High conflict. Poor communication. Lack of romance or sex. You’ve tried talking, tried praying, maybe felt let down by the church. There is still work we can do.
Sometimes it’s one person, not a couple - carrying a broken marriage while still part of a church. I work with individuals too. Repair and healing are still possible.
When you can’t stop fighting - or can’t stop what’s happening
You may have already spoken to people. Prayed about it. Perhaps you feel the church has looked the other way. Coming to counselling can feel like an admission - or a risk that someone will find out.
This room is different: confidential, professional, and honest. We name what’s actually happening - including the hard things - and we work with accountability, not blame.
Separation & divorce
If it can’t be repaired, it can still be done well
Separating as a Christian carries questions others don’t face - about faith, church attendance, community, and what comes next. Honesty and accountability guide the work: what’s needed by each person, and by the family.
And your connection to faith, prayer and scripture doesn’t have to be a casualty of the separation.
The individual
Carrying it alone, inside a community
Sometimes only one of you is willing - or the marriage has already broken, and you’re navigating what’s left while still sitting in the same pews. It can be the loneliest position of all.
I work with individuals in exactly this situation. Repair and healing are still possible - for you, whatever your marriage does.
How we work
This is couple work, not pastoral counselling
It’s a faith-informed, professional space outside the church - confidential, with clinical training behind it.
I use Gottman Method Couples Therapy - an approach built on decades of research into what actually makes relationships work. Not guesswork.
The method looks at the whole structure of your relationship - the friendship underneath it, how you handle conflict, the trust and commitment holding it up, and the meaning you share - and strengthens it level by level.
And I hold the faith questions honestly - Is this God’s plan? What does covenant mean now? Am I allowed to leave? - with accuracy and compassion. You won’t be judged in this room, and you won’t be preached at either.
What to expect
We start together
Your first session is 1.5-2 hours - the two of you and me.
You each complete a structured assessment
Privately, online, in your own time.
I meet each of you one-to-one
Your story, in your own words, without an audience.
We come back together for a feedback session
What’s really going on - and what we’re going to do about it. We set goals.
Then the work begins
Structured, honest, and paced for the two of you.
A more intensive option
When you need to fast-track the work: marathon intensives
Sometimes weekly hourly sessions don’t give us enough time - or a couple is carrying complex, specific issues that need room to work through. Stuck or gridlocked conflict is hard to untangle on your own, and repairing past hurts takes time.
Intensive, in-depth marathon sessions create the time and capacity to do that work in a condensed way. This can suit couples who feel stuck on an issue, or who fear they’re heading toward separation and want to fast-track things while there’s still a chance to turn it around.
A marathon intensive can run over 3-4 hours, a full day of 6 hours, or two 6-hour days - on weekdays or Saturdays. It’s booked in advance, and the Gottman Connect assessment is part of it. Booking details and fees are discussed openly when you enquire.
If a marathon intensive sounds like what you need, mention it when you make your enquiry.
How a marathon works
A Gottman Connect assessment
You begin with a structured assessment of 480 questions - covering friendship, intimacy, how well you connect, conflict, shared values, goals and meaning, trust and commitment, family, parenting, housework and finances.
A joint information-gathering session
The two of you and me, building the fuller picture together.
An individual session with each of you
Your story, in your own words, without an audience.
Assessment feedback - and then the work
I present back what the assessment shows, and from there we get into the work itself.
You leave with repair, insight and tools
I usually suggest one or two follow-up sessions of 50 minutes to keep the progress steady.
The practical things
Where, when, and what it costs
Two Melbourne rooms - and everywhere else
Private rooms in Richmond and Essendon, either side of the city. Telehealth Australia-wide, or phone.
First sessions run 1.5-2 hours
Long enough to actually get somewhere. Couples sessions of 1.5-2 hours are preferred throughout.
Usually a 2-3 week wait
When you enquire, I’ll respond within 2 business days.
