Gottman Referral Network

About

I am Michelle Janssen, a Gottman-trained couples counsellor based in Paddington, Brisbane. Couples therapy is my sole clinical focus. I work exclusively with couples and I have built my entire practice around doing that one thing well.

My core specialisations are affair recovery and infidelity counselling, conflict and communication breakdown, and childfree and life stage counselling for couples navigating big decisions in their 20s and 30s.

I work within the Gottman Method framework and have completed training through Level 3. My approach is structured and direct. I will not sit back and watch you argue the same old way for an hour. Every session has a purpose and you will leave with something concrete.

I have been on the other side of the couples therapy couch myself and I know how vulnerable it feels. I take that seriously.

I work with couples navigating affair recovery and infidelity, including physical affairs, emotional affairs, online affairs and sexting, and situations where partners have different definitions of what monogamy means. I also work with couples in betrayal trauma, managing triggers after infidelity, and the process of Atone, Attune and Attach.

For couples struggling with communication and conflict, I work with recurring arguments, defensive communication, the Four Horsemen, flooding and stonewalling, and the mental load and resentment that builds when couples stop prioritising each other.

I also work with couples navigating the decision about whether to have children, mismatched desires about parenthood, and the transition to parenthood for couples wanting to get their relationship right before everything changes.

Sessions are 90 minutes, available Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday at 108 Latrobe Terrace, Paddington Brisbane QLD 4064, and online across Australia.

Working with married couples, de facto couples, and long term partnerships across Brisbane and online.

Special populations

LGBTQIA+ Friendly, New Parents, Childfree Couples, Couples in their 20s and 30s