Stewart Clarke, BSW Dip.Psych (ANZAP) M.App.Sci (Innovation and Service Management), MAASW (Acc.), Consultant - Social Worker & Psychotherapist
I offer experienced Relationship Counselling for couples and for individuals who are experiencing challenges within their partner relationships.
Building Stronger relationships
Relationship counselling can be an important investment and a forum to achieve some of the following:
- Improve Communication and provide communication strategies to draw on moving forward.
- Help each partner to learn more about their “blind spots” (we all have them) and use this learning to improve understandings of both self and other.
- Reduce unhelpful conflict and better manage areas of disagreement or points of difference.
- Enhance intimacy
- Address concerns related to sex or disparities in sexual desire
- Better manage different expectations about together time and separate time
- Manage major life events impacting one or both partners in a relationship eg. Health crisis, significant loss, work enforced separations
Separating Better
Not all relationships are meant to be for-ever and relationship counselling can also help people to consider:
- How to best separate
- How to work through some of the emotional and practical challenges associated with this.
Key theoretical ideas that I use in Relationship Counselling
I have worked with couples for many years in both my practice in the Healthcare system and in my years in Private Practice. I participate in ongoing training and professional development in the Relationship Counselling/Therapy field.
Key theoretical ideas that I draw on in my Relationship Counselling practice include:
- Bader and Pearson’s Couples Developmental Model
- The Gottman’s theories on relationships
- The Tavistock Institutes Psychodynamic and Attachment Models