When is controlling behaviour from a partner toxic or abusive?
Many people can appear controlling in a relationship and I certainly see many examples of it in couples counselling. Often controlling behaviours show up because the person is feeling insecure or highly anxious. Anxiety fuels controlling behaviours in relationships. But there …
How do you know if alcohol is ruining your relationship? And what can you do if it is?
Couples counselling brings in a lot of successful people – many of them high achievers, big money earners, or simply people are who are highly-regarded and high-functioning at work. But that success often comes with big jobs, long hours, huge mortgages, frequent …
Are extended family or in-laws causing problems within your relationship?
As a Family Counsellor I see this a lot in my couples work as well as in family counselling. Here are a few of the most common complaints I hear: My partner doesn’t like my family or parents and doesn’t …
What help is there for couples where there is a significant mental health diagnosis?
Some of you may remember a blog that Alex Ryder wrote back in May about the impact of mental health of a relationship – you can read his blog here. In couple and family counselling I frequently talk to people who …
Help to manage family stress when a child has AD/HD
By the time a Family Counsellor like me sees parents of a child with AD/HD, they are urgently in need of a safe space to work through the experience of parenting a child who has extra challenges. Some of you may know …
Is conflict with my ex hurting our kids?
As a Family Therapist one of the most common presentations I see is separated parents who are continually in conflict or hostile toward each other – and worried about how their fighting is affecting their children. Some separated parents fight because they …
How to get closer to your child, teenager or partner
(and a 24-hour challenge that could change your life) As many of you know I am a Couple and Family Therapist. Which means I get to work with a vast array of problems – usually about relationships. I see husbands and …
Can a relationship survive an affair?
An affair is a betrayal. A violation of the original agreement between two people who have committed to each other to the exclusion of all others. It is often an unexpected shock. A deep relationship injury. A significant trauma to the person …
My partner refuses to talk to me
In marriage counselling and relationship counselling, I often hear one partner raise a concern regarding their partner’s refusal to communicate with them over differences or issues within the relationship. This may also relate to wider discussions like work issues, social concerns, friendship …
Couples who never fight
Here at the Sydney Couple and Family Specialists we see many couples who want help because of constant bickering and or conflict that quickly escalates and gets out of control. These couples require couples counselling because they need a safe place to …
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