Relationship & Couples Therapy
Create the relationship you want
What is the purpose of Relationship Therapy?
Relationship Therapy is:
A place to come together to work on the challenges within your relationship dynamic with the support of a therapist. It is a place to create your dream relationship, you know, the dream of what you would like your relationship to be like.
Relationship Therapy is NOT:
- A place for the therapist to attribute blame to one partner or the other,
- A place to blame or criticise your partner,
- A place to expect only your partner to change.
Challenges Relationship Therapy can help with
Bonnie works with Adults, Couples and Polyamorous Relationship, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Persons, LGBTQ+ Persons, and Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Persons.
Affairs and betrayal
Anger and reactive moods
Communication challenges
Complex Trauma
Conflict/communication avoidance
Different emotional styles
Diverse Gender and/or sexuality within the relationship
Drifted apart and given up trying to communicate
Effect of alcohol and drug use
Effect of external stressors (e.g.: work stress)
Effect of individual mental health
Feelings of loneliness
Friendship with the relationship
Emotional distance
Lack of intimacy and closeness
Life adjustment challenges
Neurodiversity in the relationship
Non-Monogomy
Ongoing arguments and conflict
Unresolved conflict
How are Couple Therapy sessions structured?
Assessment Phase
Beginning with a thorough assessment process, you will be asked to complete a comprehensive online questionnaire (which takes about one hour to complete) which will help Bonnie to understand each of your individual histories, the history of your relationship and the challenges that have developed to bring you to therapy.
The Assessment phase will take approximately four hours including an initial session with both/all partners and an individual session with each partner, followed by a feedback session giving you an overview of what areas of your relationship present a challenge in order to collaboratively set goals for treatment sessions. Phase one is ideally completed over a morning or afternoon, however, can be spaced over a week. Bonnie Ingram Psychology has appointment times structured to do this in a morning or afternoon.
Assessment Phase Summary
Each partner completes a comprehensive on-line assessment prior to the first appointment.
An appointment with each partner.
Focused Treatment Phase
The second phase involves focussed treatment and can be delivered at a rate that suits you. Research evidence has established that couples make better progress when sessions are more frequent in the early stages of therapy and frequency is reduced progressively over time. Usually, this will involve six to eight weekly or fortnightly double sessions (90-100 minutes) before moving to single monthly sessions (50 minutes). Bonnie Ingram Psychology is able to facilitate ‘mini-marathon’ sessions (180-200 minutes) for those looking to make gains more quickly.
Some couples chose to do their treatment phase as Marathon Couples Therapy. This has become a very popular and successful method of helping couples through a relationship crisis and is recommended for couples experiencing significant distress. Marathon Couples Therapy is intensive short-term therapy designed to help couples through a specific perpetual issue. It involves two consecutive full days of therapy (equivalent to 12-14 single sessions). As this is quite an intense process the day will consist of regular breaks and opportunities for time-out.
Relapse Prevention Phase
The third phase focuses on relapse prevention. This phase involves a reduction in frequency of sessions to monthly, quarterly and bi-annual check-ins to ensure things are going well.
What is Gottman Method Relationship / Couples Therapy?
The Gottman Method is a unique evidence-based therapy for couples and is widely considered to be the gold standard for successful couple recovery. Drs. John and Julie Gottman have spent over four decades researching what does and doesn’t work in relationships.
They have observed over 3000 couples, some for up to 20 years such that they can predict relationship success with 90% accuracy. Gottman Method Couples Therapy was developed based on their observations of what does work to help create happy relationships. It has been thoroughly tested on a variety of couple demographics including Gay and Lesbian couples.
Gottman Method Couples Therapy is a process oriented, phenomenological, cognitive, emotionally based approach. It focuses on the three core areas of a relationship: maintaining intimacy and closeness (friendship), how to helpfully manage conflict, and creating shared purpose and meaning within the relationship.
Questions for Relationships & Couple Therapy
Fees
How much do sessions cost?
Monday to Thursday
Intake, Assessment & Feedback Session Package - $980.00
This session takes approximately five hours including a one-hour break
Single session - $230.00
Double session - $460.00
Mini-marathon session - $920.00
Day session - $1610.00
Friday to Sunday
Intake, Assessment & Feedback Session Package - $1060.00
This session takes approximately five hours including a one-hour break
Single session - $250.00
Double session - $500.00
Mini-marathon session - $1000.00
Day session - $1750.00
Is Relationship Therapy eligible for Medicare Rebate?
Can I/we use Private Health Insurance?
Process
How do we book a session with Bonnie?
You can contact Bonnie via the contact page to book in a session or give Bonnie a call.
Do we need a referral for Relationship Therapy?
No, a referral isn’t required for Relationship Therapy.
How to prepare for your couple therapy session?
Once you have decided to engage in Relationship/Couples Therapy it is important that you try to ‘call a truce’ on any on-going issues in your relationship for the time being. Relationship Therapy is a commitment to re-build your relationship and the process begins when you decide to make the appointment.
The issues you are experiencing in your relationship will be addressed together in session in a way that allows both of you to feel heard, understood and validated. This means that for the time being you can put your problems aside knowing that they will be addressed soon.
Thus, now is an opportunity for you to have a break from working on those concerns and instead focus on what you would like to build as we have effectively deal with them together.
Some people find it helpful to write a list of concerns and goals to bring to therapy, which then allows them to put those thoughts aside for the time being.
What is Gottman Method Relationship/Couples Therapy?
The Gottman Method is a unique evidence-based therapy for couples and is widely considered to be the gold standard for successful couple recovery. Drs. John and Julie Gottman have spent over four decades researching what does and doesn’t work in relationships. They have observed over 3000 couples, some for up to 20 years such that they can predict relationship success with 90% accuracy.
Gottman Method Couples Therapy was developed based on their observations of what does work to help create happy relationships. It has been thoroughly tested on a variety of couple demographics including Gay and Lesbian couples. Gottman Method Couples Therapy is a process oriented, phenomenological, cognitive, emotionally based approach. It focuses on the three core areas of a relationship: maintaining intimacy and closeness (friendship), how to helpfully manage conflict, and creating shared purpose and meaning within the relationship.
Do we have to do Gottman therapy to do couples therapy?
When you contact Bonnie Ingram Psychology, she will discuss with you the most appropriate mode of therapy for your relationship needs.
Gottman Method Couples Therapy was developed based on their observations of what does work to help create happy relationships. It has been thoroughly tested on a variety of couple demographics including Gay and Lesbian couples. Gottman Method Couples Therapy is a process-oriented, phenomenological, cognitive, and emotionally based approach. It focuses on the three core areas of a relationship: maintaining intimacy and closeness (friendship), how to helpfully manage conflict, and creating shared purpose and meaning within the relationship.
Some Resources for Relationships & Couples
Videos
How to Complain Without Hurting Your Partner - Video
The Easiest Way to Improve Your Relationship - Video
Invest in Your Relationship - Video
What predicts the demise of a relationship - Video
PDF Downloads
Sound Relationship House - PDF download
Six hours to a Better Relationship - PDF download
Books
Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work - Book
What Makes Love Last - Book
Eight Dates - To keep your relationship happy, thriving and lasting- Book
Authors - John Gottman & Julie Schwartz Gottman with Doug Abrams & Rachel Carlton Abrams.
Purchase via The Gottman Institute