Couple Counselling
How it Works
Step 1: Free 15min. Video consultations.
During the consultation, you will have the opportunity to meet the counsellor, do a vibe check, ask any questions you may have, and, for
in-person clients, assess whether there are any dual or overlapping relationships.
The counsellor will be looking to briefly hear what brings you to counselling, as well as your hopes and goals. It will also provide an opportunity to go over logistics such as scheduling and billing.
If you choose to move forward, the counsellor will then book you for a 75 min intake appointment.
Step 3: Individual Sessions (60min.)
After the intake session, the counsellor will invite you and your partner to each attend one individual session. This provides an opportunity for you to have a full hour with the counsellor to further express your perspectives on the relationship.
By the time couples come to counselling, there are often topics that are sensitive and have the potential to spark hurt feelings and heated, hard-to-navigate conflict. Having an hour alone with the counsellor allows you the opportunity to speak freely without worrying about having to navigate your partner’s feelings. This can allow for a greater depth of understanding and an increased ability to work on things when joint sessions resume.
Step 2: 75min. Intake Session
In the intake session, the counsellor will be looking to better understand the history of the relationship, including how it began, key events and dynamics that have shaped the relationship, and where it is at now.
As well as what’s working, what’s not working, what conflict looks like, whether there are cyclical blocks or topics that cause conflict or feel stuck; whether there are hurts that need more repair; and what the goals are for the future.
In this session, we will start to jointly create goals and the focus for the counselling work.
Step 4: Doing the Work!
Now the intake process is officially complete!
Make no mistake, clients will leave every session with new tools and insights, even during the initial intake process. By this stage, the counsellor will have a strong understanding of you and your partner as a couple, and the initial counselling goals and focus will be well established.
During all subsequent sessions, you may be asked to bring in a recent conflict and work to better understand the role both you and your partner played, looking at what was helpful or unhelpful, and how you might experiment with different behaviours, communication styles, and ways to better regulate yourselves so you are both more able to communicate in effective, respectful and productive way. You will also be sent home with resources and things to experiment with between sessions.
The overall focus will be on:
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Communication
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Conflict
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(Re) connection
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Repair and
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Regulation