Understand your relational patterns from the inside out
Individual relationship therapy focuses on the patterns you bring into connection and how you attach, protect, withdraw, or reach for others. Together we explore your relational history, nervous system responses, and present-day challenges to build healthier, more secure ways of relating.
You don't have to do it alone...
Something feels like it isn’t working in your relationships. You always attract the same type of partners or repeat the same relationship patterns. You find you keep getting jealous and clingy or overwhelmed and needing to pull away. You’re disconnected in your relationship with one foot already out the door or you’re currently single and unable to create the relationship you want or find the partner of your dreams.
There are so many reasons why you might need support: old wounds and patterns, difficulties in relating, trust issues, doubt, and ambivalence, neurodivergent overwhelm, or issues that you feel unable to voice with your partner because it’s not safe or you won’t be understood and heard. Much of what happens in our relationships is because of our nervous system and wiring and conditioning, as well as our upbringing and previous relationships.
Unpacking and changing these patterns in a constructive way is the first step in making lasting, personal change. But it’s difficult to make change alone. It helps to have tools and support.
Relate better with individual relationship therapy
Sometimes it helps to have someone to talk to who is independent and will listen. It can be useful to engage with someone who understands relationship, neurobiology, and attachment dynamics from the inside out and who can help you make sense of things and implement real change. It’s also valuable to be taught potent self-calming and relating tools that you can take away and use in your life and relationships.
We can help you transform, heal, and understand the deeper patterns that play out in your life and relationships. We can support you to build physical and emotional safety and develop personal resources from which you can access deep, loving trust and connection. Good relating is a skill that requires developing attention, insight, and emotional intelligence. When all these qualities are present, the depth of connection is boundless.
Relationship psychotherapy is not just for couples. You might be an individual in a relationship, or you might be single and would like to work on your relating and how you connect.
Our Specialties
- Attachment-based issues and repair
- Neurobiology of relationship safety
- Working with issues of safety and trust in relationships
- Healing from break ups, infidelity and betrayal
- Embodied relationship security
- Managing anxiety and overwhelm
- Chronic shame and guilt
- Conscious communication
- Sex and intimacy issues
- Porn use and its effects
- Neurodiversity and relationships
- Polyamory and consensual non-monogamy
What to expect
- A deep understanding of your relationship system and how to create secure functioning within it
- Knowledge of how to work with yours and your partner’s neurobiology to create a safe relationship
- Capacity to regulate your own and each other’s nervous systems during conflict and stress
- Improved communication skills and strategies to de-escalate conflict
- The ability to work together to process and integrate past traumas and stop them affecting your relationship
- Ways of deepening emotional and sexual intimacy
- Tools for effective repair after conflict or rupture
- A clear vision to take your relationship from surviving to thriving!
- The ability to better cohere as a couple
- Strategies for navigating the external stressors of work, family, children and hobbies
- Heightened value, meaning and purpose in your relationship
- Ways to formulate strong boundaries and agreements to keep your relationship secure
- Tools to incorporate ritual and spirituality into your relationship
- Resources for co-creating an amazing modern relationship!
Fees
Individuals
90-minute initial assessment therapy session: $247.50
55-minute session: $165.00
Sessions
Ongoing individual sessions are 55 minutes in duration, plus 5 minutes of note-taking time.
Because we share rooms with several therapists, all sessions must start and finish at the scheduled time.
What makes us right for you?
We do not dish out a diagnoses and cookie-cutter advice on how to fix your life and relationships. Insight and healing are not found by following worksheets. Instead, they are found within, through accessing your internal resources and wisdom. Together, we work with your neurobiology, your nervous system and attachment style, which influences how you relate to others
We teach you foundational skills such as interroception and neuroception, respectively the ability to listen to and interpret your body’s internal cues of safety and activation, and to environmental and relational safety cues. We provide skills on mindfulness, self-soothing, communication and relational dynamics. We work from the ground up and the inside out, helping you to understand how your wiring and conditioning influence your life. We support you to heal and grow.
Your sessions are all about you. We always tailor our approach to meet you and your needs.
We genuinely listen to you and what you bring to your sessions,
Our feedback is that our approach feels collaborative, curious and non-judgmental.
What makes us different
Even though the focus is on you as the individual, we are systemic in our approach. That means we are trying to understand what is happening for you in your wider systems of relationship, family, community, and culture and find applicable solutions.
Our approach draws heavily from the Psychobiological Approach to Couples Therapy (PACT), which works deeply with how our brains, bodies and neurobiology respond when under relational stress. We support you from the inside out, helping you de-escalate stress responses and the flight-or-fight reaction to co-create a safe environment for relating.
We also make use of regular feedback informed treatment (FIT) during and after sessions, in the form of short surveys and assessment. Rather than relying solely on clinical judgment, feedback informed treatment ensures that your therapy stays on track and addresses any therapeutic drift before it happens.
Research shows that the use of FIT increases the likelihood of positive therapy outcomes by a factor of 2.5.
Frequently asked questions
If you’re considering therapy, you might have some questions about the process and what to expect. These questions might apply more generally and not just to working with me.
Below are some of the more frequently asked questions I get asked regarding psychotherapy…
Click on the question to expand the answer.
If you cannot find your question below, you might also like to look at the How I work page or contact me directly.
What happens in our first session?
Before your session, you may feel a little nervous or awkward. There may be some resistance to turning up on the day- this is perfectly normal!
During the first session, we will discuss the issues you want to work with. The first session can sometimes be the most challenging part of therapy and the most difficult, particularly if you’ve never spoken about your problems before. It can also be very relieving to get these issues off your chest!
We will go over the practicalities, such as professional boundaries, confidentiality, fees, cancellations and any questions you might have.
It is a chance for us to get to know each other. We can see if we are a ‘good fit’ to work together and if the way I work meets your needs. You will have a good sense of this after the session. You can ask yourself the following questions.
Did you feel:
- like we clicked?
- that I understood you and the issues you came with?
- safe or at ease to talk with me?
This advice also applies to any other therapist you want to work with.
How often will I need to attend?
If there is too much of a gap between sessions, progress can be slow or minimal. On the other hand, having sessions too frequently can lead to burn-out.
For that reason, when we first work together and depending upon your needs, I generally suggest meeting weekly for 6-8 sessions, so that we can build rapport and develop momentum. If more sessions are required, we will usually meet fortnightly or monthly depending upon your needs and circumstances.
How many sessions will I need?
It depends. Some people prefer to come to resolve a specific issue and are happy to go on with their lives. Others come for medium- to long-term therapy, which allows time and space to explore themselves and their relationships in greater depth and more resembles personal-development. Therapy can be a fantastic means to cultivate greater self-awareness and understanding.
During our initial session, we will discuss your goals and expectations and determine what suits you best.
I/We need therapy. Is there something wrong with me/us?
Absolutely not.
There is a perception that people who attend therapy have something wrong with them, are broken or just wallowing in self-pity. Nothing could be further from the truth.
It’s common for individuals and couples to seek out external help when they are unable to resolve personal issues themselves. An impartial person’s perspective can be valuable in providing insight that is not obvious from the inside.
Therapy can also be a fantastic form of personal development, even when there are no problems or issues. It can help develop tools and create greater insight into our lives and deepen our relationships.
Therapy is not a short-term fix, but it can provide long-lasting change.
How do I know you're the right therapist for me?
Therapy depends on the strength of the relationship between you and your therapist. For that reason, it’s essential to work with someone you feel like you click with.
I recommend reading my About and How I work pages to get a sense of me and my approach.
You can also book in a free 20-minute phone consultation, so we can discuss your needs and how I might be able to help.
Likewise, if I don’t feel that we are a good fit, I can refer you to another therapist who I think might be better suited.
Can you fix me/my relationship?
The short answer is that in therapy, there are no guarantees. It would be unethical of me to make such promises.
The longer answer is that I do not believe we should view people or relationships as broken. You may feel broken at times in your life. This is a common experience for many people. But humans are not machines to be repaired like a broken watch. We are complex, evolving organisms.
I think it is better to see ourselves having integrated parts and less integrated parts. When we feel broken, those unintegrated parts have more power. Therapy is a process of integration.
In our sessions, I will provide you with tools and resources and create a safe space for you. Ultimately the work that happens is your own. It is a process of self-discovery.
Why Right Relationship?
Right Relationship is more than a business name. It is my mission statement.
Right relationship is a concept that refers to a way of relating that honours and respects the integrity, dignity and sovereignty of ourselves and each other. When we meet each other (and our world) with these qualities then we are in right relationship.
Standing in a place of right relationship involves healing trauma, deepening connection, clarifying values, embracing integration and embodiment, and learning to love and respect the natural world we live in.
This has been my life’s work and I am passionate about helping people attain right relationship in their own lives.
Do you offer any concession rates?
I only offer concessions to individuals and couples who are in medium or long-term therapy and who have limited financial means. I do not offer concession rates for short-term therapy (less than 10 sessions).
Do I get a Medicare rebate?
No. Only clinical psychologists and mental health care social workers are eligible for Medicate rebates.
Can I get a health fund rebate?
I am registered with the following health funds: Police Health Fund, Emergency Services Health, Phoenix Health, St Lukes Health, GMHBA and CUA Health (telehealth only), Teachers Union Health, AIA and Westfund.
Please let me know prior to your session if you need an invoice for any of these funds. For any funds not listed, please contact your provider.
I see you are trained as a shiatsu therapist. Do you offer bodywork?
No. I no longer offer bodywork sessions to the public. However, my background in bodywork and movement has a significant influence on my approach to therapy.
Where appropriate, I often recommend clients obtain bodywork to accompany their sessions, as they complement each other. If this is something within your means, I can provide a referral upon request.
From time to time I run shiatsu workshops for couples. Register for updates to be notified of the next workshop.
I am an associate member of the Shiatsu Therapist Association Australia (STAA).
What is the difference between a counsellor, psychotherapist and psychologist?
In Australia, there is no formal distinction between a counsellor and a psychotherapist.
Generally, you see a counsellor for a specific issue and for a shorter period of time. Psychotherapists support you with more in-depth or general problems, across a longer duration. Some people like to attend psychotherapy to explore their lives and relationships, to gain greater clarity, meaning and purpose.
A psychologist is an individual who has completed a psychology degree and generally ascribes to the ‘medical model’ of mental health. This approach means they diagnose in terms of mental illness set out in The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Many psychologists operate on a cognitive (thinking) level and are unconcerned with deeper aspects of the self. They are focused on treating symptoms and getting you back to ‘normal’.
As a psychotherapist, I do not work within the medical model, which means I do not diagnose or pathologize. I also do not prescribe medications. For more information about my approach, you might like to read the How I work page.
Take the First Step Towards Change
Healthy relationships are not about perfection. They are built through safety, understanding, communication and repair. Therapy can help you better understand yourself, your nervous system and the patterns that shape the way you connect with others.
Whether you’re seeking support individually or within your relationships, we offer a warm, non-judgemental space for growth, healing and deeper connection.