What is Relationship Counselling?
The purpose of relationship therapy is to help understand the relationship issues you are facing and why they may be occurring. Relationship therapy can be beneficial for all types of relationships. It can involve couples in intimate relationships, business relationships, or friendships.
In relationship counselling, I will work to understand the nature of the issues you are experiencing and help you to develop and improve communication styles, interpersonal effectiveness, and emotional regulation. Understanding your past relationships so that we can identify patterns in the ways your relationships present themselves.
Common issues I help my clients deal with include: communication issues, trust issues, worries of controlling or needy relationships, trouble with intimacy, major life transitions, parenting issues, dealing with a breakup, difficulty finding a new relationship, and grief.
Relationship counselling can be done separately and as a pair. We can work together to address concerns or both parties and work on ways to better connect and improve communication. I use a strength-based approach that allows both clients to find solutions.
Couples counselling sessions can be particularly helpful with:
- Identifying and naming the problems each partner brings forward
- Assessing the level of severity, frequency, and immediacy of issues brought forward
- Learning and implementing effective conflict resolution strategies
- Discuss needs with regards to emotional intimacy and sexual intimacy, and level of needs being met currently
- Find ways to become a team, with joint goals, similar values, and future planning
- Highlighting areas of strength and common values, as well as deficits within the relationship
- Setting goals together to improve current relationship dynamics, and to build positive communication tools
Some reasons people choose to attend couples therapy:
- To find a ‘spark’, otherwise known as passion and intimacy, in your relationship
- To find ways to stop arguing about and solutions for issues surrounding sex, money, raising children, or other family issues
- To learn to discuss differing opinions or ideas without escalating or walking away
- To work through issues of infidelity, or other issues surrounding trust in your relationship
- To find guidance in deciding whether or not to end your relationship
- To find strategies to cope with or process a separation or divorce
Your first session involves an initial assessment of your well being and a thorough intake of your personal history and background. Subsequent therapy sessions are 60 minutes in length and are unique to each individual treatment plan.