About Us

With her caring and compassionate nature, and unbiased approach, she can give you insight into what dynamics are operating in your relationship, how to create the right balance for you between individuality and togetherness, and how to have an active, vital and fulfilling sex life.

In her Relationship studies, Julie has trained in Family Systems Theory (with David Schnarch and Ellen Badin), Emotional Focus Therapy (with Jenny Fitzgerald), the Gottman Insititute, Relational Life Therapy (with Terry Real), A.C.T (with Russ Harris), the Enneagram (The Enneagram Institute, U.S.with Don Riso & Russ Hudson) along with attending the Couples Conferences in the US.

In Sexual issues Julie has trained with David Schnarch (The Sexual Crucible), David Deida (Sacred Intimacy), Barry McCarthy (Good Enough Sex Model) and Sandra Pertot (Australia’ pre-eminent Clinical Psychologist and Sex Therapist).

Julie has also studied widely on Narcissism and Narcissistic traits and offers help and support to those who need support in dealing with and managing these in both themselves and their partners.

Brendan also works with his clients in the treating of: depression (especially in the context of a relationship), anxiety, PTSD, narcissism, panic disorder, sleep hygiene, anger management and family counselling.

Brendan is enthusiastic, warm and engaging and he values highly the importance of a constructive, nurturing and intimate relationship.

Ruth believes the most important ingredient of any relationship is a shared sense of trust. Trust is the foundation for reliability, dependability, honesty, good faith and intimacy. Her approach to couples counselling explores how to transform impasses in relationships into opportunities for insight, inspiration and growth. Are you being the best you can be?

In addition to appointments for Relationship Counselling & Marriage Counselling, Ruth is also available for Pre-Marriage Counselling, Anger Management, Porn Addiction Counselling, Narcissism Counselling, and Phone and Skype Counselling.

Leanne’s focus is on allowing the individual and couple to express their needs in a safe and nurturing environment.  Her method of counselling includes Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Mindfulness and Motivational Interviewing, often integrating the three to achieve the best outcome based on individual needs.

When working with couples Leanne likes to consider the whole family environment, and will occasionally see the couple individually to work on issues that are presenting within the relationship. This allows for total openness and a space to learn more about your own behaviours without feeling judged or criticised. The aim of relationship counselling is to open communication so as to nurture the relationship and get reacquainted with each other, to find out what our partner needs, and sometimes to also discover exactly what it is that you need.

Read Leanne’s interview about her work here. 

In addition to marriage/relationship counselling Sydney, Leanne is also available for appointments for family counselling,  pre-marriage counselling, sexual difficulties, porn addiction, anger management, narcissism, and phone appointments.

Sharon has a particular interest in assisting couples to explore those matters that are often sensitive or difficult to discuss including sexual problems.  Sharon’s approach to such matters ensures that you can feel comfortable exploring matters of sensitivity without the usual level of distress that typically goes with discussing such issues.

Sharon is passionate about helping people to rebuild strong relationships by helping couples and families to explore and investigate what makes each other feel happy and loved.  She will work with you to help each partner in the relationship recognise how to successfully, and happily, meet each other’s needs so that you can re-kindle that ‘in-love’ feeling once again and heal your relationship.

Whether your relationship is with your spouse, your friend, your partner or your children, Sharon will use her supportive, warm and caring approach to helping each of you understand how to love one another once again so that each partner in the relationship can feel valued, respected, understood and loved.

In addition to Sharon specialising in relationship counselling and seeing clients for sexual difficulties, she also sees clients for pre-marriage counselling, anger management, narcissism and porn addiction.

Most of the people she sees as a psychologist are struggling with anxiety, depression or relationship issues. Often if you are having difficulties in one of these areas, you may also experience problems on another of these areas as well. This is because these problems are usually related, often resulting from past traumatic or painful events in your life.

Regardless of how much pain you are in and how troubled your relationship is, as your couples counsellor, Catherine is committed to helping you improve your relationship.  Couples therapy with Catherine goes beyond “damage control”, she will help you grow as individuals as well as a couple.

If you are like most couples that come to see Catherine for couples or marriage counselling, you can most likely relate to some of the following:  you are not communicating effectively, left feeling frustrated and distressed; trust has vanished from your relationship; stress due to children, work, finances, family pressures or illness is damaging your relationship; one or both of you have contemplated or threatened to leave the relationship; you or your partner has had an affair and you are either reeling in feelings of betrayal, riddled with guilt for what you have done, and/or unsure of how and if you can repair the damage; sexual difficulties like mismatched libidos or erectile dysfunction make you feel unwanted, inadequate and disconnected; one or both of you has had a difficult personal history that makes your relationship dynamic more challenging (e.g. childhood trauma, difficult relationships, depression, anxiety, addiction issues, or mental illness).

Catherine is also available for appointments for Pre-Marriage Counselling, Narcissism, Anger Management, Porn Addiction, and is available for phone and skype appointments.

Catherine has learned that regardless of how stuck and discouraged you feel, there is always a way to overcome your problems. As a counselling psychologist, she provides a unique balance of intellectual and analytical understanding with a deep capacity for empathy. As a result of growing up in Switzerland and studying in Germany, she also is able to do therapy in German.

Gabriela integrates therapeutic modalities depending on the needs of her clients, and the necessity of the therapy process. Her work is supported by 9 year’s work in the public and private sector.

Gabriela works with clients with narcissism issues, same sex couselling, pre marriage couselling and families.  She has a special interest in treating pre/post -natal depression and eating disorders.

Jeanne believes relationships are so important. We are born into a relationship (the mother-child relationship) and we are programmed to attach ourselves to others, to want to give and receive love, and to expect that throughout our lives. We are social beings.

No matter how strong we are as individuals we will cope better and be more resilient if we have the support and love of one or more significant others.

And yet in our culture, with its emphasis on individual achievement and competitiveness, there is a lot of loneliness and difficulty in forming and maintaining relationships. Many people can benefit from a helping hand in this area…She believes that most people have the capacity to find healing in themselves and to make better relationships… if only they can access the help that they need.

In addition to relationship/marriage counselling Sydney and pre-marriage counselling, Jeanne provides assistance for porn addiction and narcissism.

Julia is skilled in using the Myers Briggs Type Indicator as a platform for couples to work through differences and to value the gifts each brings to the relationship. She is dynamic in her approach and empowers people to take responsibility for their own happiness.

Julia believes that all people have the right to seek happiness and fulfillment in their personal and work lives and that everyone at times needs support and help to find clarity, purpose and healing along their way. With sensitivity and a touch of humour at times, Julia encourages people to take responsibility for their life and choices, empowering them to explore new directions and make positive changes. 

Ros focuses on assisting couples to identify barriers to healthy, mutually nurturing relationships and to develop alternative patterns of interaction. Her experience in adult mental health equips her to help partners in narcissistic relationships regain their confidence and self-respect. She is especially sensitive to the unique issues faced by same-sex and cross-cultural couples.

As a family therapist and family mediator, Ros is familiar with the issues involved in separation and divorce, re-partnering and blended families. She offers family counselling on these issues, among others. Ros is also sensitive to male depression, which is often misjudged as irritability and anger, especially in the context of marital breakdown.

Ros believes that the fast pace of modern life makes it too easy for couples to forget the important principles of a healthy relationship: CODE; Compassion, Openness, Depth, Equality. Her gentle, caring and compassionate approach will help you make the desired positive changes you choose for your life and your relationship. Other areas of interest and areas of expertise include depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, recovery from sexual abuse, workcover and education.

Ros offers counselling via Skype or phone, in circumstances where face to face counselling is too difficult to arrange.

Ros has a doctorate in education and in addition to her private practice, is also a researcher at the university. She has also co-authored the book ‘A Girl’s Education’.

Read our interview with Ros about the marriage and relationship counselling she offers here.

When Ros is not at work, she enjoys a busy lifestyle with her partner and their children.

Andrea is experienced in providing counselling and interventions to both individuals and couples across a number of issues including the following:  Couples/relationship and marriage counselling, anger management counselling, pre-marriage counselling, sexuality and sex therapy, narcissism, all areas of mental illness, abuse, trauma and grief, and addictions.

Andrea believes in providing a safe and respectful environment for both opposite and same sex couples, at any stage of their relationship. In order for positive and healthy outcomes to be achieved for each individual, she assists couples to build on their strengths and improve their skills in listening, communication and connection. Andrea is friendly, professional and takes care to ensure counselling services are tailored to the needs of her clients.

Sessions are available face to face, over the telephone or Skype depending on your preferences.

At the heart of David’s therapeutic approach is respect and a desire to be relevant and useful for the couple. Respect for each individual is paramount and the aim is to help the individual build workable strategies for themselves and the relationship. With many couples who find themselves stuck there are important underlying emotional problems. To help work through these emotionally focused therapy is the most useful. The object of the therapy is to harness the strengths that the client already possesses. This “strength based” approach is vital to making the most of the therapy experience and ensuring a process of continuing growth.

David is happy to help with a range of difficulties from anger management, porn addiction and substance abuse through to issues concerning physical intimacy. David bases his approach on compassion and understanding. The pathway through to a better future for many individuals and couples requires establishing core values and a clear vision of goals, Working through difficult emotions, assumptions, expectations and “history” is important for most couples.

The goal of therapy is to help couples who value their relationship and want to make it work better. Based on his experience he knows this is possible and is positively supportive of any couple that takes the courageous (and wise) step of seeking help. He starts from the position that the relationship is something of great value and as long as it is not destructive for either party can be the most important vehicle for personal fulfillment. David has written a number of articles for medical professionals on the importance of relationships and the importance reaching out to men. David is available for regular sessions as well as telephone and Skype consultations.

David regularly gets positive feedback. In particular his approach may suit those who have found other approaches less solution focussed than they would like. His approach aims to meet clients where they are at. As this is usually in a crisis he aims to establish a plan quite quickly by identifying the key issues and what is need to stabilise the relationship until more long lasting strategies can be applied. He will provide more structure than many clients have experienced in the past and guide clients carefully matching the pacing and direction to their needs.

Read our interview with David about the marriage counselling and relationship counselling he offers here.

‘It is in the struggle for a better us that I become a better me.’

You will be surprised at how easily you can address and navigate any issue or areas of concern as Rebecca guides you through scenarios ranging from individual problems to those of the couple, the family, the peer group and the workplace. Rebecca specialises in relationship counselling helping couples to reconnect through improving communication and sexual relations and also by taking a fresh look at your relationship strengths.    Whether it is finding solutions to common sexual problems, coming back from the brink of separation or getting your needs met in the relationship, Rebecca can help.

Rebecca also has a broad range of experience with the following issues that may be impacting upon your relationship:  anger and domestic violence, porn addiction and sexual dysfunction, narcissism and other problematic personality disorders/traits, history of sexual abuse.  She is also available for pre-marriage counselling, and can offer phone appointments if necessary.

Rebecca’s unique strategic approach and methods of intervention can bring about remarkable swift, effective and lasting solutions to a whole range of human challenges.  Drawing from many different methodologies the like of Generative NLP, Strategic Family Therapy, Psychotherapy, Hypnosis and Organisational psychology Rebecca can tailor a personalised intervention plan responsive to your particular needs.

Rebecca provides a safe, respectful and collaborative space to explore your concerns and ultimately develop strategies to overcome obstacles in order for you to realise your full potential both personally and in all your valued relationships.

Her areas of interest include building resiliency to stress, promoting better coping skills, increasing effective communication and problem solving skills.  She has particular expertise in the psychological management of stress and relationships.

Annette’s strengths include strong intuition, the ability to engage and challenge clients, to get to the heart of self-limiting beliefs, and to work creatively with clients to support them in making the desired changes they choose for their lives and their relationships.

Beverley offers a safe and confidential space where relationships and patterns of behaviour can be gently explored. Beverley is an experienced relationships counsellor, with same sex, gay or heterosexual relationships. She is familiar with the dynamics of families, inlaws and stepfamilies.  If during therapy one or both of you discover that the emotional switch has been turned off and the decision is taken to separate, therapy can help sort out this process especially when there are children involved.

Beverley specialises in relationship counselling and can also provide infertility counselling. When an individual or couple have been diagnosed with infertility this can cause stress and despair. Beverley has experience and expertise acquired from many years of  working with fertility professionals in Sydney. She will provide information on different treatment options available to individuals and couples so that they can make an informed choice that will suit their needs. Counselling provides a space where a couple can learn how they can nurture their relationship during fertility treatment.

When an individual or couple are advised that their best option is to use donor sperm, donor oocytes or donor embryos, counselling is an informative way of ensuring that all parties are on the same page as far as hopes and expectations are concerned both before and after treatment.

A major life change occurs when a couple have a baby, even when the baby has been planned parenthood can cause a lot of joy but also a lot of stress. This is especially a difficulty when couples want to conform to a high standard and take a baby’s restlessness or crying as a sign that they are not fulfilling their role. The experience of parenthood can cause a couple to disagree and argue. The lack of uniformity on expectations around parenting might polarise a couple. It is useful at this time to attend counselling where the norms of parenting and different views and values are thoroughly addressed.

As well as Sydney relationship counselling and porn addiction, Beverley also offers pre-marriage counselling.

We all want our lives to be fulfilling and meaningful as an individual. As a couple part of this fulfillment comes from a relationship that has sustained love, passion and mutual respect. Given the challenges we are subjected to in modern life we often fall into dysfunctional patterns of managing ourselves in our relationships which can result in levels of unhappiness or dissatisfaction. The ability to turn this negative dysfunctional pattern around, and to embrace a new and healthier way to relate as a couple is truly exciting, giving new hope for a different and more rewarding future.

Sarah finds it a privilege to be able to step into the lives of couples in trouble, and assist them to find insight, address issues, explore new ways of doing things and above all, reach a new understanding of yourselves which will allow positive changes in your relationship.

As well as relationship counselling and marriage counselling, Sarah is available for appointments for pre-marriage counselling, sexual difficulties, porn addiction, narcissism and anger management.  For those clients unable to attend the clinic, Sarah has facilities for phone and skype appointments.

Angelica is also interested in helping people with low self-esteem, childhood trauma, and personality difficulties.

As a wife and mother of two children, Angelica encourages self-acceptance and self-compassion towards a more meaningful and satisfying life. She uses a warm, professional, and committed approach to her clients.

In addition to her 12 year’s experience in the public and private sectors, Angelica is a published researcher, has presented at many conferences, and supervised intern psychologists.

Angelica’s couples are encouraged to use homework exercises she provides to actively engage with one another to increase the benefits of therapy work. She regularly suggests specific exercises, books, readings, games etc.

Angelica is available for appointments relating to relationship and marriage counselling in Sydney, pre-marriage counselling, sexual difficulties, problematic pornography use, anger management, narcissism, and phone and skype appointments.

Understanding that people may seek relationship counselling for a range of reasons, Stuart’s first task is to help each individual clarify his or her goals. He attends to the health and wellbeing of each individual in the relationship and does not assume that one or both people want to stay together. If both parties do, Stuart helps them explore the strengths and weaknesses of the relevant aspects of the relationship. These may include communication and conflict management, fairness and power, trust and commitment, managing personality differences or individual mental health concerns, aspects of intimacy, and managing external stressors on the relationship such as finances, parenting, extended family, work, health, fertility issues and addictions. Within the counselling sessions, Stuart fosters mature, respectful and constructive conversations to help the couple communicate and problem-solve more effectively in the ‘real world’.

Click here to read our interview with Stuart about the marriage counselling and relationship counselling services he offers.

In addition to relationship/marriage counselling, Stuart is also available for Pre-Marriage Counselling and Anger Management.

Cherie has always held a strong interest and value in relationships and enjoys working alongside couples as they gain insight into their process, consider their own and their partner’s wants and needs, make choices and learn new ways of approaching familiar situations to bring about the changes that they hope for.  She can help with negative emotional patterns, communication and conflict, family disputes, and a wide range of sexual problems, including orgasm disorders and porn addiction.

Cherie enjoys all aspects of her psychological practice and also offers individual therapy for adults. She has special interest and experience in treating the effects of trauma and working with adults healing the scars of earlier difficult life experiences. She has experience working with a range of areas including: fertility problems, grief and loss, anxiety, depression, life planning, and life transitions.

Cherie has trained in and uses: family systems therapy, couple counselling, Hakomi (Body Centred Psychotherapy and Mindfulness), CBT, Self Psychology, ACT and Schema Therapy.

As well as providing Sydney relationship counselling, Cherie is also available for pre-marriage counselling, appointment relating to narcissism, and phone and skype counselling.

Peter draws upon personal training and clinical experience with relationships to answer this question. He helps you to diagnose your situation with creative counselling which will highlight all the important aspects of your relationship. Whether these issues relate to emotion, such as anger; personality issues, such as narcissism; human issues, such as sex and sexuality; family issues relating to parenting; mental health issues, like anxiety and depression; or, personal issues around conflict or relationship skills, Peter can offer sensible, practical, and reliable guidance, which will help you make your own decisions.

To read our interview with Peter about the relationship and marriage counselling services he offers, click here.

Peter’s services are available in his own dedicated, personal, and homely counselling consulting room, or by Skype or telephone.

She empowers clients through developing new ways of thinking and doing to better manage unhelpful reactions and to make wise decisions about the future.

As part of her private practice she also works part-time for an employee assistance company helping employees of large organisations address work and personal issues.

She is also a trained hypnotherapist and qualified and experienced careers counsellor.

In addition to relationship/marriage counselling, Kaye is also available for Pre-Marriage Counselling and Family Counselling.

With a background in education, Gloria has worked with children and families, as well as adults and couples.  Having lived and worked overseas, Gloria has experienced many different cultures, faiths and lifestyles, contributing to a rich background for exploring different perspectives with a broad, open approach.

Gloria’s interest in couple work was initially sparked by observations of the significant influence on children of a happy and stable relationship between their parents, and the tragic outcome on all, when the dream turns sour.  More specifically, Gloria gets much pleasure and satisfaction of seeing couples in therapy grow in understanding each other’s perspective and working through difficulties together.  As individuals, each blossoms when their couple relationship becomes more nurturing, fun and fulfilling.  Appreciating the significance of this dynamic between two committed people has made Gloria dedicated to continue her work and commitment to this most significant of relationships.  Gloria uses an eclectic approach in counselling, with mainly evidence-based interventions.

Gloria also is available for appointments for Anger Management, Narcissism, and Pre-Marriage Counselling.

Issues such as anger management, difficult personality factors (including narcissism), depression and anxiety, also contribute to relationship problems.  Rosemary addresses these factors as they arise.  Rosemary also offers same sex couple counselling, and pre-marriage counselling.

In her work, Rosemary aims to help people to identify and communicate their needs, understand the emotions that manifest as psychological pain, and to work towards clarity, acceptance, and compassion in their relationships with others, and also with themselves.

Rosemary draws on therapeutic tools such as CBT, Mindfulness, ACT, and Interpersonal Psychotherapy.  Sessions are available in person at her Auchenflower rooms, or via telephone or Skype by arrangement.

Maria is experienced in working with children, adolescents, adults and couples. Her experience includes working with a range of diverse issues.  These include depression, anxiety, phobias, self-esteem, trauma, work-related stresses, parenting issues, relationship difficulties, separation, divorce, and grief and loss issues.  Key models in her approach to counseling include Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness, Solution- Focused Therapy, Interpersonal Psychotherapy, Exposure Therapy and Emotion-focused therapy for relationships.

Read Maria’s interview about her work here. 

Maria believes that the fundamental key to successful relationships is being able to communicate effectively.  She enjoys helping her clients identify and change the unhelpful and sometimes destructive patterns and behaviours in their relationships.  She is passionate about facilitating personal growth in every individual and in empowering them to find hope, strength and resilience no matter what their history.  Maria’s warmth and valuable life experiences enables her to relate easily and empathically to clients from diverse backgrounds.  Her ability to develop a genuine, respectful and collaborative relationship with clients greatly assists in achieving positive therapeutic outcomes.  Maria is married with 2 teenage children.

CBT is an evidence-based treatment that aims to address the link between emotions, behaviours and thinking and is effective in treating many conditions – including, anger, anxiety, mood, personality, eating and psychotic disorders. MBCT is a form of CBT that is proving to be a powerful therapy for personal transformation and healing through learning to overcome painful emotions and is particularly useful for addressing depression, anxiety and panic attacks, grief and loss, sleep disturbances, chronic illness, trauma and grief and loss. SFBT is a form of therapy that focuses on the solutions rather than the problems, with a goal of reaching relief as quickly as possible.

Dianne also has experience and training working with children and adolescents with particular behavioural difficulties, including Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Conduct Disorder, Attention Deficit disorders and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. This experience and training includes working with children, adolescents and adults with intellectual disabilities and pervasive developmental disorders.

Dianne is also an accredited practitioner for the Triple P Positive Parenting Program^®, an evidence-based program focussing on family intervention – with a goal to help parents with their parenting skills and to build positive relationships with their children.

Dianne uses a combination of these therapies when working with couples who are experiencing a troubled relationship, using both behavioural and emotional approaches.  She provides Sydney couples counselling, pre-marriage counselling, anger management and narcissism counselling.

With children & young adolescents she can assist by helping parents to explore and learn strategies to emotion coach their children which will in turn help children to learn to manage and regulate emotions such as anger, fear and sadness. Working with individuals, Vivienne will assist clients to work through concerns arising out of transition & change, dealing with bullying & peer issues.

Vivienne’s counselling orientation includes cognitive behavioural and emotional focused approaches. She draws on perspectives on attachment and family dynamics to understand the patterns of behaviour impacting on relationships, as well as positive psychology, with the aim of assisting clients to achieve satisfaction and fulfilment in life. Vivienne has an interest in mindfulness as a means to gaining insight into ourselves and managing stress & anxiety. She is driven by the belief that her role in the counselling process is to assist clients to gain the life skills that will empower them to manage their challenges & relationships, as well as celebrate their achievements and blessings.

Vivienne is available for appointments for Relationship Counselling, Marriage Counselling, Family Counselling, Pre-Marriage Counselling and Anger Management.

Deborah has a keen interest in working with couples and families and believes that good relationships can be central to one’s psychological and physical wellbeing.

She is particularly passionate and committed to assisting couples develop skills and resilience to tackle life problems and work towards addressing the needs of each individual as well as the needs of the couple. She has a special interest in sexual intimacy, trust, conflict and communication issues. Deborah works with couples towards achieving realistic and wise decisions about their relationship.

Her warm, caring approach and respectful non-judgmental manner validates her deep belief in engaging with her clients and developing a trusting, safe and collaborative environment.

Deborah uses evidence – based psychology to improve the wellbeing of young people and adults.  Her approach incorporates cognitive-behavioural therapy, solution focused therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy as well as elements of mindfulness and positive psychology.

Read Deborah’s interview about her work here.

Deborah is available for appointments for Sydney Marriage Counselling, Relationship Counselling, Family Counselling, Sexual Difficulties, Porn Addiction, Narcissism, Pre-Marriage Counselling, Phone Appointments and Skype Appointments.

Charley has a calming effect and knows when to be warm and when to be more direct. She has the flexibility to be different ways with different people. She uses stories and anecdotes to help you understand concepts or to let you know she has a deeper insight into your experiences. She is results-driven and uses therapies that are both powerful, safe and based on scientific evidence.

Charley will take you on a journey of self-exploration, investigation, reflection, offering different perspectives and to help you see things in a new light or things as you haven’t seen before. If you’re ready for positive change in your life and ready to try new things, she will gladly guide you on your path.

She deals with a wide range of issues, specialising in relationship counselling.  Charley also sees clients for parenting, helping couples to reconnect after an affair, addressing imbalances in relationships, reduce arguments and fighting by helping with more effective ways to address difficult issues, porn addiction or porn issues, sex therapy, pre-marriage counselling, anger, depression, anxiety, stress, sleep, grief and loss.

She also has a special interest in adolescents and trauma and has helped many overcome later obstacles created by childhood or adolescent sexual or physical abuse. Due to her insight into couples, she sometimes brings up your issues before you do.

Read our interview with Charley about the relationship counselling and marriage counselling she offers here.

Charley is caring and passionate about helping people to reach their potential. She provides a safe and supportive environment in which clients can process distressing emotions and learn new skills to lead healthier, happier, more fulfilling lives.

She is available for Skype sessions for out-of-town clients.

She has a special interest in individual and relationship counselling and seeing clients with sexual difficulties.  Kathrine understands that relationships are rarely smooth sailing and that with some knowledge you can create the relationship that you really want, or move on in the least stressful way if this is the direction you wish to take.

In addition to seeing clients for relationship counselling and sexual difficulties, Kathrine is also available for appointments relating to Pre-Marriage Counselling, Anger Management, Narcissism, Porn Addiction, and is also available for phone/skype appointments if needed.

Kathrine is a warm and caring person, who will listen to both sides without judgement or bias, and will give you practical steps to ensure you both realise your full potential individually and in your relationship.

At the core of her approach, Trish promotes the interest of the relationship. Differences may not always be resolved but accepted as part of respecting each other and prioritising the needs of the relationship.

Both individuals and all couples seeking relationship support will benefit from her years of experience and training by the world’s leading relationship experts such as Dr John Gottman. Trish utilises evidence-based approaches to develop an individualised treatment approach.

Typical issues that she sees contributing to relationship disharmony are communication, finances, sex, parenting, trust and extended family.

Trisha has worked in not for profit and government organisations within an employee assistance model for over a decade. She has a wealth of experience working with workplace issues including work stress, rehabilitation, bullying and harassment. Her areas of interest are Depression and Anxiety, Grief and Loss, Separation and Addiction work.

She works with individuals to progress towards their goals in a supportive and empathetic manner. Using a solution-focussed, strengths based framework, clients find positive approaches to address the presenting issue as well as practical strategies to manage the situation, whatever it may be.

She is trained in CBT, ACT, IPT and Motivational Interviewing. However will develop interventions based on the individual client’s way of operating, tailoring strategies to the client’s learning style.

Other areas of interest are in addictions, depression and anxiety, stress and grief and loss.

Trisha offers phone and Skype consultations for clients who are unable to attend the clinic.

David’s primary focus and professional interest has been in stress and anxiety management (including PTSD), Anger Management and on Relationships (including Sex Therapy).  He has had specialised training in Couples counselling, Mediation/Conflict Resolution and in Life Coaching.  David’s counselling approach is client-centred and based on Solution-oriented Brief Therapy framework, and his therapeutic modalities include CBT, EMDR, NLP, Hypnotherapy  (and others).

David’s philosophy is to facilitate personal growth by eliminating emotional obstacles (e.g. childhood traumas), identifying inner strengths and resources, and building on these to encourage, empower and enable the person to be all they can be.  In relationship counselling, David’s aim is for a couple to build together the most fulfilling and satisfying relationship possible, one that lasts and is able to adjust to and withstand changing situations and stages of life.  David will often work with partners individually (to help them address and resolve their personal issues that adversely impact on their relationship) before proceeding with joint Relationship Counselling.  David values his work with couples because he appreciates the significant impact (both positive and negative) that couples can have on people around them (children, families, social networks, work places and communities).

As well as relationship counselling and sexual counselling, David is available for Pre-marriage counselling, porn addiction and narcissism.

Over the past 18 years Tony has earned himself a reputation of working collaboratively with clients in a friendly, warm and understanding manner. His caring, compassionate and empathic nature coupled with his overall light-hearted approach make him very easy to talk to about any issue. Over the years Tony has gained significant skills in assisting individuals and couples experiencing difficulties with: Anger; Anxiety; Communication; Conflict Resolution; Depression; Infidelity; Internet Pornography; Relationship Issues, Same-Sex Attraction / Relationships; Self-esteem and Violence.

Tony is a qualified Cognitive Behaviour Therapist and Clinical Ego State Therapist. He also draws on other approaches including: Family; Narrative and Solution Focussed Therapies.

Tony’s motto ‘working towards better mental health’ is underpinned by his belief that one of his key roles is to meet his clients where they are at. This allows him to gain an appreciation and understanding of their situation. He then helps them understand their own thoughts and behaviours and collaboratively develops mutually agreed tailored interventions aimed at positive behavioural change.

Some of the goals that Tony sets collaboratively with his clients are about: honesty and accountability; open communication; negotiation and fairness; economic partnership; shared responsibility; shared power; respect and trust; support; non-threatening behaviour; intimacy; physical affection and personal integrity.

Some of the results clients can achieve after working with Tony include: feeling better about themselves, their partner and their relationship; communicating better; being better able to resolve issues as they arise;  resolving past issues and looking forward to a better future; feeling once again that they want to be in their relationship and having their ‘spark’ re-ignited.

Tony is a full Member of the: Australian Psychological Society; Psychology Board of Australia; Australian Association for Cognitive Behaviour Therapy; Australasian Ego State Therapy Association and Australian Division of Independent Professional Practice.

Tony feels that people ‘inviting him to be a guest’ in their lives in their time of need, is a privilege which he finds professionally and personally humbling.

Joe provides a supportive, safe and caring environment. He has an eclectic approach to therapy, with skills in a number of therapeutic techniques including: Interpersonal Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

In relationship counselling Joe provides an accommodating client focused approach to working through the personal, interpersonal and emotional issues bought into the room by the couples he works with.

Read our Interview with Joe here.

Joe is also available for Anger Management, Porn Addiction and Narcissism and is available for phone or skype sessions for clients who are unable to attend the clinic.

Together with couple counselling, Joanne is experienced in other problems:  Depression and anxiety, anger management, narcissism, pre-marriage issues, family therapy, trauma, aspergers and related syndromes, pain management, sexual difficulties and porn addiction.  Sometimes some of these problems can, and do, impact on couples and it is important to work out the ways in which such difficulties may have affected a relationship.

Joanne has been in private practice for 12 years and prior to that worked in a Family and Relationship agency that focused on couple therapy.  She is also trained in family mediation, conflict management and hypnosis.

Joanne has found recently that skype and phone counselling can be an excellent alternative for individuals or couples who live in remote locations or for reasons of time or privacy would prefer to experience counselling online.

Sylvia draws from her cognitive behavioural training and is mindful of the importance of tailoring therapy to the individual client needs.

As a parent in a busy home Sylvia understands the challenges many couples face in managing their own lives and providing a stable home for their children.

Sylvia believes communication and honesty are vital in building a loving relationship, and that through supportive counselling the most challenging relationships can succeed and grow.

With her openness to the developmental transitions within families, she brings rich insight and collaboration to the emergence of new meanings for couples and assists them in the creation of a rich, full and meaningful lived experience. Her philosophical stance reflects an exposure to a wide range of approaches, and this is used to create a non-judgemental, open and accepting space within the counselling environment.

Elizabeth understands that many couples who come into counselling are discouraged about the direction their relationships have taken, feel hopeless about making changes, and can be accusatory and blaming toward their partner for the state of their relationship.  They have seen this result in an increased defensiveness on the part of each partner. Elizabeth’s commitment to the couple relationship is paramount in assisting the couple to view their dilemma as an opportunity to develop new alternatives in their relationship which allow them to stop struggling, reconcile their differences and enhance their relationship.

In addition to relationship/marriage counselling, Elizabeth is also available Pre-Marriage Counselling, Anger Management, appointments relating to Narcissism, and is available for phone and skype appointments if necessary.

She particularly loves working with couples and families, as she feels that having healthy relationships is essential to our overall happiness. Melanie has experience working with a variety of issues that couples and families face, such as communication breakdown and conflict, infidelity and issues with trust, achieving a satisfying sex life, separation and joining of families, and even to explore how to re-ignite the ‘spark’ in a romantic relationship.

Currently also working as a Coaching Psychologist and Educator, Melanie works from a solution-focused approach and uses tools from Positive Psychology, Narrative Therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to guide individuals and couples to get to where they want to be in their lives.

Read Melanie’s interview about her work here.

One of her key strengths is her ability to foster a non-judgmental environment to explore these challenges for couples and individuals, allowing for the safety and trust necessary for a productive counselling dynamic.

She particularly loves working with couples and families, as she feels that having healthy relationships is essential to our overall happiness. Melanie has experience working with a variety of issues that couples and families face, such as communication breakdown and conflict, infidelity and issues with trust, achieving a satisfying sex life, separation and joining of families, and even to explore how to re-ignite the ‘spark’ in a romantic relationship.

Melanie specialises in individual and Relationship Counselling in Sydney and has worked as a registered Psychologist for over 16 years, in a variety of public and private settings.  She has previously worked as a college guidance counsellor with children, teenagers, and their families, and understands the busy lifestyles many families lead in today’s day and age. For these reasons she facilitates Skype and phone sessions if face-to-face sessions are not possible.

Read Melanie’s interview about her work here.

Melanie provides relationship counselling in sydney, as well as pre-marriage counselling, narcissism counselling and porn addiction counselling.

Dearne uses different therapeutic approaches depending on the individual’s needs.  These include: Person Centred, Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Solution Focused and Transactional Analysis.

In addition to her special interest in relationship counselling, her experience in private practice includes supporting people in crisis or at risk, as well as their families and friends, treatment of grief and loss, depression, anxiety, pregnancy issues & post and antenatal depression.

Dearne has a very supportive and caring nature and sees clients from the Mona Vale Office.  She provides sydney relationship counselling, as well as pre-marriage counselling, anger management, porn addiction and narcissism counselling.

Korey commenced working with couples in 1993 while on a placement with Relationships Australia.  Since this time Korey has continued to undertake specialist training in working with couples.  In particular Korey has been interested in understanding how best to assist couples when there has been a significant traumatic or hurtful event.

Areas she has recently received further training include: Clinical Hypnosis and Emotionally Focused Therapy for couples.  Korey is currently working towards becoming a certificated emotionally focused couple therapist .  At present Korey is under taking training with the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy to achieve this.

Korey has studied in several areas of the social sciences. She holds the following degrees: Honours B. Soc. Sc. (Pysch.); Graduate Degree in Psychology; Bachelor of SocialWork; Bachelor of Education; Graduate Diploma in Counselling and a Master of Counselling.  Korey is a Registered Psychologist & Clinical Social Worker.

Kellie has a very caring and respectful nature and has experience using a range of therapeutic approaches depending on the client’s need (eg. systemic therapy, mindfulness, solution-focused therapy, emotionally focused couple therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy).  She is passionate about assisting individuals, couples and families overcome their relationship difficulties and achieve more fulfilling, healthy and loving ways of relating with each other.  She provides a safe and non-judgemental environment for clients to identify and explore their relationship issues and individual needs. Kellie focuses on providing practical skills to work through these issues, such as improved communication and conflict resolution skills, for personal growth and enabling relationships to grow in more positive ways.

In addition to counselling, Kellie also works in Indigenous Affairs and has a personal interest in improving the health, social and emotional wellbeing of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

Kellie sees clients out of the Caringbah Office for relationship and marriage counselling in Sydney, pre-marriage counselling and family counselling.

Cristina has over ten years of experience in providing a variety of evidence-based techniques and therapeutic approaches such as CBT and Psychodynamic Therapy. Her approach to support counselling is caring and empathic.

In addition to working in private practice, Cristina is also a lecturer and researcher. She teaches several psychology units (postgraduate and masters levels) at Australian College of Applied Psychology and University of Sydney. In the corporative setting, Cristina has worked as a cultural consultant in several countries focusing on expatriates stages of adaptation. Her PhD thesis was on expatriates’ strategies of integration in Australia, and she particularly looked into intermarriages and conflict resolution styles during adaptation. As an academic, Cristina has presented several papers in international conferences and published several book chapters and peer-reviewed papers in renowned journals. Cristina speaks English, German, Portuguese and Spanish.

Cristina provides couples counselling in Sydney, as well as pre-marriage counselling, anger management and narcissism counselling.

Ann-Marie joined the Psychology profession following a successful career in banking. Hence she brings a solid understanding of workplace issues and how work stress/change can impact a relationship.

Ann-Marie uses a range of therapeutic interventions and tailors her approach to the needs of the individual and or couple. While being supportive and compassionate, Ann-Marie is practical and grounded with the intent of promoting empathy, insight and sustainable behaviour change.

Married with two children, Ann-Marie enjoys the challenge of living what she encourages about work/life balance.

Ann-Marie can do phone or skype sessions

Natascha has a very gentle, caring, warm and calm nature that assists her in working with both individuals, and people struggling in a relationship to work towards being a healthier individual within that relationship or family. She tailors her approach for each client depending on what it is the client hopes to gain from participating in therapy.

Having trained directly under the tutelage of Drs John & Julie Gottman in the Gottman Couples Therapy Method, Cheryl utilises an up-to-date, evidence-based approach to her work with clients whilst drawing upon other key relationship therapies including emotion-focused, attachment, cognitive-behavioural and psycho-dynamic.  Importantly, Cheryl’s understanding of the connection between psychological experiences (for example depression, anxiety and anger) and relational problems provides Cheryl with a holistic perspective to gently, but effectively, support individuals and couples to understand and manage their emotional pain.

As a registered psychologist and relationship coach, Cheryl has supported individuals and couples  to repair and/or enhance their relationships at all stages of life including:  pre-marriage; transitioning into parenting-hood or blended families; re-partnering and rebuilding after separation;  recovering from an affair;  or working to reconnect and renew the ‘spark’ that brought them together in the first place.  To this end, Cheryl has worked extensively in coaching clients with communication skills, assertiveness coaching, and anger management.  A shared exploration of differing perspectives and the introduction of new psychological and relational strategies have been empirically shown to re-establish hope, even in what feels like a grid-locked position over long-term, seemingly unsolvable issues.

Cheryl is an associate member of the Australian Psychological Society and is recognised as a leading practitioner in the field of marriage and relationship counselling.  She has served on several community bodies including the editorial advisory board of ‘Threshold’ (Australia’s leading journal of marriage and relationship education), the national committee of Marriage and Relationship Educators’ Association of Australia (MAREAA), and as a senior manager and psychologist in one of Victoria’s largest not-for-profit relationship counselling agencies.  Cheryl welcomes telephone and skype counselling for clients who prefer these modalities, or are unable to personally attend face-to-face sessions.

It is of particular interest to Ann to work with people who want to improve their relationships. This has seen her help many couples improve their communication, resolve long-standing disagreements, overcome struggles with sex and intimacy, or ‘simply’ reconnect after having drifted apart. Ann’s interest in relationship work extends beyond romantic relationships to include extended family relationships, relationships at work, friendships and so on. She has also worked with individuals and successfully helped them deal with depression, anxiety, loss and grief, anger, narcissism, indecision, and troubles related to work and career, to name a few. Finally, Ann has led many group programs that have helped people to improve their self-awareness, particularly in the corporate sector.

Ann likes to partner with her clients and engage them in decisions around the areas of focus, the duration of the work, how progress will be reviewed, and what success looks like. In this way, Ann’s clients are active participants in the therapeutic process and ultimately, in their own healing.  Ann achieves this with clients via face-to-face, SKYPE-based, and telephone-based meetings.

Having worked as a psychologist for many years, Ann keeps up to date with the practice and application of current psychological techniques. She effectively translates what is known about human psychology into effective practice, tailoring it to the individual needs of her clients so that they understand it as it relates to them and can take it with them into the future.

Having trained in Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy at Curtin University of Western Australia and studied Family Therapy and Family Research at University of Colorado, Boulder, USA, the approach Deborah uses is evidence based and identifies emotion as the most important factor in adult attachment and the way couples bond.  There is an emphasis on the way in which partners connect emotionally and when in distressing patterns how they can be helped to reconnect to build stronger bonds.  Deborah also draws from other therapies such as psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioural, in addressing and working through individual factors that also impact on our relationship with ourselves and partner.

Deborah can assist with communication difficulties and the management of conflict, intimacy issues both physical and emotional, reconnecting after an affair, and issues to do with power and control.  She is also aware of the many and varied challenges faced by couples across the life span and can assist couples through difficult developmental transitions such as having children, coping with ageing, illness, and the blended family.

Within a confidential, safe and supportive environment Deborah can help you to work through your relationship issues and help you to achieve a deeper connection with your significant other.

Throughout the years her special interest has been in working with couples. She has spent many years involved in pre-marriage education, providing seminars and workshops for couples, and focusing her professional development on relationship counselling.

She has been married for 20 years and has 2 teenage children. Her own personal experiences have helped enormously in understanding the joys and challenges of being in a relationship. She has a passion to see them work, a passion to help couples and families remain together, a passion to provide for couples and families the support they need in an environment which in so many ways can be hostile and challenging for modern families.

Gale enjoys assisting in all types of relationship concerns including friendships, family members and co-workers.

Gale also has a strong interest in physical health and psychology, mindfulness and stress management and can incorporate these types of strategies within the relationship counselling.

Emma has a particularly strong interest in both individual and relationship counselling and is passionate about assisting couples become more adaptive by helping each person understand the other’s needs, improving communication styles, practicing conflict resolution and assertiveness skills and promoting strengths within the relationship.

Emma currently manages her own allied health practice and embraces a holistic approach to mental wellness. Emma is available for consultation after hours and welcomes face-to-face counselling as well as telephone and Skype counselling.

Working with you as an individual, she can help in the areas of: anxiety, trauma, grief and loss, addictions, depression, anger, stress management and self-esteem.

Karina has a flexible, down to earth and compassionate approach and is effective at getting to the cause of the problems and drawing on a range of evidence based interventions to assist in therapy. She draws on a number of therapeutic modalities including: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Schema Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Ego State Therapy frameworks. For over 20 years Karina has been using Hypnosis to assist in changing behaviour, symptoms, and attitudes for issues/problems.

She can help couples and individuals who:

• Feel resentment or anger building due to unresolved differences
• Experience chronic misunderstanding or confusion about their relationship
• Are in high conflict relationships
• Are in crisis
• Experience feelings of betrayal due to infidelity
• Experience emotional or verbal abuse
• Are dealing with a controlling spouse
• Feel traumatic relationship histories are impacting on their current relationships
• Feel lonely and hopeless about their future
• Are having difficulty communicating

Karina is a graduate of University of Sydney (NSW), Griffith University (Gold Coast, QLD) and Bond University (Gold Coast, QLD).She has worked in Mental Health, Corrections, Sexual Health, Employment Services and Work Rehabilitation companies. Karina has been in private practice for 24 years.

Melissa is enthusiastic, friendly and warm, and believes in providing a safe and respectful environment to support couples and individuals in achieving the nurturing and intimate relationship they desire. She focuses on developing skills to improve communication and resolve barriers in relationships. Having worked with families overseas, Melissa is passionate about supporting all cultures, and has a particular interest in supporting families and individuals struggling with parenting and those involved in separation and divorce. Sessions are available face to face or telephone counselling in circumstances where face to face counselling is too difficult to arrange.

Dr. Sanja has been a registered psychologist in Melbourne since 1993, with AHPRA endorsement as a counselling psychologist, and has worked in the acute and community mental health services.  In the last fifteen years she has also worked in the addiction field managing Gamblers Help Southern- the largest standalone problem gambling service in Victoria. She has also had a private practice over this period focusing generally on the supervision and development of other health professionals; including psychologists. She is also currently employed with a private hospital setting as a senior psychologist providing both clinician supervision and client interventions.

She has extensive experience with disability, mental health, addictions, trauma, couples counselling, as well as high prevalence disorders; anxiety and depression. She is also a trained hypnotherapist and is able to treat chronic health conditions such as smoking reduction and cessation, and teaching relaxation and breathing techniques.

Dr. Sanja has also worked extensively with CALD communities and understands the issues of marginalisation and disadvantage for some communities such as the GLBTI community.

For couples, Christopher focuses on the underlying needs that are typically unmet when relationships become distressed.  These needs may include a desire to be truly heard and responded to by the individual’s partner, the need for connection, safety and intimacy and sometimes the need for greater autonomy in the relationship.  These personal needs are explored in great depth as when they are unmet relationships become battlefields of characterised by arguments, verbal attacks and withdrawal which leaves both individuals feeling hurt and hopeless about the future.  Christopher typically sees positive results from therapy after a few initial sessions and he primarily follows an Emotionally Focussed Therapy (EFT) approach in his work with couples.  Christopher also uses Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) approaches.

Christopher also sees clients for anger management, narcissism, pre-marriage counselling, phone and skype counselling.

Meredith feels that relationships offer life’s most profound joys, however often they bring conflict, anger, disappointment and sadness.  “When our own needs and expectations do not meet those of the person we love, it can be hard to know how to find a solution, sustain intimacy and keep and build trust.  Counselling offers a way to find clarity and solve problems, even those that are very long-standing.  However, counselling can also feel like a step into the unknown and I meet the couple’s experience with deep respect, providing emotional safety for each person in a way that is described by others as respectful, gentle and knowledgeable.  I use evidence-based strategies to work jointly with couples to achieve their goals”.

Counselling is offered for all areas of relationship challenges such as conflict, loss of trust, recovery from an affair, navigating family dynamics, parenting and step-parenting, and the impact of trauma, grief and loss on relationships.  Counselling also addresses changes that may occur over time such as the loss of vibrancy in the relationship; whilst also building on and celebrating a couple’s strengths.

Christina has specialised training in sex therapy both in Australia and the USA. She also understands personally and theoretically the impact that trauma can have on both the individual and the couple dynamics in any relationship. She is currently undergoing further advanced trauma studies in Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing (EMDR).

Christina creates a safe, non-judgemental environment that enables her clients to share openly their thoughts and concerns. This then enables her to utilise a number of different techniques and modalities which allow her clients to move to a more positive, open and even joyful space, taking with them the tools they have learned, allowing progression of their own journey. In this way Christina has helped hundreds of individuals and couples.

Christina works with individuals and couples struggling with issues pertaining to gender, sexuality, self-acceptance, grief and loss, adoption, depression and anxiety, eating disorders, and interpersonal relationships. Together she explores with her clients their values, identifies their commitments and the aspects of their life that are important to them, and then works to sensitively peel back the numerous life stressors that might keep her client from not living the life that is desired.

Christina offers an integrated holistic approach, working with the emotional, the physical, the mental and the existential/spiritual. She believes that a treatment plan should be individually tailored to each client or couple. She likes to partner with clients, involving them regarding the focus of the work, the duration, the review of work and what success will look like. In this way Christina’s clients are active participants in the therapeutic process, and therefore in their own healing.

I am also experienced in providing one to one evidence based therapeutic interventions with adolescents and adults to address mild to moderate mental health issues including (but not restricted to) anxiety disorders such as OCD, PTSD, and generalized anxiety disorder, depressive disorders, chronic fatigue, anger management, addictions, work life balance, abuse and trauma, sleep issues, issues arising in adolescence, grief and loss, and specific issues such as work place stress and bullying, and general stress. I also have an extended and continuing history of working with forensic patients both in prisons and the community, and I am able to support patients who are involved with the criminal justice system. Additionally I am a registered diagnostician with Autism SA and can conduct assessments of autistic spectrum disorder in adults.

My therapeutic approach fosters an understanding, caring, warm, supportive, and non-judgmental environment for all patients. I provide therapy for individual patients mainly from a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) paradigm, as this is has a stron basis of scientific evidence proving its effectiveness. In addition to CBT I also use other evidence based approaches including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Family Systems Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, tailoring the approach to best suit the needs of each individual patient.

I work collaboratively with my patients, engaging them in a joint process where they are active participants in both deciding what they would like to achieve from their time in therapy, and in implementing the therapeutic strategies. Within a healing and caring environment, I help patients to learn new skills and strategies including communication skills, relationship skills, conflict management, relaxation, mindfulness, sleep strategies, anger management etc. to help my patients achieve better mental health, improved daily functioning, and happier interpersonal relationships. Additionally I help patients to gain a deeper understanding of their own personality and values, and enable patients to use this knowledge to make life decisions and set goals. My aim is to provide patients with skills and knowledge, which they can use for the rest of their lives. I genuinely care about all of my patient’s wellbeing and happiness, and I feel grateful and honored to have the opportunity as a psychologist to walk alongside my patients as they make positive life changes in order to lead a happier and more fulfilling life.

Joanna sees a range of issues that can impact on the connection between people, including communication difficulties, differences in expectations, cultural differences, trust difficulties, blended families, life changes, and adjusting to a first child. By assisting couples to understand how previous experiences can have a flow on effect in current relationships, and how to effectively communicate and support each person’s needs,  she helps them develop a deeper understanding of each other and a deeper connection within the relationship.

Read our interview with Joanna about the relationship counselling and marriage counselling she offers here.

The process of change occurs through tailoring the counselling approach to suit individual needs of clients and relationships.  This leads to better communication and understanding of each other and in turn a deeper connection in the relationship. Individuals become active participants by engaging in a joint process of partnership between individuals and counsellor.

Christine’s warm and caring approach allows a rapport to build quickly to engage in a working relationship.  Her focus underpinning her work is to facilitate personal growth and empower individuals and relationships to reach their full potential and thrive by building/rebuilding relationships to a deeper level of connection in order to have a fulfilling life.

Christine offers appointments for relationship counselling, family counselling, Individual counselling, Pre-marriage counselling, Mediation, Sex Therapy, Anger Management, Individual counselling, Blended families, Parenting issues, Adolescents and Phone counselling.

Counselling approaches offered are drawn from Family Systems Therapy, Gottman Couples Therapy, Mindfulness, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Brief Solution Focused Therapy and Client-centred Therapy.

Noga’s approach combines CBT, solution-focused therapy, narrative and psychodynamic perspectives with emphasis on positive psychology. Warm, genuine and compassionate, she seeks to create a safe, non-judgemental space to enable clients to open-up and reflect. Noga’s strength is keeping a positive focus. She empowers clients to set meaningful goals and nurtures their capability to change. She builds, and relies on client engagement and commitment as the basis of treatment success, while problem-solving strategies are always discussed and tailored to suit each individual’s need and situation. Noga has also worked in corporate and organisational settings, consulting to companies and professional organisations to help individuals and teams to surmount career related issues.

Read Noga’s interview about her work here.

Ruth’s therapeutic style, developed over decades of clinical practice, reflects a carefully crafted balance of sensitivity, practicality, fun and no-holds-barred truth. Ruth teaches her clients how to communicate differently, spontaneously and talk about their needs that are not being met. A strong believer that knowledge is power, Ruth specialises in teaching her clients about themselves, why they behave the way they do, and how they affect each other. Ruth helps her clients to develop the tools they need to change their lives.

Male Issues:

• erectile dysfunction
• premature ejaculation
• delayed ejaculation
• penis dysmorphia
• Sex after prostate cancer
• low interest in sex
• sexual abuse
• sex addiction
• sexual abuse
• sexual addiction

Female Issues:

• anorgasmia
• vaginismus
• dyspareunia
• sex during and after pregnancy
• low or no interest in sex
• sex and menopause
• becoming orgasmic
• sexual abuse
• sex and IVF
• sex addiction
• poor body image

Male/Female Issues

• sexual discrepancy – male and female
• resurrecting love and passion
• sexual and non-sexual affection
• transgender related issues
• gay/lesbian issues and sexuality
• sex addiction
• pornography addiction
• fetish
• internet sex

Joclyn believes that our close relationships form a very important part of our well-being. She is passionate about assisting her clients to grow and nurture their relationships and has many years of experience in teaching communication, conflict resolution and social skills required to achieve this.

Joclyn is very passionate about working with couples and individuals on their relationships and helping them create health relationships. Joclyn has had some training using Gottman’s work and from the Hart centre on relationships. Joclyn tailors the sessions to suit the needs of her clients and works towards helping couples achieve their goals. Joclyn has helped many couples make positive changes in their relationships through learning to communicate, understand and listen to each other better, deal with conflict better, learn to let go and forgive each other and learn to support each other and work as a team. Joclyn aims to engage with both couples to help them both work together to achieve their goals.

Magdalena has a strong interest in relationship issues, communication, trust issues, infidelity,  family therapy, anxiety, depression, intimacy and sexual issues, porn addiction, jealousy, commitment issues, going through IVF, having a baby, parenting difficulties, separation and divorce.

Magdalena also enjoys helping individuals who present with a range of issues, including anxiety, depression, stress, low self esteem and confidence issues, work place concerns, career change, grief and weight issues.

Magdalena has been trained in various methodologies including, mindfulness, psychoanalysis and systemic theory with which have been proven to be highly effective in working with individuals, couples and family.  Magdalena’s approach as a therapist is caring, empathic, respectful and engaging throughout the whole process. She tailors her work to each client so that it is possible to work together towards feeling empowered, confident and healthier within themselves and others around them.

Ann has a particular strong interest in relationships issues, depression, anxiety, alcohol and other drug issues, same sex relationships and trauma.

She is very committed to helping individuals who present with a range of issues, including depression, anxiety, self-esteem issues, parenting difficulties, work place issues and trauma.

Ann uses a range of approaches, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Emotion Focused Therapy and Mindfulness. Ann also uses Schema Therapy that assists people with the more difficult long-standing problems.

She is passionate about helping couples feel more emotionally connected, more in tune with each other’s needs and to improve their overall communication skills.  Ann’s approach is tailored to meet needs of her clients.  She works with her client’s goals and hopes for the future while at the same time providing direction and focus when needed.  Ann views the therapy as a journey where everyone works together to achieve the desired goals for therapy.

Working with individuals who may need to create a better work-life balance, need tools to help mange anger, struggle to maintain relationships, recovering from a broken relationship, moving on from loss, separation, divorce and stress management and sleep improvement are all areas where Alinda can assist. Additionally she has experience working with couples offering improved communication skills, support in the recovery from infidelity, reigniting desire and mismatched libido and many other relationship concerns.

Alinda is a Sexual Health Therapist and member of ASSERT (Australian Society of Sex Educators Researchers and Therapists) and ISSHM (International Society of Sexual Heath).  Sex Therapists are qualified counsellors and healthcare professionals who have had extensive training in human sexuality. Alinda is due to complete her Masters in Medicine Science and Sexual Health through the University Of Sydney in November 2017, and continues to increase her clinical knowledge with further research and training. She has extensive clinical experience with Erectile Dysfunction, performance anxiety, delayed and premature ejaculation, porn and sex addiction, and painful sex or Vaginismus.

Sexual issues can often cause distress and conflict in relationships and sex therapists can assist with these difficulties. As a qualified Sex Therapist, Alinda uses specialised clinical skills and theoretical knowledge to help people deal with sexual difficulties or concerns.

Clients can expect her mature, professional and clinical experience to aid them in achieving the goals desired. A focus on result driven therapy has provided many others with success, and her ability to create a comfortable environment to discuss intimate and personal issues is of great value and importance.

A published Author of the book ‘BE by Design: How I BE Is Up to Me’, certified HeartMath coach, craniosacral therapist, somatic prenatal and birth therapist and accredited NLP trainer, Christine is passionate about, and dedicated to working alongside couples and families to embrace the best version of themselves. She achieves this through the use of compassionate and empowering psychological solutions that are practical, easy to implement, and make a difference to people’s lives. Christine completed a PhD at Bond University, specialising in building secure attachment within relationships.

Christine draws upon a wide range of approaches in her counselling sessions, including: (i) enhanced bonding and attachment therapy for couples, families and individuals who want to create accountable and loving relationships; (ii) mindfulness to live in the present free of old conditioning, patterns, negative & unhelpful beliefs, stress, anxiety and depression; (iii) Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) to address issues relating to self-esteem, self-worth and communication challenges; (iv) Positive Psychology; and (v) conscious parenting techniques for parents wanting to create healthy and unconditionally loving relationships with their children.

To read our interview with Chris about the relationship and marriage counselling services she offers, click here.

Professional Affiliations

• Psychologists Board of Australia
• Australian Psychological Society – Full Member (MAPS)
• The Association For Prenatal And Perinatal Psychology And Health (USA)
• Alumni, Bond University (Australia)

Please note: Christine offers online counselling, and does not offer appointments in person. To read more about our Online Counselling options, click here. 

Her entire psychology working life has been spent working within the Western suburbs of Melbourne, an area of highly diverse cultural populations, and high levels of social and economic disadvantage.

Dr Trish works with individuals with a wide variety of problems in living. This includes adolescents and adults with anxiety and mood management problems; victims of crime or other traumatic events; and those with difficulties in the area of weight management and overeating, as well as with couples.  She operates her private practice from GP’s surgeries in the Western area of Melbourne.

Dr Trish is a trained specialist in the use of cognitive-behaviour therapy (CBT) with individuals across disorders and age ranges. She is an expert in the provision of therapy interventions to individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder, and those who have experienced traumatic events. She is also registered with Victims of Crime service agencies.  In addition, she teaches and supervises psychology students at RMIT University.

Bulk billing under a Mental Health Care Plan is available by negotiation for patients in financial difficulties.

Hania takes an integrative approach to counselling; she collaborates with her clients to meet their unique therapeutic needs and counselling goals, using a variety of tools and techniques. She supports her clients’ inner growth process through counselling and coaching, with an emphasis on developing strengths and a positive outlook, turning problems into opportunities. Each client can expect a warm and nonjudgmental environment with Hania, where they can be open and reassured while seeking guidance to address any issues they’d like to resolve.

Hania tailors counselling process by adapting a range of therapeutic and coaching approaches. They include: Systemic Therapy (Individual/Couple/Family), Imago Couples Therapy, Emotion-Focused Couples Therapy, Relational Life Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Therapy, Existential/Phenomenological Therapy and Transactional Analysis (TA).                Hania is strongly committed to helping her clients overcome life’s challenges with effective, practical counselling support.

Suzanne is a certified Sex Educator and Sex Therapist with ASSERT (Australian Society of Sex Educators, Researchers and Therapists 2009)  and is a clinical member of AAFT (Australian Association of Family Therapists).    Suzanne applies Bowlby’s Attachment Theory & Family Systems Theory to assist clients in their efforts to improve their wellbeing and relationship effectiveness.

Clients are encouraged to learn about, and develop the capacity to shift perspectives, and to appreciate the importance of our relationships – how it impacts our development, sense of self, ability to deal with others, and mental health.  That understanding their partner’s brain and attachment style can help them defuse conflict and build a secure relationship.  Also trained in the Gottman Method of Couples Therapy,  Suzanne utilises the Gottman Relationship Checkup  and report to identify the relationships strengths and challenges, concerns and recommendations.

Sessions are available in person, or via telephone or Skype by arrangement.

Hence over many years her role as a couples counsellor and coach has evolved to provide couples with the learnings, understandings and skills which teach them:
– how to soothe each other and keep loving feelings alive
– how to recognize the cry for reassurance from their spouse
– how to break the resentment cycle
– how to remove the threat of break up and loss of family and loved ones
– how to dissolve the pain of feeling unloved or unlovable
– how to express concerns and talk to each other without destructive ridicule & on-going criticism and conflict

Dee’s starting point is to create a safe place for each partner to begin expressing concerns in a non-threatening, non-judgmental, warm and friendly setting. Whether it be in person in her counselling rooms, by telephone or Skyping online you will feel heard and understood. The first session will put you at ease and help you take the initial steps towards sorting things out. Most often taking this first step starts to alleviate the overwhelming pain and you can see light at the end of the tunnel.

Dee also counsels in Anger management, Stress Management, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Anxiety relief for individuals and utilises Mindfulness, Guided Relaxation and other mainstream therapeutic modalities.

Her passion is to teach couples how to “fireproof “ their relationship through learning the skills of communication and conflict resolution, and providing them with a template for resolving past and future challenges with a new found confidence.

Robyn often sees couple relationships troubled by poor communication skills; an inability to resolve conflict; difficulty in making joint decisions; trust and infidelity issues; different approaches to parenting styles, money, sex and extended families as well as problems associated with separation and divorce.

She works with both individuals and couples to discover new ways of experiencing themselves and their relationships that are rewarding and fulfilling. Her approach draws predominantly from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Narrative, Solution Focused and Brief Therapy.

She works with Face to Face counselling as well as Skype, Email and Phone Counselling.

Robyn has run Couples Workshops, Pre-Marital Education for Engaged Couples and Weight Awareness programs. She has attended a wide variety of Conferences and Workshops over the years both in Australia and Internationally.

She is married with children.

Carole commonly works with couples on identifying and understanding the problems in their relationships, improving listening and communication, overcoming an affair, effective conflict resolution, building commitment and trust, exploring and fulfilling your shared dreams and life goals , understanding reoccurring problems with your partner, strengthening your relationship and fulfilment, and resolving and repairing past fights and hurt

Carole’s clients find her to be warm, compassionate, accepting, and understanding and that her wealth of experience and support is incredibly helpful to addressing their concerns and meeting their goals for their relationship. Carole is trained in evidence based relationship therapy, such as the techniques and research taught by the Gottman Institute, as well as utilising techniques from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance and Committment Therapy, Schema Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Mindfulness, Positive Psychology & Neuropsychotherapy.

Carole will work collaboratively with you to achieve your goals and skill you with the confidence, knowledge and strategies you need to address your relationship concerns and improve intimacy, fulfillment and happiness in any relationship. She believes you will find that this can be done in a safe, enjoyable and helpful environment and believes it is a privilege to share in any part of your relationship journey. As a highly skilled Clinical Psychologist, Carole is also able to address any clinical concerns that may be impacting on or separate from your relationship, including, depression, anxiety, trauma & abuse, addictions, grief & loss, parenting concerns, and sleep difficulties.

Click here to read our interview with Carole about the marriage counselling and relationship counselling services she offers.

Katie works with children, adolescents, adults and couples in both short and long term counselling. Katie’s personal philosophy is to develop a strong therapeutic relationship that is firmly based on openness and acceptance. She brings a unique perspective on dealing with client’s difficulties through multiple lenses, while keeping a dedicated and strength-based approach for all clients. Her therapeutic style follows and integrative approach that is tailored to each client’s individual needs. She draws on various types of interventions including Gottman Method Couples Therapy, Family Systems Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy, CBT, ACT, Solution Focussed Therapy and Mindfulness.

Katie has a special interest in relationship counselling and has extensive experience working with FIFO workers to improve their relationships and adjust to the difficulties associated with having regular time apart. Her areas of interest and expertise include: conflict and anger management, stress, affairs or other breaches of trust, trauma and grief. Katie also assists couples with parenting support and is experienced with helping clients to understand their parenting style and work together using each other’s strengths.

Katie strives to ensure a safe and confidential environment is maintained at all times. She enjoys helping clients to solve their own problems and develop the full potential of their relationship.

Click here to read our interview with Katie about the marriage counselling and relationship counselling services she offers.

He teaches and supervises counselling students. Prior to working in private practice, Morgan has a substantial background working in management and consultancy in the public and private sectors. Morgan provides effective therapeutic support to adults, couples and families.

Morgan is strongly committed to helping his clients make positive changes in their lives and their relationships. His genuine and understanding manner enables his clients to freely discuss and work through their concerns. He has a client centred approach and provides a quiet, focused atmosphere in his sessions. Morgan supports his clients to create lasting changes with the issue at hand and gives his clients the tools and strategies to help them now and into the future.

Each session with Morgan is focused on his client’s needs by starting where the client is at.  Morgan incorporates Person-Centred Therapy, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Therapy and Solution-Focused therapy in his practice to address a variety of concerns in a way which is meaningful for each of his clients.

Click here to read our interview with Morgan about the counselling he offers.

Memberships:

• Clinical member Psychotherapy and Counselling Association of Australia (PACFA),
• Australian Society of Sex Educators and Research Therapists NSW ASSET (NSW),
• Australian and New Zealand Mental Health Association ANZMHA)

Mariel’s friendly and practical approach creates a safe and comfortable environment in which to explore difficulties and realise positive change. She is exceptionally qualified in couples counselling, and in helping couples sort through the issues and dysfunctional patterns that prevent them enjoying their relationships. She believes that the nearly all troubled relationships can be assisted to regain the openness, joy and flow that are the hallmarks of health.

Mariel’s doctoral thesis was on migration and the psychological identities that this experience creates. She tutored in psychology at Swinburne University and counselled at the university’s Psychology Clinic. She was also a crisis counsellor at a suicide line. In her early career she worked in community settings, counselling families and individuals dealing with child protection and parenting, suicide risk, mental health and relationships issues. Later she supported those living with dementia, their families and carers, through counselling and educational activities targeting the general public and volunteers.

For the last decade Mariel has worked in private practice and for the last seven years she has specialised in couples counselling and family counselling. She has helped couples with relationship difficulties better manage the personal issues with children and family during marriage, separation, and divorce.

Mariel is fluent in Spanish.

Mariel’s areas of expertise
Mariel has experience and training in assisting clients with a broad spectrum of presenting concerns, including:

– Relationships – communication, infidelity, and relationship dissatisfaction
– Family breakdown, including divorce and related difficulties
– Parenting and family issues
– Support for families and carers affected by mental illness or physical illness
– Peri- and post-natal depression
– Depression
– Grief and loss
– Anxiety, including social anxiety
– Generalised anxiety and perfectionism
– Obsessions and compulsions
– Post-traumatic stress
– Self-esteem
– Stress and burnout
– Difficulties of adjustment to life transitions
– Career challenges – return from parental leave, career change, redundancy
– Work/life balance
– Working with cultural diversity, cultural values and beliefs

Therapeutic approaches
Depending on her client’s needs and preferences Mariel uses a variety of evidence-based approaches including:

– Emotion-Focused Therapy for couples (EFT)
– Gottman Marital Therapy
– Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
– Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
– Interpersonal Psychotherapy
– Narrative therapy
– Schema Therapy
– Attachment-Focused Family Therapy

With an established career as a specialist cancer and breast cancer nurse, Helena also has a special interest in sexual functioning and intimacy for women and men who have undergone treatment for cancer and other significant illness. Helena is married with three adult children, and is a first time Grandmama of a beautiful two-year-old grandson.

She works as a Clinical Sexologist / Counsellor in both Bunbury and Perth, in a Psychology and Counselling practice managed by her and her husband.

As well as her private practice, Helena works in a GP practice in Fremantle, and with a specialist Gynaecological clinic in Leederville. She also works with a not-for-profit organisation providing counselling support for those with an intellectual and/or physical disability and those on the autism spectrum.

Marlena finds great pleasure in working with couples. Her personal and professional journey of healing and growth has shown her how essential healthy relationships are to our happiness and wellbeing.

She believes that we all get a bit stacked at times and require support. Marlena recognises that relationships are complex and can bring both joy and hurt; and that it is through relationships that we heal, grow, and live satisfying lives.

With over 20 years of experience working with individuals, couples and families, Marlena has the expertise to help you heal.

She has been trained and worked with a range of evidence-based therapeutic modalities including Psychobiological Approach to Couples Therapy (PACT), Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT), Mindfulness-based techniques, Motivational Interviewing (MI), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).

Choosing approaches uniquely suited to you and your concerns, Marlena will help you solve your problems whether you are an individual or a couple. She uses whichever techniques are most likely to bring you a more rewarding relationship and a happier life.

In addition to helping individuals and couples resolve relationship issues, Marlena has worked intensively with issues of trauma, depression, anxiety, various addictive behaviours, including problematic gambling, eating disorders, grief and loss, mental health, abuse, self esteem, stigma, and parenting difficulties.

Marlena is bilingual and can counsel in both English and Polish and is a registered Medicare Provider.

In couples counselling, Linda works collaboratively with her clients to help them express what they need in their intimate relationships to feel safe, secure, and uniquely valued.

Linda has a strong interest in relationship issues resulting from affairs and betrayals, depression, chronic illness, intergenerational trauma, grief and loss, and problems with sexual and emotional intimacy. She is also committed to working with clients who are experiencing conflict arising from major life transitions (e.g., births, deaths, marriages, children leaving home, starting school, relocation, job changes and retraining), and in the prevention of intimate partner violence.

Linda uses a range of therapeutic approaches to suit her clients’ needs. These include Emotion Focused Therapy, Integrative Behavioural Therapy, Bowen’s Family Systems Approach, Mindfulness, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and Behavioural Activation.

Linda is passionate about supporting her clients to create new meaning and opportunities in life.

She values the importance of providing a warm inviting therapy space that individuals and couples feel they can relax and confide in, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.  Having engaged in therapy herself, she knows what it is like to sit on the other side of the therapy couch and feel the vulnerability of being human, flaws and all, and to explore difficult truths about oneself but also how freeing it is to learn to embrace self-compassion, confidence and self-expression as part of the therapy journey.

Investing in yourself, or your relationship, by attending therapy is never time wasted and you don’t have to do it alone – Linda is here to guide you on your counselling journey.  She has personally counselled thousands of individuals and couples throughout her 13 year career and takes a lot of pride in helping people to transform their lives.

Linda works with a holistic approach to counselling and aims to help you to improve the significant relationships in your life – including the primary relationship with yourself.  She has a diverse collection of counselling modalities that she can adapt to be able to cater for individual or couples needs as they arise.

She has been trained by some the world’s best therapists and in different modalities, including the Gottman Couples Methods and she will often use the Gottman Relationship Check Up to help couples to get to the nitty-gritty of what is going on for both parties in the relationship and work from there.  She has completed Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) to an advanced level and uses this daily in her practice.

Another technique Linda has found to be positive is the use of a therapy dog – she often joins in the sessions and makes people feel relaxed and comfortable.  A French Bulldog welcome is not to everyone’s liking and that is completely fine – she respects her client/s choice and the dog will not be present if not invited.

Linda has consciously chosen the quaint riverside suburb of Bulimba as her office location.  Bulimba combines village charm with contemporary elegance and the suburb is home to a classic old cinema, art galleries and bookshops, alfresco eateries which provide many options to explore and grab a coffee or bite to eat and relax around an appointment.

Sex Therapy

Linda’s interest in the area of Sex Therapy has continued to grow as it became apparent to her that separating sex therapy from relationship and individual counselling is difficult and combining the two can help reduce the amount of time that people spend in therapy.