Anne is also aware that when things are tough, it can be hard to know how much you’re willing to commit to the relationship or to therapy. Perhaps your relationship has been under pressure for a long time and you’re not sure if you want to continue. Maybe you’re feeling disconnected, confused, uncertain, hurt, lonely or angry. You might be saying or thinking “Maybe we’d be better off on our own” or “I just don’t think I can keep going in this relationship”. These thoughts are understandable when you don’t feel like there’s much hope. Whether to hold onto and work at the relationship or not, is a difficult decision but one you want to be sure about.  

For couples where there’s ambivalence about the relationship, Anne offers Discernment Counselling. This process, developed by Bill Doherty, aims to provide clarity and confidence moving forward whichever path you take. Clarifying and considering the options with an objective third party who brings insight and perspective to the conversation can help you gain confidence about the decision you’re making. Discernment Counselling is a short-term process of not more than 5 sessions that may be up to 2 hours in length. In these sessions Anne spends time with each partner individually as well as time with both of you together.  

The goal of Discernment Counselling is two-fold: 

• greater understanding about yourselves and what has happened in the relationship to get you to this point, and  
• greater confidence in the decision you’re making regardless of whether you stay together or not.  

More information about Discernment Counselling can be found using the below link:

https://innovation.umn.edu/mncouplesonthebrink/whatisdiscernment/discernment-counseling-for-couples/ 

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.