Couples therapy at The Goddard Clinic

Close relationships are a crucial ingredient of good mental health and the quality of relationship that we have with our partner, is particularly important for our happiness and wellbeing. Couple distress is a known risk factor for the development of depression in one or both members of a couple.

At The Goddard Clinic, couples are helped using the cognitive behavioural approach. The aim is to understand how the attitudes and behaviours of two individuals may interact to maintain conflict and discontent. Positive change is achieved by targeting communication, empathy and acceptance while simultaneously acquiring new behaviours that promote care and respect and that help couples progress towards their mutually agreed relationship goals.

The first session involves an interview about the couple’s history together with each partner giving their perspective on the current problems within their relationship. Then two individual sessions allow the therapist to assess each partner’s earlier life history from which an understanding of how their individual personalities, attitudes and beliefs, can trigger behaviours leading to patterns of couple conflict.  Therapy can then begin and the couple actively work (in and out of session) towards new ways of being.