Australian College of Relationship Counsellors

‘I felt helpless, as if I could do nothing to stop my relationship slipping away …’

A relationship between two people may start with obvious things: passion, common interests, fun. It’s exhilarating, you feel special! Then you adjust to the realities of building a life with your wife, husband or partner. This, too, can be exhilarating, a journey you share together. But it can also be unexpected, confronting, maddening or even plain boring. What’s wrong? Or if nothing seems ‘wrong’, why doesn’t it feel right?

Life also brings stresses to all of us. We handle them in different ways and so do our partners – and this can be challenging. Do you have to agree? What if your partner doesn’t seem willing to compromise? What can you do?

Sometimes a relationship can also highlight things you didn’t know were there, but that someone close seems to bring out in you. That can be liberating but doubts or fears – even anger – may come up first. But is that about the other person? Or is it you? Or is it the dynamic you have together?

One thing to realize is that countless others have been through similar experiences: you’re not alone. And, fortunately, based in years of research and clinical practice, relationship counselling provides a way to develop understanding about your relationship and work on problems.

More than that: relationship counselling can help you grow and access riches in your life together that you might have forgotten – or have not even known were possible.