A family relationship counsellor with 18 years’ experience in relationship counselling and coaching, Wendy is described by her clients and colleagues alike as warm, genuine, non-judgemental and easy to talk to. Patient and with a capacity to hold hope, she brings to her work a deep-felt desire to support couples, families or individuals achieve stronger, happier, connected and respectful relationships.
Her easy collaborative style and patience helps create a safe and comfortable environment in which relationship issues or challenges can be explored.
Wendy has worked in many areas of counselling over the years and topics regularly explored in sessions include:
- Managing conflict and dealing with communication problems (whether it’s the communication style or the issues themselves that are problematic)
- Managing the impacts of different parenting styles on a relationship
- Re-partnering and navigating the complex issues arising when living in a blended- or step- family
- Painful separation and divorce issues – regrouping and navigating the way forward including the needs of children
- Processing trust and betrayal issues
- Dealing with the relationship challenges when a partner is very ill (physical health or mental health e.g. anxiety or depression) or has experienced trauma
- Processing Grief and Loss
- Dealing with intimacy or desire differences
- Processing trust and betrayal issues
- Extended family issues impacting the relationship e.g. cultural, health, aging
- Transitioning to retirement issues e.g. differences in readiness for retirement, revitalising a long term relationship, differences in dealing with adult children who don’t want to flee the nest etc.
Wendy is well-acquainted with the work of a broad range of relationship specialists however her approach is strongly influenced by her extensive training in the evidence-based Emotionally Focussed Therapy (Dr Susan Johnson), and also in the Gottman method with Drs John and Julie Gottman. These models both provide ‘relationship roadmaps’ which clients regularly report are very helpful in sustaining the positive changes they have been looking to achieve or had not thought were possible.
Whilst face to face consults are a preference, Wendy has experience in telephone and Zoom/Skype counselling and is open to provide this service should this be appropriate.
Wendy is well known and committed to the relationship counselling industry. She is active member of MCEFT (Melbourne Community for Emotionally Focussed Therapy), a member (and past executive member) of MAREAA (Marriage and Relationship Education Association of Australia), a member of ICEEFT (International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focussed Therapy) and a member of the ACA (Australian Counselling Association). She was on the editorial advisory board of the Threshold Magazine (previous national journal for relationship educators) and has been broadcast on TV, Channel 31, as a panel member on The Exchange.