Couple and Family Counselling

Repair Your Relationships and Improve Communication

Do you find communicating with your partner, kids or loved ones difficult? Is it hard to talk about daily matters, or more complex situations without emotions escalating?

When communication becomes difficult or breaks down, people can become distressed and reactive, problems can seem unsolvable.

We all need a safe haven and a secure base to turn to when life gets difficult or presents us with challenges.

Attachment is an emotional tie or bond that provides the safety and comfort essential to a child or adolescent's development. Romantic relationships perform the same function creating intimate attachment bonds that lead to the development of secure and lasting relationships between adults.

This need for attachment is "hard wired" in the human brain. But when we experience disconnection, periods of prolonged or permanent separation, or worse, infidelity, attachment bonds can become frayed, injured or broken.

When we feel safe, secure and supported in our relationships, whether by parents, partners or family members, we develop a secure bond. The security of that bond provides individuals with a deep and lasting psychological resource.

It allows you to experience more positive emotions, be more patient, understanding, curious and tolerant, cope more effectively with stress, and express your emotions more safely and openly.

Indicators of a safe haven: Indicators of a secure base:

Listening, being attentive and helping when others are tired, worried or sick.

Listening to and supporting each other's hopes, dreams, work and activities.

Inquiring about one another's feelings and remaining patient when others are upset or confused.

Asking questions that reflect curiosity in each other's interests, opinions, hobbies or studies.

Expressing concern and providing physical comfort when others are sad or hurt.

Acknowledging each other's skills and capabilities and bolstering each other's confidence.

Distressed partners are always asking the same basic questions,

"Are you there for me? Do I matter to you?

Will you come when I need you, when I call?"

Dr. Sue Johnson

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Book a Counselling Session

Take the Wellbeing Assessment

Couple and Family Counselling Will Help You:

Understand Attachment

Understand your attachment your attachment needs, and the needs of those you love.

Change Habits and Patterns

Recognize repetitive habits that cause distress with your partner or family.

Build a More Secure Bond

Create a safer more secure connection with those you love.

Our Approach:

Emotionally Focused Couple and Family Therapy

Couple Therapy

Emotionally Focused Couples therapy helps couples learn to Understand Their Attachment History, better understand each other's needs and fears, and recognize cycles that lead to emotional escalation or avoidance. Couples learn to Stop Overreacting to Emotional Triggers so they can heal attachment bonds and communicate in more helpful ways.

Family Therapy

Emotionally Focused Family Therapy helps parents provide a safe haven and a secure base that allows kids to explore, build skills and express their needs and fears. Parents learn to understand problem behaviour, emotional escalation and withdrawal as strategies kids use to cope with needs and fears.

This approach will help you:

Better understand your attachment needs and fears

Recognize negative relationship patterns that create distress and distance

Reduce instances of emotional escalation

Improve communication

Be less judgemental and more compassionate with yourself and others

Create safer, more secure attachment and increase connection in relationships

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Get Started With Five Star Wellbeing Counselling

Feel confident you have the right support, tools and practices you need to achieve your goals.

Book A Counselling Session

Understand your needs and clarify your goals

Complete Our Wellbeing Assessment

Assess how you are doing in five key areas of life

Increase Your Wellbeing

Have a plan to improve your wellbeing and mental health.

Track Your Progress

Have a benchmark and assess your progress often.

Book a Counselling Session

Take the Wellbeing Assessment

Why We're Different

At Five Star Wellbeing, we know wellbeing is more than an absence of problems.

Wellbeing can be understood as one’s psychological, social or physical ability to meet and manage challenges. It can be defined as “how people feel about and experience their daily lives.”

Wellbeing is different from happiness. It's possible to be unhappy and still have wellbeing. While we work together on what you are struggling with, we'll ensure you won't lose sight of your strengths and what's already working for you in your life.

Click on the boxes below to learn more.

Purpose Wellbeing

Even when things aren't going well, people who have a sense of purpose and meaning in their lives are happier, more productive, more resilient and less likely to experience mental health problems.

What inspires you? What breaks your heart? Answers to questions like these will help you find things that give you purpose.

Social Wellbeing

A few positive supportive relationships in your life can make a big difference. Social relationships act as a buffer against stress, improve immunity and cardiovascular function. They also protect against depression, anxiety and substance abuse.

Who can you rely upon when things are tough? Who can rely on you?

Physical Wellbeing

Mental health is dependent on physical health. Seventy-five percent of medical expenses come from mostly preventable illnesses. People who attend to their physical health experience less stress, take fewer sick days, are happier and more productive.

Do you provide your body with the right nutrients, rest and movement it needs to function optimally? To avoid mental and physical illness?

Financial Wellbeing

Financial wellbeing and mental health are closely linked. People with mental health problems are 3.5 times more likely to be in problem debt, and half of those in debt, have mental health problems.

How financially stable, secure and confident do you feel about your financial future?

Community Wellbeing

Feeling a sense of connection and belonging to the communities we live and work in prevents loneliness, increases immunity and promotes positive mental health.

Do you feel emotionally and physically safe? Do you feel like you you matter? That you are relied on and cared for by the people in your community?