My job as your counsellor is to offer a confidential, respectful and non-judgemental environment in which you can both feel safe enough to talk about your relationship. If this safety is established, we can work together to develop your understanding of your relationship by exploring your own and your partner’s needs, thoughts, feelings and behaviours. This can lead to better communication within the relationship.
Clients often ask me “What the difference is between individual and couple counselling?” When working as a couple counsellor “the relationship” is the client. We will focus on your relationship, particularly on the aspects of your relationship that you and your partner feel causes you the greatest difficulties.
Counselling is a collaborative process and I will work equally with both of you, allowing both of you to have your say to help you gain a better understanding of what you are both feeling. Often gaining and understanding of not only what is going on for you but what is going on for your partner, can really help you understand each other better.
Couples can develop patterns of communication within the relationship. In couple counselling we will work collaboratively to help you both become more aware of your patterns of communication, which can often be unhelpful. We can then work together to help you both find more effective ways of communicating with each other.
Although couples initially engaging in couple counselling are often looking at resolving difficulties to help enhance their relationship, on some occasions couples may decide that breaking up is the best option. Couple counselling can also help partners manage the breaking up process. Breaking up can feel very frightening and painful and working with this together with a qualified counsellor can often help both parties navigate a way forward.
If you decide to engage in couple counselling I require a commitment from both of you:
- to commit to attending regular appointments
- to be open about exploring your issues
- to be respectful to other parties
Although when we speak about couple counselling we tend to think this is something for a couple within a romantic relationship however this work can also be helpful for other couples i.e. mother and daughter/son, father and daughter/son, sisters, brothers, etc.