The 30-minute Marriage Meeting – relationship counselling northern beaches
(My summary from relationship counselling northern beaches regarding Marcia Naomi Berger’s book Marriage Meetings for Lasting Love: 30 Minutes a Week to the Relationship You’ve Always Wanted) This is an exercise which I find is very widely accepted and useful to clients. I recommend sitting down together once a week in a nice quiet spot, it could be on your deck or patio, some couples even do it in outdoors like at a quiet restaurant or [...]
Your husband is not your girlfriend – counselling northern beaches
Counselling in the northern beaches, something that has come to my attention lately with my couples, is a wife expecting her husband to meet all her relationship needs/requirements. Now to have a satisfying relationship with your husband, he does need to be your friend. Men and women can however have very different communication styles, with men tending to be more straightforward, to the point and wanting to be problem solvers or fixers. How this plays out [...]
Pressure cooker – counsellor northern beaches
I have witnessed the pandemic taking its toll on relationships as time goes on. None of us are immune and we are all taking strain. Just the very fact that we have all been together in most cases 24/7 with no outlet and no place to go, no or not much social interaction – what we are all going through is not normal. For the families and couples trying to home school children, dealing with keeping [...]
Listening, being heard and being fully present with your partner – counsellors northern beaches
Lately amongst counsellors northern beaches I am coming across several couples with the same theme. I am not heard. In today’s busy and fast paced lifestyle often a couple does not prioritise quality time. Between holding down jobs, taking care of the children’s needs and staying on top of the household chores; the last thing on the list is often time scheduled just for the two of you. Getting the balance right is tricky. We need [...]
Difficulties couples face when one partner comes into a relationship with a child from another relationship – counsellor northern beaches
Difficulties couples face when one partner comes into a relationship with a child from another relationship and the couple then has a child of their own. Here in Counsellor Northern Beaches this has been a common theme I have encountered many times recently and sadly it can be very mismanaged. I am sure that in our rational minds we would all agree that any child needs to have the highest consideration; and to be put [...]
Love Languages in couples counselling – northern beaches counselling
How do I show my love for my partner that resonates with him/her? Gary Chapman wrote an invaluable book called The 5 Love Languages. (the secret to love that lasts). This is my summary (I am in Northern Beaches Counselling). They are: Words of affirmation: these are little words of encouragement and praise, compliments, and to someone who needs to hear the words, they are especially important. I find the more specific the words are the [...]
Covid stress and how it is impacting relationships – relationship counselling Sydney
As a relationship counselor in Sydney I am witnessing firsthand how the ongoing pandemic is affecting our relationships. It does come down to resilience. What is resilience and how do we build more resilience in ourselves and in our relationships, you may ask? Resilience is our ability to adapt to change and to bounce back when things don’t go as planned. People who are resilient don’t become victims and dwell on failures; they take stock of [...]