Couples & Relationship Counselling
in Vancouver

Our counsellors have extensive training and experience with relationship counselling. Relationship counselling is often thought to be ‘couples counselling’ only, but this is not the case as a relationship can be various kinds of relationships.
This can be part of your individual counselling work, to talk about the challenges you are having with your family or friends. It can also be some challenges you are experiencing with your workplace relationships.

Book A Free Consultation

Who Should Attend?

We also offer couples counselling for those who are partnered, married, separated or separating, and all other various stages you may be in your relationship. We can help you regarding communication issues, infidelity, trust issues, and much more. Relationships are complex and it can sometimes feel helpless to feel stuck in the same cycle of conflict and arguments. Our counsellors are here to help untangle the complex issues and help find different ways of communicating, managing conflict, and strengthening relationships.

Are you interested in couples counselling but your partner is unsure about it? You are welcome to start the journey with a counsellor yourself, and discuss what the best approach may be.

The Process

Initial Session

Assessment Focussed

Couples attend the first session together. We review your history, reasons for coming to counselling, your expectations for the relationship and your expectations for therapy. At the end of the session, we invite you to complete the Gottman Enhanced Relationship Checkup questionnaires at home. These online questionnaires are not intended to predict the outcome of your relationship, but rather to help your counsellor gain a more in-depth understanding of where things are at, including your relationship’s strengths and challenges.

Second Session

Assessment Focussed

Following that, you counsellor will invite each client for an individual session to gain an understanding of what each is bringing into the relationship. Here we learn more about your needs, perspective and your respective commitment to the relationship.

Subsequent Sessions

Therapy Focussed

Based on the information gained first few sessions and the questionnaire report, your counsellor will review your couple specific therapy plan and help you by targeting areas in need of change and identifying areas of strength which we build upon and learn from. During this session we review the Sound Relationship House Theory (Gottman Approach) in more depth and how this would frame future therapy sessions. Lastly, we re-clarify goals and start on our journey forward.

Goals of Couples Therapy

The goals of Gottman Method Couples Therapy are to disarm conflicting verbal communication, increase intimacy, respect, and affection, remove barriers that create a feeling of stagnancy in conflicting situations, and create a heightened sense of empathy and understanding within the context of the relationship.

Drs. John and Julie Gottman developed nine components of healthy relationships known as The Sound Relationship House Theory. Gottman’s have been doing research on couples for 40 years and written about 40 books. They also train therapists to help clients.

You can find out more about them by going to their website: https://www.gottman.com/about/the-gottman-method/