Marriage & Relationships Counselling

Marriage and Couples Counselling Perth

Our relationships are the most important thing in the world. At the pinnacle of all relationships is the one we have with our partner. When this relationship is challenging, everything is affected.

We usually try to fix our relationship issues ourselves, but often find that we can’t seem to succeed at this and feel powerless in our ability to change things. We can find ourselves spiralling downwards into perpetual negative cycles that get harder and harder to resolve.

At Breathe Counselling, our relationship counsellors can work with you to break that cycle.

Why Couples Counselling?

• Are you experiencing perpetual conflict over the same issues?
• Are you experiencing an escalation in your fights?
• Are you experiencing more and more distance between each other?
• Are you unable to discuss your concerns about the relationship without ensuing conflict?
• Are you having sex less or not at all?
• Are you spending little or no time together?
• Are you considering a romantic relationship outside of your relationship with your partner?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, couples counselling that focuses entirely on your relationship could be the answer.

Couples Counselling Helps in a Number of Ways

It can help couples:

• learn how to communicate in a way that minimises unnecessary conflict
• better understand the struggles, challenges, needs and fears of each other
• earn how to manage conflict without compromising honesty
• foster safety in the relationship
• address addictions
• build intimacy and more satisfying bonds of connection
• have healthy boundaries in their relationship
• navigate transitions in life (i.e. childbirth, empty nest, divorce)
• address sexual problems
• with infidelity, affairs and betrayals

What to Expect in Relationship Counselling

It’s completely normal for you to be nervous about attending couples counselling. Often we are afraid that the counsellor may have a bias and blame a particular partner for the issues. We can also feel shame about attending counselling or admitting to having struggles in a relationship. The truth is, no one has the perfect relationship, and all of us have struggles. The relationship counsellors at Breathe are keenly aware of this and take a very optimistic, realistic and empathetic approach with each of their clients.

Whilst each of the counsellors at Breathe are unique, and each has their own niche approach to couples counselling, you can expect the following:

• The first sessions will typically involve assessment and mutual sharing. Your counsellor will ask each person to offer their individual perspective on the relationship concerns that are presented. Assessment may include an opportunity to do an online relationship assessment such as the Gottman Relationship Checkup.
• Your counsellor will work with you to identify and examine the underlying dynamics behind the cycles and perpetual patterns that exist in your relationship.
• A tailored action plan will be developed by your counsellor in consultation with you that is aligned with your specific goals in therapy.
• Couples counselling is offered both as a face-to-face service and online.

About Breathe Counselling

We are a collective of counsellors, psychotherapists and psychologists offering relationship and marriage counselling in various locations in and around Perth, Western Australia. Each of our counsellors receives professional supervision both externally and internally through Breathe. All of our counsellors engage in regular professional development and are trained in couples therapy.