Equanimous Mind Works
Couples Counselling
Couples counselling provides a safe and neutral space for partners to work through challenges, rebuild trust and strengthen connection. It's designed to help both partners feel heard, understood and supported as they navigate difficulties together.
Grow Together with Support & Understanding
Relationships are one of the most meaningful parts of our lives - and also one of the most complex. Even the strongest partnerships can face challenges that feel overwhelming at times. Couples counselling provides a safe, neutral space where both partners can feel heard, understood and supported as you navigate difficulties together.
Whether you’re experiencing frequent conflict, feeling emotionally distant, or working through a major life transition, counselling can help you rebuild trust, strengthen connection, and create healthier patterns of relating.
Common Challenges Couples Face
Recurring arguments or unresolved conflict
Loss of intimacy or emotional closeness
Feeling unappreciated, unseen or disconnected
Trust issues, infidelity or broken agreements
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Stress from major life changes or transitions
These struggles are more common than you might think - and they don’t have to mean the end of your relationship. With the right support, they can become opportunities for growth and deeper connection.
Through counselling, couples often experience:
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Improved communication and deeper understanding
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Rebuilding of trust and repair of emotional bonds
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Strengthened intimacy and closeness
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Healthier ways of navigating conflict
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Greater clarity and compassion in decision-making
You don’t need to have everything figured out before coming to counselling. What matters most is a shared willingness to explore, reconnect and grow together.
The Benefits of Couples Counselling
My Approach with Couples
As an ACA-registered counsellor, I bring a compassionate, evidence-based approach to relationship work. My practice is informed by:
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Gottman Method Couples Therapy (Level 1 Training): A research-based framework focused on emotional connection, communication, and conflict management.
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Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT): An attachment-based model that helps couples identify negative cycles and create new patterns of emotional bonding.
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Presence-Oriented Relationship Therapy: Supporting couples to build trust and navigate change with presence and compassion.
These approaches allow me to tailor sessions to your unique needs - whether you’re preparing for marriage, working through recurring conflict, or navigating separation with care.
The Gottman Method: A Research-Based Approach
One of the main approaches I draw on in couples counselling is the Gottman Method, developed by Drs. John and Julie Gottman. This framework is grounded in over 40 years of research with thousands of couples, making it one of the most evidence‑based approaches to relationship therapy available today.
The Gottmans’ research showed that the quality of a couple’s interactions - especially during conflict - is one of the strongest predictors of relationship satisfaction and longevity.
They identified four communication patterns that are particularly damaging, which they called the “Four Horsemen of the Relationship Apocalypse”:
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Criticism – attacking your partner’s character rather than addressing a behaviour
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Defensiveness – meeting complaints with counter‑complaints or denial of responsibility
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Contempt – sarcasm, eye‑rolling or speaking with superiority (the strongest predictor of relationship breakdown)
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Stonewalling – shutting down or withdrawing when overwhelmed
While these patterns can erode trust and connection, the Gottmans also discovered that each has a clear antidote. By learning to use gentle start‑ups, take responsibility, express feelings and needs and practice self‑soothing when overwhelmed, couples can transform conflict into opportunities for deeper understanding and closeness.
In our sessions, I’ll help you and your partner:
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Recognise when the Four Horsemen are showing up in your communication
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Learn and practice the antidotes in real time
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Build new habits that strengthen trust, intimacy and emotional safety
The beauty of the Gottman Method is that it’s not about perfection - it’s about awareness, practice and small, consistent changes that make a big difference over time.
How Sessions Work
To give your relationship the best chance of success, I recommend starting with weekly 90-minute sessions. This intensive stage helps you build momentum, learn new skills and begin shifting patterns more effectively.
As progress is made, sessions are gradually spaced out to:
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Fortnightly
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Monthly
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Maintenance check-ins every 6 months
Research by Dr. John Gottman shows that couples who continue with maintenance sessions are far less likely to relapse into old patterns. These ongoing check-ins provide a supportive space to keep your relationship strong and resilient over time.
Coming Soon: In-Person Sessions
I currently offer online counselling Australia-wide, and I’m excited to share that in-person couples sessions will be available soon. This will give you the option to choose the format that feels most comfortable and supportive for your relationship.
A Space for Growth, Not Perfection
Couples counselling isn’t about blame or deciding who’s “right” - it’s about creating a safe space where both partners can feel understood and supported. Together, we’ll work on building healthier patterns, strengthening your bond and moving toward the kind of relationship you both want.
If you’re ready to take the first step, I’d be honoured to walk alongside you on this journey.