Couples Counselling in Clarkson

For couples who keep having the same fight, feel more like housemates than partners, or are carrying the strain of distance. In-person or online.

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Calm counselling room featuring minimal design with natural elements for a peaceful atmosphere, to support healing at the Beach Haven counselling in clarkson.

Repair is possible with the right support.

Our couples counselling in Clarkson provides a supportive environment to understand each other, rebuild trust, and develop healthier ways to communicate. Whether you are facing ongoing conflict, trying to repair after an affair, or simply want to strengthen your relationship, we can help.

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Welcome.

If you’re here, something between you has stopped working the way it used to. Maybe the arguments have a script you could recite. Maybe it’s gone quiet. Maybe something has broken your trust. Maybe the distance (a roster, a job, a long season of being busy) has left you strangers under the same roof.

Our couples counselling in Clarkson helps you understand the pattern and cycles you’re caught in and find a different way to do things. You don’t need to be in crisis, and you don’t need to agree on what’s wrong before you walk in.

Tracy and Elanie both specialise in working with couples, drawing from Emotionally Focused Therapy and the Gottman Method to inform their approach. Both have lived experience of Perth’s FIFO lifestyle and the challenges that face many couples in WA.

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Tracy Rattray, owner and certified counsellor, at The Beach Haven in Clarkson

The strongest relationships aren’t the ones with no struggles, but the ones that grow through them

Counselling room at the Beach Haven counselling in clarkson with two chairs, set up for couples counselling
Elanie de Klerk, counsellor at The Beach Haven in Clarkson
What we help with

What couples come to us for.

Affair recovery

Supporting you to process the betrayal, move through the pain and rebuild, whether you were the one hurt or the one who had the affair.

Communication | Conflict

Arguments go nowhere. Your relationship has a scorecard where winning the fight is costing you the relationship

Life Transitions

Many relationships struggle to adapt to life changes like becoming parents, illness, career changes, grief and loss or children leaving home.

Petals of a succulent plant showing growth

Disconnection | Intimacy

You don’t know when it happened, but you feel more like roommates than lovers. Emotional and physical intimacy and connection have been lost

FIFO and distance

Many couples in WA struggle under the weight of roster patterns, extended time apart and building connection in a FIFO life.

Considering separation

If one partner is thinking about leaving the relationship, discernment counselling can help you each decide on the future of your relationship

Counsellors with lived experience

Couples Counselling
for FIFO Families

Handover day. The pressure to be “on” during R&R. The household that runs differently when one of you is away. Both Tracy and Elanie have lived the Western Australian FIFO life, so understand it without needing an explanation. We offer practical, realistic solutions to the issues that are unique for couples where one or both partners has a FIFO job.

Considering Divorce?

If you’re not sure you want to stay.

Couples counselling works best when both of you are willing to work on the relationship. If one of you is leaning toward leaving, a short process called discernment counselling can help you decide first. Tracy is one of the few certified discernment counsellors in Australia.

Couch at the Beach Haven, set up for in person couples counselling in clarkson

Couples Counselling

  • Goal is to improve the relationship.
  • Both partners are committed to working on the relationship.
  • Often lasts several months.
  • Focuses on changing patterns and rebuilding connection.

Discernment Counselling

  • Goal is clarity about staying together.
  • One partner wants to work on the marriage, the other is unsure.
  • Short term. 1 – 5 Sessions only.
  • Focuses on understanding what happened and how to move forward.
Couples counselling

Who it isn’t for.

Couples Counselling is not suitable if there is family violence, coercive control or one of you feels afraid of the other. Separate, safety-focused support is the right first step. 1800RESPECT is free and available 24 hours a day on 1800 737 731

Your couples counsellors.

Both Tracy and Elanie from The Beach Haven offer couples counselling in Clarkson

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Tracy Rattray

Owner | ACA Registered Counsellor
Tracy works with couples drawing on Emotionally Focused Therapy, Systems Theory and the Gottman Method. In addition, she is one of the few counsellors in Australia certified in discernment counselling and holds a deep interest and specialisation in grief counselling.
Read Tracy’s full bio →

Elanie de Klerk

ACA Registered Clinical Counsellor
Elanie is a clinical counsellor and EMDR therapist who works with couples drawing on both Emotionally Focused Therapy and the Gottman Method. She also brings trauma expertise, which matters when past experiences are shaping the way you connect now.
Read Elanie’s full bio →

What to expect

Getting started on your personal growth counselling journey is simple and flexible.

Step 1

Book online and complete your intake.

Use our online calendar to book a date and time that works for you. You will receive an intake form to complete online.

Step 2

Getting started – the first session

The first session is all about getting to know you both and working out together what you want to change.

Step 3

Understanding patterns and how to make change

Your therapist will work with you to track your issues, build a plan and agree on a cadence for working together.

Step 4

The real growth happens between sessions.

Change takes time and you control our pace. You can book regular appointments or book one session at a time online.

Soft couch with pillows in The Beach Haven's counselling rooms in clarkson, decorated with framed picture of beach and sea hanging on white wall

In Person Counselling

We see couples at Unit 4/9 Caloundra Road, Clarkson WA 6030, directly behind Bunnings Mindarie.

Our office is a short drive from Yanchep, Alkimos, Butler, Quinns Rocks, Mindarie, Burns Beach, Joondalup, Wanneroo and Carramar.

Woman wearing earphones having an online counselling session on a laptop, sitting comfortably in a cozy home setting.

Online Couples Counselling

We understand the challenges FIFO couples face seeking in person therapy when rosters get in the way.

Our systems and processes are well set up to support virtual sessions, allowing couples to continue their therapy from anywhere in Australia

Available across australia

In person Couples Counselling in Clarkson or online anywhere in Australia

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If you are in crisis right now

If you’re in crisis or having thoughts of harming yourself, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 (24 hours), or 000 in an emergency.

Common questions about couples counselling

Deciding to start couples counselling doesn’t require your relationship to be in crisis. Often, the best time to seek support is when you notice recurring patterns that you can’t seem to break on your own. If the same issues keep returning, you’ve stopped feeling close, or something has broken trust, it’s a good time to get support.

It varies. Typically, things can get more difficult before they get better. Couples counselling provides a space to address issues that have been brushed under the carpet, sometimes for many years. These issues take time to work through effectively. In general, we recommend initially committing to at least 8 – 10 sessions on a regular cadence (generally every 2 weeks). Your counsellor will work closely with you to determine a plan and cadence that suits your individual situation.

It’s not uncommon for partners to be at different stages of readiness to engage in couples therapy. Resistance often stems from fear of being blamed, ambivalence, or misunderstandings about how therapy works. You can try suggesting trying 2 or 3 sessions together, rather than asking for a long-term commitment. In saying that, pressuring your partner rarely works and can increase resistance.

At The Beach Haven we believe that you don’t need both partners in the room to begin making meaningful changes. Attending therapy on your own allows you to:
– Gain clarity on your own needs, boundaries, and communication style.
– Learn new strategies for responding to recurring conflict or stress.
– Break old patterns, which naturally alters the dynamic between you and your partner.

Yes. Both of us have lived experience of FIFO life. Our tools and processes are well set up to work with couples both when they are together and want in person support, and when they are apart and want to continue their work online.

Yes, The Beach Haven is an inclusive counselling practice. We welcome couples of all gender and sexual orientation.

Yes. Affairs and other breaches of trust are one of the most common reasons couples come to us. We offer a safe, judgement-free zone to process the aftermath of the affair and begin to rebuild the relationship.

When the question of whether to keep working on the relationship or separate comes up, most couples therapy fails. At The Beach Haven, we have one of Australia’s few discernment counsellors, who supports couples at this critical juncture. If, after careful consideration, a couple decides to move forward with separation, we can work with both partners to help you end things as respectfully as possible. If you’d like ongoing support afterwards, see counselling after separation for more information about how the counsellors at The Beach Haven can support you.

Yes, couples counselling can be an effective tool when you are separated and considering reconciliation. In fact, being separated often provides a useful cooling-off period, allowing both of you to step back from daily friction and look at the dynamic with greater clarity.

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You don’t have to figure it out alone

If something between you needs repair, it’s worth getting help sooner rather than later. Book your first session today, with in person couples counselling in Clarkson, and online sessions available anywhere in Australia.

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