Relationship/Family
Counselling

Regardless of our success in other aspects of our lives, we are designed and long for intimate, meaningful relationships: a place where we are fully known and unconditionally loved.

We long for connection, love and acceptance by our partner, parents, our children,

our whanau/family, and a place in our community. 

We are social creatures - living outside of a relationship is difficult.

Without that, we can struggle to thrive. Achieving satisfying relationships is hard.

 

Relationship counselling aims to enhance the relationships and behaviours within a family unit. It can involve working with a couple of family members or the entire family together: parents, guardians, children, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, and kinship caregivers.

However, my preference is to work with two members at a time.

​

Counselling can help in various situations, such as adjusting to a new life change, coping with aging, grief, loss, or change, resolving relationship conflicts, dealing with stress due to a family member's difficult issues like anorexia, depression, redundancy, behavioural problems, or imprisonment, and parenting help. Family plays a crucial role in the life and development of children, and making positive structural and behavioural changes in the family environment can significantly help.

​

Relationship counselling can help families resolve strained relationships between family members, stress, anger, communication issues, trauma, coping with acute or chronic illness of a family member, death of a loved one, grief, divorce, or romantic relationship issues, and sudden changes such as unemployment, moving, or incarceration. It can also be beneficial for families with neurodivergent members, such as those with autism spectrum disorder or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

If a family member has any mental health conditions, relationship counselling can still be useful. Mental health conditions such as anxiety disorders, eating disorders, mood disorders, personality disorders, schizophrenia, and substance use disorders can be addressed through counselling.