When you’ve lost your way, gone off course or you simply need some connection – couples therapy can help.

Relationships are a unique entity all to themselves but require a special balancing act between the needs of both the individuals in the relationship and the relationship stage itself. Whether your relationship is in crisis mode, you’ve been struggling for some time or you’re simply looking to enrich the connection between you and your other half – Couples Therapy is a brave step to take. We specialise in helping couples navigate the challenges experienced during their relationships and helping couples find a new way forward.

What we offer.

At Life Matters, our couple therapists utilise the strategy-focused Gottman method, an evidence-based method focused on providing couples with insights and tools to better their relationship in a collaborative way.

Who is it for?

Couples in a relationship in crisis, conflict or in need of repair. Couples who’ve gone off course or need some enrichment. We work with all couples including LGBTQI+ and heterosexual couples.

What you’ll take away:

Identify sources of stress and tension
Discover ways to overcome misunderstandings
Improving your emotional connection, compassion, and respect
Renegotiate commitments, responsibilities, household labour and boundaries
Strengthen open communication and active listening skills
If needed, discuss if separating is the right course of action

The Process:

Step 1. Assessment Phase/Break The Ice (2 Hour Session)

Although this initial part of the process with Gottman therapy can seem detailed, finding out where you and your partner are at in the present is an essential part of establishing goals and gaining deeper insight into what’s at the core of your challenges. We recommend a 2-hour session together with your therapist who will gather and observe key information and understand what you are both facing.

Step 2. Assessment Phase/Get To Know You (1 Hour Session For Each Person)

Following the joint assessment session, we hold a 1-hour individual session with each member of the relationship to delve into the history of each individual. After this, your therapist will ask you both to complete a thorough online questionnaire which will be emailed directly to you.

Step 3. Results & Planning

Feedback is provided in a 2-hour couple’s session to go through the results. Some couples may find that these initial steps provide them with enough insight and guidance to then continue working on their relationship without engaging further in consistent, ongoing therapy, while others will use this as a basis to tackle some of their more challenging issues. Either way this assessment phase provides couples with helpful data to use moving forward.

Step 4. Treatment Phase/Explore & Set Goals (1 Hour Sessions)

Your therapist may have their own recommendation for you initially after the assessment phase but typically they will ask you as a couple to attend therapy 2-4 times at fortnightly intervals. These ongoing sessions give partners an opportunity to begin learning the strategies and tools developed by the Gottman institute and a supportive and safe space to bring up challenges and issues that occur between sessions. Once your therapist establishes skill development, they will recommend more time between sessions to allow the couple to build mastery and become independent care takers of their own relationship.

We Help To:

Address Challenges

Conflict or crisis
Communication issues
Financial challenges
Substance use issues
Infidelity or betrayal
Changing relationship dynamics
Parenting dilemmas

Build Strengths

Increase intimacy
Increase connection
Increase respect and affection
Relieve stagnancy
Increase shared meaning together
Life with/after kids
Develop better communication

Our Couples Psychologists

Elizabeth Walsh Clinical & Couples Psychologist (Telehealth)

Can See: Adults, Couples, Children, Families.
Expertise: Adjustment disorder, anger management, borderline personality disorder, chronic illness and pain disorders, bipolar, depression, domestic violence, eating disorders, grief and loss.
Therapy Modalities: ACT, CBT, group therapy, Mediation, Gottman therapy, narrative therapy and motivational interviewing

Elizabeth Walsh (Libby)
Hamilton or Telehealth

Alison Sykiotis Registered Psychologist (Newcastle, Telehealth, Nature-Based)

Can See: Adults and couples
Expertise: Anxiety, Depression, Adjustment, Stress Management, Sleep Issues, Relationship Difficulties, and Adult ADHD Assessment
Therapy Modalities: CBT, ACT, Schema therapy, Gottman Couples Counselling, Interpersonal psychotherapy

Alison Sykiotis
Hamilton or Telehealth

Why we choose Gottman Therapy to work with couples.

We’re proud to offer Gottman Couples Therapy for those wanting to improve and enhance their relationship or tackle difficult and complex issues.

Here’s a few reasons why we love it:

It is a thoroughly researched and evidenced-based therapy to treat all challenges faced within intimate relationships.
You are given takeaway tools and insights so you can continue to improve and enhance your relationship long past the end date of therapy.
It is a highly strategy and skills-based method with a predictable structure to help with planning and ongoing maintenance.
You will see areas to improve and areas or concern using measurable data focused insights.
You will be given access to the online Gottman portal so you can explore further tools and resources.

THE BEST THING….by completing Gottman therapy, couples can improve the understanding of not only their partner’s needs but also how and why they act and behave certain ways within relationships.

“Gottman is by far my preferred couples counselling therapy because of the huge base of evidence and the practical, clear and applicable tools they offer clients. I see the skills developed during Gottman therapy transferable to almost any relationship in a person’s life beyond just the intimate relationship they may have come to therapy for (e.g. relationships with family members, children, work colleagues, friendships etc)”.

– Libby Walsh, Couples Psychologist

More Information and FAQ’s

Is Gottman right for same sex couples?

Yes. Studies into The Gottman method have shown that it is highly effective for same sex couples. In fact, in a 2017 study, gay and lesbian couples improved more than twice as much as most heterosexual couples did in nearly half as many sessions as was typical for heterosexual couples using the Gottman Method (Garanzini et al., 2017).

Couples Therapy