Counselling

Relationship counselling

Make your relationship stronger through couples counselling and expert guidance – whether you’re working through conflict, rebuilding trust, or simply want to reconnect before small cracks become big ones.

Every relationship hits hard ground sometimes

Most couples wait years too long before getting help – usually until the same fight has been on repeat for so long that both people are exhausted. You don’t have to wait for a crisis. Relationship counselling works best when there’s still goodwill to build on, and it can also help when things feel close to breaking.

A relationship counsellor isn’t a referee and doesn’t take sides. Their job is to slow down the patterns you can’t see from inside – the pursue-withdraw loops, the conversations that go off the rails at the same point every time – and help you both build new ways of communicating, repairing and reconnecting.

We welcome couples of every kind: married, de facto, dating, LGBTQIA+, intercultural and interfaith couples, co-parents, and people in non-traditional relationship structures. Sessions are available in person in Preston or via telehealth across Australia.

What couples work on with us

Communication and conflict

Arguments that escalate or never resolve, stonewalling, criticism loops, and learning to fight fair about the things that matter.

Trust and repair

Rebuilding after infidelity, betrayal, or the slow erosion of reliability – and deciding together what repair looks like.

Disconnection

Feeling like housemates. Less affection, less conversation, less sex – and the loneliness of drifting apart while sharing a bed.

Life stage pressures

New parenthood, blended families, intercultural and in-law dynamics, money stress, illness, and retirement transitions.

Big decisions

Whether to marry, move, have children, or stay together. Counselling can hold hard conversations safely – including discernment about separation.

Separation and co-parenting

If a relationship is ending, counselling can help you separate with respect and keep co-parenting workable.

Fees and practical details

$136-$195 per session

Couples counselling sessions, with 60 or 90 minute options to give the conversation room.

No GP referral needed

You can book directly as a couple, or one partner can make first contact to ask questions.

In-person or telehealth

Visit us in Preston, Melbourne, or attend together (or from separate locations) via telehealth.

All relationships welcome

LGBTQIA+, intercultural, interfaith and non-traditional relationship structures are welcomed and affirmed.
Medicare does not currently provide rebates for counsellors under the Mental Health Care Plan.

Process

What happens during your counselling journey

First contact

You call or fill out our form. Tell us what's happening and what you need. We listen without judgment and answer your questions about how we work.

Assessment session

We meet and talk through your situation in detail. This helps us understand your challenges and decide on the best approach for you moving forward.

Regular sessions

You attend regular sessions where we develop strategies and skills tailored to your needs. Between sessions, you practise what you've learned in daily life.

Moving forward

As you gain confidence and tools, sessions may reduce in frequency. You'll always have access to support when you need it, whether that's months or years later.

Frequently asked questions

My partner doesn't want to come. Can I start alone?

Yes. One motivated partner can shift a relationship’s patterns, and individual sessions can also help you work out what you want. Partners often join later once they see counselling isn’t about blame.

Will the counsellor take sides?

No. The relationship is the client. Your counsellor will make sure both perspectives are heard and will be direct with each of you about patterns that aren’t working – that’s different from taking sides.

Is it too late for us?

We can’t promise an outcome, but ‘too late’ is rarer than it feels mid-crisis. And when a relationship is ending, counselling helps couples separate with less damage – which matters enormously, especially with children involved.

What happens in the first session?

Your counsellor hears the story from both of you, asks about the relationship’s history and strengths, and works with you to agree on goals. From there you’ll typically have a mix of joint sessions and, sometimes, an individual session each.

How many sessions do couples usually need?

It varies with the goals and how entrenched the patterns are. Many couples notice conversations changing within the first few sessions; deeper repair work takes longer. Your counsellor reviews progress with you openly.

Do you see couples about sex?

Yes. Intimacy and desire issues are among the most common reasons couples come in. Where it’s the main concern, our sex therapy service may be the better fit – we’ll help you choose.

Stronger starts with a conversation

Book a couples session online or call us. Coming in together is the hardest step – we’ll take it from there.