Opening Hours :
Mon-Fri 9am-5pm + Sat 8am-1pm
Sunshine Coast Couples and Marriage Counselling
Are you struggling to get along with your partner and feel as though you never see eye to eye anymore?
Do you wonder how you ever got here and struggle to see the person you once loved so deeply?
Are only staying together because of the kids or find yourself constantly bickering?
Ambrose McKinnery
Psychologist and Counsellor
Ambrose has helped over 500 couples with thousands of hours in face-to-face relationship counselling. He has a 25-year career background in clinical, counselling and corporate work, and specialises in couples work with IWC. More on Ambrose.
AVAILABILITY
IWC Noosaville: Selected weekdays. Most Saturdays.
IWC Mooloolaba: Selected weekdays.
Online availability as required.
Support Options
There are 3 support options depending on what is most suitable for you:
1. Together: Couple commences together. First session 1 hour 15 minutes. Subsequent sessions are 1 hour.
2. Individual: Initial individual session. Some couples request an individual session each before commencing together.
3. Intensive: For those seeking quicker progress and to overcome logistical (travel, work, kids etc.) challenges. Also suitable for Brisbane, interstate, and international clients.
Three hours minimum. Ambrose prefers a quick phone chat to better understand the best way to proceed for you.
Approach - What to expect
Relationship distress is overwhelmingly due to:
- Unresolved problems. These will continue to fuel distress, frustration, and exhaustion into a relationship. Such problems can be recent or have been a thorn in the relationship for many years,
- The interaction of a person’s values, beliefs, attitudes, and expectations within the context of unresolved problems,
- Stress from all sources both work and personal. Stress overwhelm. Other mental health issues,
- The impact of an individual’s temperament and how they think about themselves and others,
- Over time, fatigue within the relationship has created a shift in feelings, or the other way around.
Couples seek help when they are unable to resolve these difficult challenges, frequently where their communication approaches with each other are not helpful, including a lack of listening, understanding, and subsequent conflict.
A chance to hear and be understood. The couples counsellor role is to:
1. help unpack your issues, and to get the conversations going you are struggling to have together or are simply not working,
2. to observe the communication or conflict management styles,
3. to understand what your unmet expectations are and see what can be done to address these. Can each person get more of what they want and need in their relationship.
EXPECTED OUTCOMES
Ambrose brings his many years of experience to work out what is going wrong, the key issues that are derailing the 2 of you, and what can be done to make your relationship a place of peace, happiness, and moving together as a team and in the right direction.
But regardless of the situations couples find themselves in, and what can realistically be expected, Ambrose will support progress towards the best possible outcome given their situation, helping with the conversations that are often difficult to otherwise have.
Further sessions. Not all, but most couples require further sessions together. On occasion, it may be suggested that consults are done individually with one of the partners or with a different therapist individually.
This might be necessary in situations where an individual’s issues arise like addictions, or trauma, or where other clinical conditions are apparent (e.g. depression).
Ambrose, Lauren and colleagues at Integrated Wellness Clinic, are highly experienced in working with all issues involving mental health.
Meet our Relationship Counsellor and Psychologist Ambrose McKinnery.
Ambrose McKinnery brings a wealth of experience and expertise to Integrated Wellness, with 20 years’ experience in clinical and counselling psychology, as well as organisational psychology.
Ambrose realises that every couple’s situation is unique. He is aware that frustration within the relationship is caused by issues which can be difficult to address and overcome. This is where relationship support can help find pathways to addressing the issues that will continue to fuel distress into the relationship for as long as they remain unresolved.
As a professionally trained counsellor, as well as a psychologist, and with much personal experience, Ambrose is able to mediate and draw out the issues, and with much understanding and empathy, help identify what has to change in order for couple to get back on track.
Meet our Relationship Counsellor and Family Therapist Lauren Baker.
Lauren is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia. She holds a Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy from the U.S. and is also a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Associate there.
It was during her own personal experience in counselling that she discovered a deep interest and passion for the healing process and decided to change paths. At 30, she made the decision to return to graduate school and begin a completely new career in mental health.
Lauren’s training in marriage and family therapy has shaped the way she sees people — not just as individuals, but as part of the larger systems and relationships that influence who we are. Her approach is collaborative and compassionate, recognizing that we all carry different parts of ourselves: some we like and embrace, and others that confuse, frustrate, or distract us. Lauren works to create space for all of those parts, helping clients move toward greater self-understanding and self-compassion of them as well.
Whether you feel as though your relationship is truly on the rocks and couples counselling is your last shot, or you simply know that your connection and partnership could be enhanced with professional support, Ambrose or Lauren can help you.
The core purpose of relationship counselling & marriage counselling is to:
- Learn how to effectively support each other
- Give both individuals a legitimate voice and work through any misunderstandings
- Facilitate communication in a non-judgemental manner
- Validate experiences
- Identify again the core personality traits that connected you to each other in the first place
- Re-establish the connection that once existed but is now missing
- Discuss the arguments or disagreements that seem reoccurring and never-ending. What is the core reasoning of these?
When we feel attacked or judged we go into defensive behaviours and create patterns that rarely get into the essence of what is really going on. So, within a non-judgemental and safe therapeutic way, both parties will have the time and space to be able to effectively communicate what they are experiencing and what is going on.
Both individuals are the client, there is no bias. Time will be spent delving into patterns that may have been established before the relationship was developed. These patterns may be getting in the way of effectively communicating your needs, tension and fears with each other. These patterns could be what is holding you back from a beautiful relationship.
Current Availability – Mooloolaba, Caloundra and Noosa Clinics
Mooloolaba: Tuesday and Wednesday (we can offer later sessions after-hours)
Noosaville: Thursday, Friday and some Saturdays (by request)
Caloundra: Mondays
Online availability as require Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday (after hours by request).
APPOINTMENTS
First session: 1 hour and 15 minutes. Subsequent sessions: 1 hour. Longer sessions are available if required.