It takes courage to come and speak to an unfamiliar person about our private life and difficulties. Seeking professional help for the first time can seem like a daunting experience.

It can be even harder for couples, as sometimes they think that talking about their problems 'out loud' could make things worse. Other couples have become so accustomed to arguing and saying hurtful things that it seems almost impossible to resolve problems together. Couples can stop communicating about the important things to avoid conflict or find they have just drifted apart. All couples can find themselves in negative patterns of behaving towards each other and asking themselves, “how did we end up like this?”

In any situation, nobody coming to talk about these private matters wants to be judged or blamed for the problems. Julie Berg is highly skilled at getting to the heart of the relationship difficulties in a concrete and collaborative way. Julie will assist you to frame the discussion in terms of: “What are the helpful and unhelpful patterns, how can we improve the relationship, do we want to work on those changes and if not, what do we want to do next?”.

Even if couples do decide to separate, this process is definitely easier to deal with if both parties feel that they have tried everything they can possibly do to make the relationship work. Where children are involved, every couple will have co-parenting responsibilities for many years to come. Making this new style of relationship as harmonious as possible benefits children significantly in terms of their own mental health and wellbeing.

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Fees: There are no Medicare rebates for couples counselling and you do not require a GP referral.

The first session is for an hour and a half at no additional cost to the usual one hour session rate. We go through the history of the relationship, identify the main areas of what’s working, what’s not working, including what you have already tried and what you are both wanting to achieve. This provides the basis for planning future sessions. Julie has developed a Compatibility Scale that she also uses as a tool to help couples get a fresh perspective and overview of their relationship.

Julie's approach varies according to your specific needs and the aim is to get the best possible outcomes for all parties, including children, extended family and friends.

Assistance is provided for common relationship issues and difficulties :

Decision Making - Commitment - Jealousy and Control - Step Parenting - Intimacy - Dealing with Conflict - Fertility Issues and Loss - Infidelity - Boredom- Separation - Family Conflict and Interference-Compatibility.