Couples Counselling Stones Corner

This Hart therapist’s counselling style is relaxed and person-led, therefore her sessions will feel conversational in nature as she strives to create a safe, comfortable space for you to explore your inner wisdom and uncover hidden parts of yourself. The privilege of being invited into the most vulnerable places of the soul and heart is something she honours, by meeting her clients where they are at with compassion, empathy, and a non-judgmental stance. Believing that couples therapy is a journey that takes courage, she works with individuals and couples to find strength in vulnerability, helping each person connect more deeply with themselves and those they love.

Relationships are fundamental to our wellbeing, and there is nothing more painful than feeling disconnected from our partner. She works with couples to help them regain harmony and a felt sense of connection that they’ve been looking for, but haven’t been able to find on their own. As an Emotionally Focused Therapist, she works to help couples understand each other more clearly, to recognize the unique patterns in the dance of their relationship and how they can move toward connection by changing the steps of their dance together. This is a collaborative process that utilizes the present moment to experience something new, a shift in perspective, a new way of communicating, so that couples are equipped to practice a new way of being and doing outside of therapy room where long-lasting change is achieved.

An integrative couples therapist, she also draws on mindfulness-based, client-centred, cognitive behavioural, and psychodynamic approaches, tailoring sessions to meet the unique needs and preferences of her clients. She has a particular interest in working with couples following an infidelity or other relationship rupture, couples seeking greater intimacy, diverse couples, individuals and couples impacted by trauma, grief and loss, and significant life transitions (eg. moving countries, ex-pat life, FIFO workers, etc.)

Alongside being a therapist, she continues to work in Africa, where she lived as an ex-pat, supporting schools to be places of safety and wellbeing. Her self-care strategies include walks in nature, regular yoga and nurturing her key relationships with her adult children, partner, family and friends from which she draws encouragement and strength.

This Hart therapist has an extensive background of helping people from all walks of life make successful career decisions transitions. She is able to understand the impact on mental health and relationships when our life doesn’t go as we planned.

With a particular focus on working with relationships in distress, she has been described as a calm presence; able to instill confidence and hope for success. She continues to hone her skills in psychotherapy and actively invests in her personal development.

Her approach to therapy orientates toward a ‘systems approach’, which focuses on the relational aspects of human problems. She has an interest in understanding the specific contexts in which difficulties occur, and layers this perspective with an integrated approach, incorporating useful elements from modalities as diverse as Gottman Couple Method and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT).

Above all, this Hart Therapist believes finding the right counsellor is critical. In fact, research indicates the factors that have the greatest impact on therapeutic outcomes are the therapeutic alliance and client readiness for change. So, while a therapeutic modality or approach is important, it makes up a very small portion of the outcome pie. This is why she heavily focuses on ensuring a sound client-therapist fit, as she wants sessions to be value-laden for clients – ensuring time, energy and money is put to good use.