COUPLES THERAPY IN THORNBURY, MELBOURNE. IN-PERSON & ONLINE
A space to find your way back or deepen your connection with each other.
People come to couples therapy for many reasons.
You've drifted apart and want to find your way back to each other, whether that's after years of distance, a major life transition, or simply losing touch with what brought you together;
You're stuck in the same conflict, again and again, and can't find a way through it on your own;
Trust has been broken, and you're working out whether, and how, to rebuild it;
You're navigating a relationship that doesn't fit a conventional mould, including LGBTQIA+ partnerships and consensually non-monogamous relationships, and want a therapist who meets your relationship as it actually is, not as a template;
You want to go deeper, not because something's wrong, but because you sense there's more available between you.
What is Couples Therapy?
Every relationship moves through seasons — periods of closeness, periods of distance, periods where the ground beneath you no longer feels as steady as it once did.
Couples therapy at Turning Ground isn't about fixing what's broken; it's about creating a space where both people can be met, fully, and where the patterns that keep you stuck can finally be seen clearly enough to shift.
Our approach is relational and depth-oriented — we work with what's happening between you in the room, not just what's been said about it. Drawing on attachment theory, emotion-focused therapy, and trauma-informed practice, we help couples find language for things that have long gone unspoken and rebuild the kind of connection that can hold real weight.
Who is it for?
Our therapists have experience supporting couples of all genders, sexualities, orientations, and dynamics, including but not limited to:
Couples who are dating or married;
Monogamous and non-monogamous couples;
Polyamorous relationships;
Inter-race and faith couples;
Straight, LGBTQIA+, and queer couples
Former couples who want to work through their experience after a break-up.
Our Couples Therapist
Al Jeffery (he/him)
Al offers couples therapy as a reflective, grounded space for couples of all orientations to deepen intimacy, trust, and emotional safety. Drawing on attachment, emotion-focused, and trauma-informed approaches, he helps partners understand their relational patterns while cultivating greater honesty, wholeness, and shared meaning—supporting relationships that feel more connected, resilient, and deeply fulfilling.
By investing in couples therapy, partners can strengthen their bond, deepen their commitment, and cultivate a more fulfilling and satisfying relationship.
Treatment approaches:
Depending on the couple’s needs, goals, and preferences, we draw on a range of evidence-based approaches, including:
PACT (Psychobiological Approach to Couples Therapy)
Emotion Focused Therapy
Gottman Relationship Therapy
Attachment-based therapy
Non-Violent Communication
What to expect:
Each couple is unique in their connection, their strengths, weaknesses, passions, interests, work, and life in general. Therefore our approach to each couple is collaborative. Each partner will have their time to discuss what has bought them to counseling.
The first session
The duration of all couples sessions is 80 minutes. In your first session, with your therapist, you will identify the challenges you are having, arrive at a collaborative goal together, and formulate a way forward. The amount of sessions required varies and this will be discussed in your first session. It is ultimately your choice as to how you would like to proceed with the sessions.
Book a free Discovery Call
Please note: We do not work with relationships where ongoing domestic violence is present. If you are in a relationship where ongoing violence is present, please reach out to Safe Steps on 1800 015 188 to speak to a specialist who can assist you directly.
Frequently asked questions.
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Research suggests that couples counselling can help couples improve their relationship satisfaction, communication skills, and problem-solving abilities. It can also help couples work through issues such as conflict resolution, infidelity, intimacy problems, and trust issues. To get the most out of couples counselling, both parties should come with open minds and a willingness to listen and grow.
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It typically takes 2-3 months before people begin to recognize noticeable improvements in their relationship. This time can vary depending on multiple factors, including; how long the two of you have been together, the severity of the challenges you’re facing, and the amount of effort you both put into making the relationship work, and others. When the challenges you’re facing are very challenging, it can take 1-2 years of continuous work to address the issues in a relationship. It’s common for people to begin with weekly sessions, and as they see improvement begin to taper off to fortnightly, and then monthly sessions.
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As a team of clinicians, pricing varies across our practitioners. An approximation of pricing is:
Couples Psychotherapy (80 minutes): $200 - $250
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It can be common, and tough wanting to work on your relationship only to find that your partner isn’t interested. While many people are outrightly opposed to therapy of any kind, it might surprise you to learn that they might have good reasons. Often they feel they will be blamed, that it might make things worse, or that they'll be ganged up on by you and the therapist.
You could try to understand their reasoning and see if there is any reassurance that can be offered. If they still would prefer not, we encourage you to consider individual therapy to work on your relationship challenges. -
Whilst we believe the deepest therapeutic work can be done in person, each of our practitioners have set availabilities for Telehealth/online sessions.
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Unfortunately at this stage Medicare does not fund couples counselling. Hopefully this changes in the future.
If your question is still not answered, or you would like to explore working with one of our practitioners, book a discovery call here.
