Marriage Counselling Services in Perth

Couples often come to Bethesda for marriage counselling feeling hopeless, anxious, deeply wounded, angry, fearful and sometimes bitter. All couples experience stresses and conflict in their relationship over time – that is normal and natural. It is how a couple handles these stresses that will make all the difference between those couples who are thriving and those who are struggling and in despair.

Marriage counselling at Bethesda is hope focused and strives to repair and strengthen a couple’s love maps, their ability to trust, act with respect, deal with hurts, betrayals and disappointments, manage life stressors, create fun and companionship, practice the art of healthy communication and find enjoyment in a mutually satisfying sex life.

How Marriage Counselling Can Help

The marriage relationship acts as a real crucible in life. It is the perfect vessel for heating up and drawing out the impurities of our less than perfect natures, personality, unresolved hurts and past traumas, distorted thinking, insecurities and prides. Mix two individuals into that crucible and you have the potential for great healing, strength and personal development OR devastating brokenness, grief and more wounding.

Marriage counselling can help you to interrupt harmful patterns of communicating and thinking, and explore new strategies and learn new skills to help repair and strengthen your relationship and family life. Narelle Williams, Bethesda’s marriage counsellor in Perth, is a licensed therapist who is passionate about supporting and sustaining couples and families who are struggling with conflict, despair, affairs, problems with sex and intimacy, disillusionment, or heartache in their relationships and family unit.

Importance of Marriage Counselling

Bethesda Counselling and Family Therapy views the institution of marriage with great respect and honour. The husband and wife relationship is under enormous stress in today’s society and will most likely at some stage, need compassionate, bold and skillful support during its life cycle.  Narelle strives to provide compassionate and sensitive support to couples seeking her services.

Typical issues addressed during marriage counselling include:

  • Unhealthy communication patterns
  • Power struggles
  • Lack of emotional intimacy
  • Broken trust from betrayals and infidelity
  • The impact of addiction on the marriage; particularly pornography addiction
  • The impact of abuse on the relationship
  • The toxic effects of poorly managed anger, resentment and bitterness
  • Problems in a couple’s sex life (sex is like the canary in the coal mine; it is a great indicator of the health in the overall relationship)
  • Conflicts about parenting, career directions, finances, how time is spent, etc.
  • Difficulties with in-laws and extended family
  • Unresolved trauma and abuse from the past
  • Stress around significant life events

Sometimes a marriage relationship can be going along quite well until life throws it a curve ball and a couple find themselves facing unexpected situations or crisis. Significant life events such as serious illness, trauma, abortion, death of a child or loved one, infertility, suicide of a family member, mental illness, loss of a job, etc. – always place enormous pressure on a marriage relationship. It’s at times like these, that marriage counselling can provide a much needed space for support of the marriage relationship through compassion, guidance, wisdom and careful listening. We each desperately need a safe space where we can feel our painful emotions, share our stories and have our broken hearts held carefully. This is what Bethesda Counselling and Family Therapy strives to deliver to clients.

Contact Narelle today to enquire about her marriage counselling services or to book a session.