Marriage and relationship counselling Sydney CBD can help disputed partners rekindle their once-healthy and intimate relationship. These counselling services typically provide individual therapy or counselling, couples counselling, and pre-marriage and marriage counselling services. Here are some issues found in common relationships:
- Having trouble establishing or keeping relationships
- Problems dating or finding a committed partner
- Conflict and arguing in marriages that haven’t been addressed
- Jealousy and trust issues
- Alcohol and drug abuse
- Anger management
- Overcoming trauma caused by past romantic partners or family members
- Intimacy, sexual issues, and sexual desire in marriages or relationships
- Divorce and relationship concerns
- Difficulties related to same-sex relationships, de facto relationships, sexuality, and sexual identity
Indeed, not all partners may agree to go to relationship or marriage counselling. They may choose to solve their disputes and issues themselves which may work to a certain degree. However, not all couples are experts at resolving relationship problems, especially if the relationship is close to breaking down. This article will outline relationship counselling in Sydney CBD.
Relationship Counselling Sydney CBD: Who Can Act As A Relationship Counsellor?
A lot of people may ask themselves how relationship counselling works if ever they choose to resolve their relationship problems. These couples may want to understand if there are any behavioural patterns that have grown harmful to their relationship. Moreover, they may also want to know if focusing on their relationship’s strengths can help them repair their relationship.
Registered psychologists, counsellors, and relationship therapists are qualified individuals who can provide counselling for disputed couples. Not only do these qualified individuals help troubled couples, but also couples who have children. These professionals also encourage disputed partners to remain honest and vulnerable with each other during couples counselling, so both partners can understand each other’s needs and desires.
What Happens During Relationship or Couples Counselling?
1. Addressing Current or Initial Issues
A relationship counsellor will typically ask couples to address their current issues. This way, the relationship counsellor will get a better understanding of how and where to start the first session for counselling. Couples may then address their relationship issues. Problems, struggles, challenging times, or instances of dysfunctional patterns.
2. How the Relationship Started
This is one of the most important factors in a relationship breakdown since counsellors will typically assess the couple’s milestones in their relationship. Many couples often recall the last time they were in a content and healthy state with their partner. Relationship counselling in Sydney CBD can help couples rediscover the reasons they chose each other.
3. Individual Histories and Family Origin
Each couple’s individual history and family origin are important to address since this will aid counsellors to understand any issues from the past. Childhood values and experiences greatly affect what he/she will bring to their future romantic relationship. Some of these common values include:
- Integrity
- Respect
- Honesty
- Responsibility
- Accountability
- Religious values
- Work ethic
- Views on love and love languages
- Gratitude
Meanwhile, a partner’s childhood experiences may also play a big part in romantic relationships. Relationship counselling in Sydney CBD can help couples address these. Here are some common childhood experiences that may have a negative impact on relationships:
- Family violence and abuse that results in trauma or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Whether the partner’s parents were supportive of their child
- Attachments issues
- Quality of friendships
- Adapting abusive behavioural patterns of a parent
- Divorce of parents
- Whether the partner grew up in a rich family
- Traumatic past relationships
- Mental or physical disabilities
4. Relationship Goals and Marriage
Most people want their romantic relationships to eventually progress to marriage, but do their partners think of the same thing? Counsellors will typically address this and ask couples what are the future plans for their relationship. Some couples tend to argue because their partners are not proactive in progressing their relationship.
5. Therapy Sessions
Therapy may sound nerve wracking and frightening for some couples. However, if couples do want to mend their relationship, they will push through with therapy sessions. Knowing what to expect can help disputed partners prepare for sessions. Here are some common exercises included when going through relationship counselling in Sydney:
- Homework tasks. This typically ranges from tasks involving communication to specific exercises that target the couple’s issue at hand.
- Trust Exercises. A great example of this exercise is the “trust fall” activity. Basically, a trust fall is an activity in which a person intentionally falls, trusting the person behind them to catch them.
- Talk therapy. Usually, counsellors will only try and give suggestions and let the couple do all the talking during talk therapy.
- Honesty and intimacy exercises. These kinds of assignments could involve holding hands or maintaining eye contact for a predetermined period of time.
- Emotionally focused therapy. This is a therapeutic approach that mainly focuses on a couple’s emotions.
- Psychological Services. A private health insurance can help with covering for psychological services
6. Counselling for Children
Aside from a couple’s personal problems, it’s also important to address if there are children in the relationship. More often than not, parents fight about matters like child care, attention, and child support. Relationship counselling in Sydney CBD can help provide a safe space for children in order to address a child’s:
- Behavioural patterns
- Social skills
- Emotional and learning problems
- Overall relationship with his/her parents
7. Marriage Counselling
Marriage counselling is for married couples. This includes higher stakes since the marriage may end in a divorce. Moreover, the divorce process will always include property settlement procedures and making parenting arrangements if there are children. Both procedures will require amicable agreements. If not, both disputed couples will have to go through court procedures.
Unfortunately, not all couples succeed in mending their relationship when going through relationship counselling in Sydney CBD. Relationship counsellors can only do so much and they are not responsible if it’s time for couples to separate or divorce.
This ultimately results in counsellors referring the disputed couple to obtain legal advice from a family lawyer.
Breakdown of a Relationship
Let’s consider an example of a couple – George and Emmy. George and Emmy agreed to obtain counselling because George claims that he is busy with work. George comes home late every night and is unable to spend time with Emmy and their child. Moreover, George has frequent emotional outbursts that result in a lot of disputes between Emmy and their child.
At the counselling session, George stated that he is willing to make changes in his attitude and behaviour. Throughout the course of their therapy, George’s frequent outbursts continue to surface which stresses Emmy and their child out. Both parties then decided to file for a divorce because George failed to fix his behaviour that resulted in the relationship breaking down irretrievably.
How Legal Advice Can Help Disputed Couples
Our family lawyers at JB Solicitors believe that not all relationships have to end on a sour note even if the couples found the right therapist or counsellor. Couples have the right to obtain legal advice about separation or divorce since this mainly involves the allocation of parental responsibility and property settlement. A person with parental responsibility gets to decide on his/her child’s long-term issues such as:
- Living arrangements
- School arrangements
- Medical matters
- Name changes
- Any other matters relevant to the child’s care and upbringing
However, it’s important to note that parental responsibility is not the same as child custody. Family courts and family lawyers will always ensure that equal shared parental responsibility is upheld regardless of separation or divorce. Why? According to Section 60CC of the Family Law Act 1975, children have the right to have a meaningful relationship with both of their parents.
On the other hand, property settlement is a legal process in which separating or divorcing couples can divide their finances and assets amicably. Whether it’s about parenting or financial matters, our team will ensure that each of these processes is carried out smoothly and efficiently. Do you need legal advice after going through relationship counselling in Sydney?
Contact us today to find out more about amicable separation and divorce.
