Anne is passionate about supporting couples in their relationship journey. She aims to provide support that enables partners to become more courageous, more caring, and more connected. Whether you’re relatively new in a relationship or you’ve been together for decades, it’s never too early, or too late to benefit from couple therapy.

Maybe you’re new parents or parents of young children and feeling overwhelmed. You love your family but miss the relationship you used to have as a couple. It can be hard to work out how to reconnect when you’re exhausted. Anne understands what it’s like and can offer meaningful, evidence-based strategies that make a difference. We all want the best for our children and one of the most precious gifts we can give them is our own healthy, loving partnership.

Maybe you’re having difficulty communicating. No matter how hard you try, it seems impossible to be understood. Conflict or silence can feel like a chasm. You’d love to find a way to connect like loving partners again.

Wherever you’re at, you want things to be different; things need to be better. You want to be heard, connected and to enjoy time with each other again.

The benefits of working at your relationship can be far reaching. Happy marriages have been shown to improve mental and physical health; even increasing life expectancy. Working on your relationship is an investment. It takes effort. But two people committed to the goal of strengthening their relationship have good reason to hope for a better future.

Just like getting fit physically doesn’t just happen, building a great relationship takes regular effort and support, but the results can be life changing. And the good news is that you don’t have to do it alone.

Anne is available to support you in creating the change you hope for.

‘Gottman’…

For over 40 years Drs John and Julie Gottman have researched couples and developed therapeutic processes to strengthen relationships. With thorough assessment and specific tools to manage conflict, repair hurts, strengthen connection, rebuild friendship and prevent relapse, Gottman Couple therapy provides a powerful framework from which to work on your relationship. Anne incorporates processes from other models of couples therapy, such as Emotion Focused Therapy as appropriate.

What’s involved…

Assessment involves individually completing the comprehensive online Gottman Connect questionnaire followed by a 3hr assessment with Anne. Time is spent with both partners together and individually. 

From the information collected Anne constructs a solid plan for moving forward. The plan incorporates relationship strengths and addresses relationship challenges. Goals and the process for the therapeutic work, as well as an anticipated timeframe for the therapy are outlined in a feedback session.

Subject to appointment availability, the 1hr feedback session can be done on the same day as the 3hr assessment. This is an efficient way to commence the journey of strengthening your relationship. Alternatively, the 3hr session can also be broken into shorter appointments if needed.

Anne provides lifetime access to online resources to enhance and support ongoing work on your relationship. These resources are invaluable in preventing relapse and supporting your relationship into the future.

What about Marathon Couples Therapy?

Well Of Life offers Marathon Couples Therapy in Hawthorn (weekends) and at beautiful Phillip Island either (weekends or mid-week).

Marathon therapy is an alternative to traditional weekly sessions and is becoming increasingly popular. It’s an opportunity to work in-depth with a highly trained and experienced therapist and fast track the work of improving your relationship. It gives you the chance to renew your connection over two and a half days.

Anne can help you

• process past hurts that haven’t yet healed,
• strengthen your communication skills,
• build a bridge to reconnection by gaining better understanding of yourselves and each other,
• renew your friendship,
• spice up your intimacy and
• support you in identifying and working towards your shared values and goals.

Many couples find that this approach to therapy fits more easily into regular life than a commitment to longer-term weekly sessions. The initial, most difficult work of couples therapy (that might normally take two months or more) can be accomplished over two and a half days. A marathon at Phillip Island can also provide an oasis; a retreat for the two of you away from the normal pressures of life. 

Looking after your relationship isn’t always easy but it’s always important!

Therapy has been shown to be most effective when work begins more intensely and then fades out. Beyond your Marathon Couples Therapy Anne will provide further support, as needed, to promote integration of the new skills into your normal everyday lives. Anne wants you have confidence in your connection, and in the skills needed to sustain your growth as a couple as you move forward in life together.

Contact Well Of Life for a fee schedule. You might also wish to discuss the possibility of rebates from your health insurance provider.

Even before Covid hit, studies on the effectiveness of counselling online or by phone had been conducted… and the good news is that telehealth counselling is just as effective as face-to-face therapy. In fact, there are some significant benefits of online and phone therapy. Not least is ease of access, particularly for those in remote or rural settings. Many clients also reported that benefits from the session transferred more easily to their usual environment when the session had been conducted virtually in that environment. From a practical point of view, many clients also appreciate saving travel time. An additional benefit of telehealth through covid has been continuity of therapy through lockdowns, isolations/quarantine and mild illness.  

At Well Of Life, individual sessions can be conducted either by secure video platform or phone. Couple sessions are conducted by video only. Good internet connection, along with suitable camera and microphone are required.