Couples Sessions
Couples sessions are very different from individual sessions. A safe environment and trust in your counsellor are still paramount, but the "client" should be considered to be the relationship itself, with communication styles, shared values, and common goals being key areas of exploration.
Many people believe that if a relationship has any amount of conflict, it is going to fail. The truth is that no relationship is without its struggles - even the most successful! In fact, John and Julie Gottman (founders of The Gottman Method of couples counselling) suggest that easily 70% of any relationship's struggles cannot be easily solved ... and this includes the very strongest of couples! Two very different people, from very different backgrounds, come together - often with very different expectations of what a successful relationship looks like.
Given the different hopes and expectations each partner has - and the varying ways they communicate their needs - the therapeutic goal becomes maximizing the places of connection, softening entry into conflict when it occurs, and learning how to repair the relationship after moments of rupture. Work in the therapeutic space is often about identifying each partner's needs, recognizing where they do or do not align, and finding the strength to let each partner be themselves while working towards achieving common goals.