Case Study - Relationship Counselling

Ben and Fiona presented to Robertson & Ling for marriage counselling, having been together for 12 years. They have two children, aged 7 and 5. Both Ben and Fiona felt their relationship had drifted significantly since having kids, and that they were not in love anymore. Fiona was considering leaving the relationship and was worried about the impact this might have on the children. 

Robertson & Ling completed individual assessments and intake with Ben and Fiona to get each of their perspectives on the relationship. They also completed a screening for family violence, and determined that the relationship did not possess the traits of a characterological family violence relationship.

The Robertson & Ling counsellor focused on interventions that assisted the couple to build connection and closeness within the relationship (see this blog post on one way to build connection in a relationship). These interventions took into account the busyness and time constraints that come with family life. Both Ben and Fiona were able to implement these interventions in-between sessions, and noticed this difference this made to their relationship.

During the marriage counselling process, Ben and Fiona indicated that conflict was also impacting their relationship, and was making it hard to build the closeness that they both wanted. The Robertson & Ling counsellor spent a number of sessions exploring the nature of this conflict. They also introduced targeted conflict resolution interventions to assist Ben and Fiona in this area of their life (see our blog series on conflict within relationships).

After four months, Ben and Fiona felt that their relationship had improved noticeably, and they decided that they would see their Robertson & Ling counsellor every few months for a “check-up” appointment, until they thought that such appointments were no longer necessary.