Relationship Counsellor Sydney

  • Marriage Counselling Chatswood, Sydney.

    David

    Registered Counsellor Sydney

    B.Sc. Grad.Dip. Counselling

    Hart Centre Certified

    100% Trust and Satisfaction Guarantee In Relationship
    LOCATIONS
    • Chatswood, NSW
    Accepted Insurance Funds
    • AHM
    • Bupa
    • Medibank Private
    • Police Health Fund
    Specialised Training
    • Gottman couples therapy training
    • Acceptance and Commitment (ACT) certification
    • The Developmental Model of Couples Therapy, Dr Ellyn Bader
    Areas of Interest
    • Young couples
    • Couples with young families
    • Senior couples
    • Extended families/in-laws
    • Affairs
    • Couples in business
    • Helping partners safely improve their assertiveness in their relationship
    • Grief and loss (20 years, including volunteering for NSW Cancer Council for over 7 years), including exploring the time after diagnosis, during treatment, survivorship, and possibly journey to end-of-life
    • Strong experience with working with individuals around life changes that affect their current or future relationships (eg. job loss, relationship breakdown, partner’s serious illness diagnosis, parenting after separation, death of a partner or in the family)
    Types of Therapy
    • Acceptance and Commitment (ACT)
    • Gottman Method
    • Narrative Therapy
    About Therapist

    This Hart therapist’s style is naturally calm and curious, which allows him the chance to connect with clients where they are at, and sit with them in a safe and supportive environment.

    After 20 years and nearly 5,000 sessions of experience, he holds the highest level of membership with the Australian Counselling Association (ACA) and he is an accredited Clinical Supervisor of counsellors and social workers.

    He is often told that he brings a different dynamic to couples therapy, without siding with either partner. He sees his role in couples therapy is to put the truth on the table so that the couple can decide on what they will do with that truth, and not make any judgements.

    Although he draws from constant training in different methods of counselling, he enjoys the viewpoints of ACT for couples and the work of Dr John Gottman, but he has also studied Narrative Therapy and CBT. Clients tell him that he uses a common-sense approach to his work with them. He looks to use his training to provide resources and the opportunity for the couple to explore their relationship experiences in a more open way. This has proven to be successful in partners increasing their understanding their own reactions and also being more understanding of the impact on the other.

    He doesn’t allow any particular counselling methodology to define the way he works with clients – rather, he joins with the couple where they are at and understands what is important to them and what they are hoping to achieve from the counselling process.

    How many years counselling experience do you have?

    Over 20 years.

    What are three strengths you have as a Psychologist/Counsellor?
    1. Clients have mentioned that they have found me engaging and that they felt safe, heard and not judged
    2. I bring a depth of counselling experience
    3. I am naturally curious, which helps clients gain a better understanding of their current challenge and develop new strategies to experiment with to move things forward for them, either together or separately
    What is the most satisfying and fulfilling part of the work you do?

    I find working with couples satisfying when they gain a deeper understanding of their current situation, clarity around the contribution that one or both is making that is unhelpful, and the courage and curiosity to experiment with others ways of either working better together or determining that the relationship should end.

    What’s an example of a couple you have helped the most?

    I am currently working another couple, in their late 40’s who are in a new relationship, one who has an adult (and quite dependent) son and the other who has no children. Over our sessions so far, we’ve unpacked the concern of the father for his son and his partner’s frustrations of not ever feeling like she comes first in her partner’s life. They are now growing in higher appreciation of the other’s point of view and their own unmet needs. Their relationship is strengthening from session to session as they increase their awareness of the impact of their actions on the other and how their commitment to each other is giving them space to find new ways of showing the other how much they care, and yet remain supportive and understanding of the needs of other family members.

    Parking & Accessibility

    3-hours free under-cover parking.

    See all of our Relationship Counselling Sydney locations.

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    Or to book an appointment, please call 1300 830 552