Relationship & Couples Counselling
A supportive space to understand relationship patterns, improve communication and strengthen connection — together or individually.
Get in TouchRelationship Counselling on the Gold Coast
Relationship counselling provides a calm, structured space for couples navigating communication difficulties, conflict, emotional distance or trust concerns. Together we focus on understanding the patterns between you, improving communication and rebuilding emotional connection. In-person sessions are available on the Northern Gold Coast, with online counselling across Australia.
“Connection grows where people feel heard, safe, and understood.”
Common Reasons Couples Reach Out
Couples often come to counselling when things feel stuck, painful, or disconnected — even if they still care deeply about each other.
- Communication has broken down or feels repetitive
- Arguments escalate or never fully resolve
- Emotional distance or lack of connection
- Loss of intimacy or affection
- Trust has been impacted or strained
If some of these feel familiar, it can be helpful to talk things through in a calm, supportive space. Many couples are surprised by how quickly small shifts in communication can change the tone of a relationship.
You don’t need to wait until things feel worse — counselling can simply be a space to understand each other more clearly.
If you’d like support with this, you’re welcome to get in touch.
What Relationship Counselling Can Help With...
Even strong relationships can go through difficult seasons. Stress, parenting, work pressures, communication struggles, unmet needs, conflict, emotional distance, and life transitions can all place strain on a partnership.
Counselling can support couples who are wanting to strengthen their relationship, repair after difficulty, or navigate important changes together.
Building healthier patterns together
Often, couples are not struggling because they don’t care — but because they are caught in patterns that no longer feel helpful or safe.
Therapy can help you recognise those patterns, understand each other more deeply, and learn ways of relating that feel calmer, clearer, and more supportive.
The goal is not perfection. It is about creating more awareness, emotional safety, and a stronger foundation for the relationship you want to build.
Healthy relationships aren’t conflict-free — we’re all individuals, and at times we won’t agree. What matters is how we navigate those moments, how we handle conflict, how we deal with emotions, whether we're able to listen and respond, and how we repair and reconnect afterwards. For many of us, these are skills we were never really taught — but they can be learned.
How I Work in Sessions:
My work is guided by training with The Gottman Institute, Dr Sue Johnson's EFT, alongside mindfulness and other therapeutic approaches. Sessions are structured yet flexible, helping you understand patterns, improve communication, and build stronger emotional connection.
“Trust is built in very small moments, which I call 'sliding door' moments. In any interaction, there is a possibility of connecting with your partner or turning away from your partner. One such moment is not important, but if you're always choosing to turn away, then trust erodes in a relationship - very gradually, very slowly.” ― John Gottman
The Gottman Institute Method
As part of relationship counselling, I use The Gottman Institute Method — a research-based approach to couples therapy that helps improve communication, rebuild trust, and strengthen emotional connection. It focuses on building friendship, managing conflict, and creating shared meaning within the relationship.
In Relationship Counselling I share practical skills including;
- Calming the Stress Response: Simple, practical ways to soothe the fight-or-flight response
- Mindfulness: Building awareness and staying present, even in challenging moments
- Listening: Techniques so each of you can be heard
- Emotions: You'll learn about emotions what they are how to share them effectively
- How to Manage Conflict: Learn how to listen and respond during conflict.
- Learn How To Repair After Conflict: Learn how to process a regrettable incident but not get back into it.
- Love Languages: Doing small things each day for one other helps create a happy relationship
Relationship counselling works best when both people are willing to take part in the process. It’s not a quick fix, but something that unfolds over time, with many people finding benefit in 5–10 sessions and ongoing support as needed.
Can A Relationship Be Saved After An Affair?
Many couples seek relationship counselling after an affair. While the relationship will change, recovery is possible with time, honesty, and support. This process involves rebuilding trust, understanding what has happened, and creating a new foundation for the relationship moving forward.
I have supported many couples through this process, so you are not alone. It is a common reason people reach out for help.
Sometimes, despite best efforts, a relationship may not be able to continue. If not, therapy can still offer a supportive space to find clarity, communicate with care, and move forward with compassion — for yourself and each other.
Contra-indications for Couples Counselling
Couples counselling is not appropriate where there is any form of abuse, including emotional, verbal, physical, financial, or sexual abuse.
It is also not appropriate where an affair - emotional or physical is ongoing.
In these situations, individual counselling is recommended.
What Working Together Looks Like
The process is supportive and tailored to your needs. I help you identify relationship patterns, develop practical skills, and understand your strengths.
1. Reach Out
Give me a call to arrange an appointment. I will email you my practice and payment information, as well as a link to an intake form for each of you to fill out. I'll also send a handout - About Relationship Counselling.
Payment is due when booking the session. The relationship assessment is a separate fee, and includes the assessment process and my review of your responses.
2. First Session
Our first session is a couples session together. We’ll talk about what’s been happening in your relationship, what has brought you to counselling, and what you would like to change.
If you decide to continue, my usual process includes two individual sessions, one with each partner, followed by a further couples session.
Before your individual sessions, I’ll send you the Gottman Relationship Check Up forms to complete separately. This helps me understand both perspectives, recognise your relationship strengths and identify areas that may benefit from attention, so I can tailor our sessions to you.
3. Ongoing Sessions
It takes time to work through concerns and issues, learn new skills and apply them.
Ongoing sessions are shaped around your relationship goals, communication needs, and shared understanding.
I tailor your sessions with feedback from your questionnaire which helps pinpoint areas that need strengthening, as well as areas where you have strong couple strengths.
Between sessions, I provide practical exercises, handouts or suggested resources to help you practise and reflect on what we have been working on together.
Meet Your Counsellor
Hi, I’m Kareen Fellows, a degree-qualified counsellor, specialising in relationship counselling and couples therapy. I’m passionate about helping people feel more grounded, understood, and connected — both to themselves and to each other.
My approach is warm, thoughtful, and collaborative. I aim to create a safe, supportive space where individuals and couples can slow down, reflect, and explore what’s been happening in their relationships without judgment or pressure.
I have a special interest in relationships and have supported many couples in building more fulfilling, respectful, and loving connections. While many relationships can be strengthened, I also support clients in navigating separation when that is the healthiest path forward.
My work is informed by training through The Gottman Institute, Relational Life Therapy, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), and Mindfulness which I integrate to support emotional regulation, communication, and deeper connection.
Taking the Next Step
Reaching out for support can feel like a big step, especially when things have been difficult for a while. You don’t need to have everything worked out before making contact.
Whether you are coming as a couple or individually, counselling offers a space to slow things down, understand what’s happening, and begin moving forward in a more supported way.
Get in Touch
If you’re ready to take the next step, I’d be glad to hear from you.
Phone: 0408 792 747
Location: Northern Gold Coast, Queensland
In-person counselling and online sessions Australia-wide.
Email Kareen