to improve the relationship, not necessarily fix something that is wrong.
Ultimately, it’s important to respect your partner’s decision for not wanting to attend counselling with you. They may have their own reasons for doing so. You can still attend couples counselling on your own to work on your own personal growth and find strategies that can have a positive impact on your relationship.
Can therapy save our marriage/relationship?
Couples therapy is not a magic fix for any relationship. All parties must agree to put in the effort to want to improve the relationship, no matter how complicated the issues faced are. What couples counselling is, is a medium where partners can express their feelings and thoughts openly in a safe and mediated space in order to foster better understanding and ways of relating to one another.
How effective is relationship counselling?
Studies from the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy show that relationship counselling is one of the most effective ways for couples to recover from an unhealthy or distressing relationship. The results show that approximately 80% of couples who seek relationship counselling tend to enjoy a more fulfilling relationship compared to those who do not.
Specific relationship counselling treatments like Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) support this conclusion – according to the American Psychological Association, EFT has a 75% efficacy rate in helping couples enjoy greater relationship satisfaction.
What do I need to prepare before my first session?
It can be helpful to make a list of the main pain points in the relationship – especially if it will be your first time attending counselling or therapy. Writing down the grievances and issues that are affecting your relationship will ensure that you are able to effectively communicate your concerns to the psychologist, and they won’t get lost or forgotten in your first session.