Couples Counselling

Maybe you’re feeling unhappy, or downright miserable in your relationship. Perhaps you’re feeling generally okay about your relationship but there is an issue or problematic pattern that you are struggling to overcome. Maybe you just want to make things better than they already are. Couples counselling can help you to navigate through these situations and make your relationship stronger and more satisfying. If you’re in an unhealthy relationship, counselling can help inform and support you in making hard decisions about your involvement in the relationship.

There are many good reasons to try couples counselling, and even couples in a healthy relationship can benefit. Couples counselling isn’t just a final, last-ditch attempt to save a relationship – but also an opportunity for learning and growth to strengthen your relationship.

Couples therapy is a form of psychotherapy applicable to both married partners and non-married partners of any gender or sexual orientation. The duration of therapy depends on the issues being addressed.

Couples are always growing and changing and therefore may face an increasing or evolving number of challenges in their relationship.

These challenges could be in the areas of: sex and intimacy, communication, parenting, stress, anger, alcohol or drug concerns, or infidelity. If you’re willing to address these relationship problems, then you are ready for couples therapy. Typically during your first session, it’s the therapist’s responsibility to set the environment for confidential dialogue, which in turn will enable you to hear each other out, learn effective communication strategies, gain an understanding of what your unique issues may be, and actively work on these issues. This exchange will also enable you to hear what your partner is actually saying. The therapist can also act as a professional mirror or give a third-party perspective.

Couples counselling should not be seen as an opportunity to place blame solely on one partner but rather an opportunity to learn and grow as an individual, and as a partner in the relationship. Couples therapy is a team process requiring teamwork – it’s an investment in your relationship that can improve how you communicate, problem-solve, and express yourself in your partnership.

Insight’s Approach to Couples Counselling

Therapy methods are based on several core principles. It’s crucial that you and your partner acknowledge your respect for one another. You both need to be able to show and feel empathy for each other, as well as tact and accountability.

Couples therapy is done through several methods, such as:

• Gottman couples therapy believes that couples need to be able to work on becoming better friends, learn to manage conflict, and create ways to support each other’s hopes for the future. The foundation of Gottman couples therapy is based on Dr. John and Julie Gottman’s 40+ years of clinical experience and research that is based on interventions and exercises that are structured, goal-oriented and scientifically based.
• Gottman relationship check up is a questionnaire that is composed of 480 questions about friendship, intimacy, emotions, conflict, values, and trust, as well as parenting, housework, finances, individual areas of concern, and more -it’s designed as a tool for use by the therapists at Insight Psychological in a therapeutic setting.
• Emotionally focused therapy is based on observations and experience – it looks at emotions and emotional intelligence, which helps support stronger and more secure relationships by helping better understand how our actions impact others, and

Insight is proud to offer a diverse range of therapists that specialize in Couples Therapy. Contact us today to book your appointment.