--- title: "Couples Therapy Melbourne" id: "8181" type: "post" slug: "couples-therapy-melbourne" published_at: "2026-09-02T07:45:40+00:00" modified_at: "2026-09-02T07:45:40+00:00" url: "https://www.allforone.com.au/couples-therapy-melbourne/" markdown_url: "https://www.allforone.com.au/couples-therapy-melbourne.md" excerpt: "Couples Therapy · Melbourne The same argument, over and over, in slightly different clothes. Most couples do not come in over one enormous thing. They come in because a pattern has set, the conversations stopped going anywhere, and the distance..." taxonomy_category: - "Uncategorised" --- Couples Therapy · MelbourneThe same argument, over and over, in slightly different clothes. Most couples do not come in over one enormous thing. They come in because a pattern has set, the conversations stopped going anywhere, and the distance crept up on them. Anat Cossen is a Registered Psychologist trained in the Gottman Method, seeing couples at Hampton East and by video across Australia. No referral needed to book. [Book a session](https://www.halaxy.com/book/ms-anat-cossen/psychologist/1802651/1377711) [Call us](tel:0390863740) Gottman Method trained · No referral needed · In person or online · Evenings available 01## The work is on the pattern, not on who is right. Couples therapy is often imagined as a referee sorting out who started it. That is not what happens. You come in together, and the subject is the thing that keeps happening between you: how it starts, what each of you does next, and where it reliably ends up. That reframing does most of the early work. It is very hard to get anywhere while both people are building a case, and much easier once the pattern itself is the problem you are both looking at. Nobody is asked to concede the argument. The point is to understand the machinery well enough to interrupt it. 02## What couples bring in. You do not need things to be at crisis point to book. A good deal of this work is done by couples who are functioning perfectly well and would rather not keep going the way they are. ### Communication and conflict Arguments that escalate faster than either of you intends, or the opposite, where nothing is said and the subject quietly goes underground. ### Distance and disconnection Living well as flatmates and co-parents while the rest of it has thinned out. ### Trust and repair After a breach, a betrayal, or a long accumulation of smaller letdowns, and the question of what rebuilding would actually involve. ### Parenting and family pressure Differences in approach, the load falling unevenly, and the strain that new babies, teenagers or ageing parents put on a partnership. ### Life stage changes Career shifts, illness, perimenopause and menopause, and the renegotiation that follows any of them. ### Deciding what happens next Some couples come in unsure whether they are staying. That is a legitimate thing to work on, and it is better done deliberately than by drift. 03## The Gottman Method. Anat has trained in the Gottman Method, which came out of several decades of observational research into what distinguishes couples who stay together and are happy about it from those who do not. Rather than starting from theory, it started from watching thousands of couples and noticing what the two groups actually did differently. In practice it means the work is structured. There is an assessment phase, so the plan is based on your relationship rather than a general idea of relationships. It pays close attention to how conflict starts, since the opening minute of a disagreement predicts a lot about the rest of it. And it treats friendship and knowing each other properly as the foundation, not as a sentimental extra. It also means specifics. You will leave with things to try, not just a description of the problem. 04Anat Cossen Registered Psychologist · Gottman Method trained Anat works with couples alongside her individual practice, and brings the same approach to both: warm, direct, and interested in what is actually happening rather than what should be. She takes the view that people are the experts in their own lives, which in couples work means she is not there to hand down a verdict on your relationship. Her job is to make the pattern visible and give you both something to do about it. There is more on her background, training and individual work on the [psychology page](https://www.allforone.com.au/treatment/psychology/) , and on [seeing her at Hampton East](https://www.allforone.com.au/psychologist-hampton-east/) . [Book with Anat](https://www.halaxy.com/book/ms-anat-cossen/psychologist/1802651/1377711) 05## The practical part. Sessions run a full hour and cost $270. You book directly, without a referral. Couples sessions run at our Hampton East studio on the Nepean Highway, with parking at the front, or by video anywhere in Australia if getting two schedules into one room is the hard part. **Medicare does not cover couples sessions.** A Mental Health Treatment Plan brings a rebate on individual sessions only, so a couples appointment is the full fee. It is better to know that now than at the desk afterwards. Some private health extras cover psychology, so it is worth checking your own policy. Anat sees couples on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, with some evening times. The booking page shows live availability. ## Both of you, in the same room, on the same problem. Couples therapy with a Gottman-trained psychologist, at Hampton East or online. No referral needed. [Book a session](https://www.halaxy.com/book/ms-anat-cossen/psychologist/1802651/1377711) [Call us](tel:0390863740) 06## Common questions. ### Does Medicare cover couples therapy? No. A Mental Health Treatment Plan from your GP brings a rebate on individual sessions only, so couples sessions are the full fee of $270. Some private health extras policies cover psychology, so it is worth checking yours. ### What is the Gottman Method? An approach to couples work built on decades of observational research into what actually differentiates couples who stay together and are happy from those who do not. It is structured, starts with an assessment of your particular relationship, and pays close attention to how conflict begins and how friendship is maintained. ### Do we both have to come to every session? Usually yes, because the work is on what happens between you. Individual sessions within couples work happen sometimes, and if they do, that gets agreed with both of you rather than arranged quietly. ### What if one of us is more willing than the other? That is extremely common and it is not a reason to stay away. Plenty of couples arrive with one person keen and one sceptical. Being unconvinced is allowed, and it is worth saying so in the room. ### How many sessions will we need? It depends on what you are working on, and you will get a straight answer after the assessment rather than a package sold up front. The focus is agreed early and reviewed as you go, so you can see whether it is working. ### Can we do couples sessions online? Yes, by video anywhere in Australia. Some couples do this from two different locations when work or travel makes one room impossible, though being together is generally preferable when it can be arranged. ### Do you work with unmarried, de facto and same-sex couples? Yes, any couple in any configuration. The work is the same. If you need support right now, please don’t wait for an appointment. Lifeline 13 11 14, or 000 in an emergency.