Couples therapy draws on evidence-based approaches, including Schema Therapy for Couples, The Gottman Method, and Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT). Schema Therapy helps partners identify long-standing emotional patterns (or “schemas”) that influence how they think, feel, and react in relationships. The Gottman Method focuses on strengthening friendship, improving communication, and reducing conflict through practical skills that help couples reconnect and work as a team. Together, these approaches promote understanding, empathy, and lasting change by combining emotional insight with practical tools for daily life.

Schema Therapy for Couples explores how early life experiences shape the emotional patterns and “modes” that influence our relationships as adults. When stress or conflict arises, these modes—such as withdrawal, criticism, or over-compliance—can take over and create distance. In therapy, you’ll learn to recognise these patterns and understand the vulnerable emotions driving them. The focus is on compassion and repair rather than blame. Couples work toward meeting each other’s core emotional needs in healthy, secure ways, leading to deeper connection, trust, and emotional safety within the relationship.

The Gottman Method is a research-based framework that helps couples build stronger relationships through improved communication, emotional attunement, and conflict management. Using decades of research, it identifies behaviours that strengthen or weaken relationships. In therapy, couples learn practical tools to reduce criticism and defensiveness, increase fondness and respect, and enhance shared meaning. Over time, these skills help partners rebuild trust, foster friendship, and create a stable foundation for lasting connection.

Yes. That is one of the benefits of seeking Marriage counselling or couples therapy from a psychologist with experience in the treatment and diagnosis of mental health conditions. Trauma or mental health challenges can affect how partners connect, communicate, and respond to stress or conflict. Couples therapy provides a supportive space to understand these reactions and develop strategies to respond to one another with empathy and care. Schema Therapy is particularly helpful in identifying how past experiences and emotional patterns influence current relationship dynamics, while Gottman-informed approaches offer practical tools to build stability, trust, and emotional safety. Through this process, couples can strengthen their relationship, foster resilience, and move toward greater understanding and connection. If Kylie feels that individual therapy or additional assessment would also be of benefit, she will make this recommendation during your sessions. 

The length of therapy varies depending on the nature of your concerns and the goals you set together. Some couples notice meaningful progress after six to ten sessions focused on communication or conflict repair, while others choose to engage longer-term to explore deeper emotional or relational patterns. Schema Therapy for Couples and the Gottman Method are both flexible frameworks that can be tailored to your pace and priorities. Regular review points ensure the process remains focused and helpful.

It’s possible to attend a single session if you have a specific concern you’d like to discuss or need guidance on one issue. However, couples therapy is generally most effective when there is a commitment to several sessions — usually four or more — to allow time for understanding patterns, practising new skills, and creating lasting change. In some cases, I work with couples over a longer period as they invest in rebuilding trust, improving communication, and strengthening their relationship foundation. The length of therapy depends on your goals and the level of support that feels most helpful for you both.

Yes. Couples therapy can be valuable even when one or both partners are uncertain about the future of the relationship. Therapy provides a neutral and supportive space to clarify what has led to this point, explore underlying needs and emotions, and consider what each person hopes for moving forward. The focus is not on forcing a decision but on creating understanding, reducing conflict, and helping both partners make thoughtful choices about their next steps — whether that involves rebuilding the relationship or separating with care and respect.

Couples therapy is not always appropriate when there is ongoing domestic or family violence, as safety must always come first. In situations where one partner feels fearful, controlled, or unsafe, individual support is usually the best starting point. However, when there has been violence in the past and both partners feel safe, stable, and motivated to work toward accountability and change, therapy may be considered carefully and with clear boundaries in place.

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If you are unsure, please reach out. Depending on your circumstances, I may suggest that each of you seeks individual support first, or that we begin with a risk and safety assessment through separate individual sessions. However, if you are currently experiencing fear, control, or violence in your relationship, please contact emergency services or a specialist support service such as 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) for 24-hour confidential support and advice. Your safety and wellbeing are the highest priority.

Yes. Pre-marriage counselling can be a valuable way to strengthen your relationship before marriage or a long-term commitment. Sessions focus on developing healthy communication, exploring expectations, understanding values and beliefs, and learning practical strategies for navigating future challenges together. Whether you’re wanting to build a strong foundation, prepare for changes ahead, or explore how faith and values shape your relationship, therapy provides a supportive space to deepen understanding and connection.

Marriage counselling is most effective when both partners are willing to participate openly and take responsibility for their part in the relationship. It tends to be less effective when one or both partners attend primarily to prove a point, assign blame, or have already emotionally disengaged from the relationship. Counselling can also stall when communication outside sessions becomes hostile or when patterns of control, contempt, or avoidance continue unchecked.

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Progress takes time and requires honesty, consistency, and a shared commitment to change — even when the process feels uncomfortable. A psychologist can help guide the work, but lasting improvement depends on both partners being willing to reflect, take small risks toward vulnerability, and apply what’s learned between sessions.