"The journey could have been a scary roller coaster ride, no doubt, but Rowena made it seem more like plain sailing, from day one. When I was coming to my first session I was a bit apprehensive I admit, but her open, warm and friendly personality put me at ease straight away - I felt I came home."

"Rowena is no ordinary therapist – and I have seen quite a few in my lifetime!"

"Rowena has enabled my daughter to open up emotionally like a flower blossoming."

Relationship Counselling – Individuals, Couples and Families

My work with relationships has developed from my counselling and holistic health care work with individuals. Issues in relationships always seem to come up for people sooner or later – albeit a difficult dynamic with a child, perhaps at a stage in life where a parent too struggled as a young person, or an issue in a romantic relationship or partnership. And people find me because the issues in the relationships then go on to cause emotional and physical symptoms of imbalance, and I am always looking to address the cause.

I work with families who are having difficulties and also with couples seeking support. My work with families usually develops from my holistic health work. I start working with an individual member of the family, usually a child and then my work progresses on to the individual’s dynamics with their parents and perhaps other siblings, building a systemic picture of the family’s health on all levels. Always when working with a parent who brings a child here with behavioural issues, I work with the dynamics I see the child displaying with the parent(s) and/or other siblings and I reflect back my observations in order to create change. All families have their dynamics and just like a pebble thrown in a river, small changes by each individual member can create great changes in the overall picture.

I offer my work with couples as a stand alone process, separate from my holistic health work. Effective and beneficial couples work occurs when both members of the partnership feel heard and understood, not judged or favoured. Both partners need to feel comfortable with their therapist, after all, couples counselling is a delicate process which involves the holding of vulnerability, the keeping of confidentiality and the building of trust. The first session for me is always a ‘chemistry test’ where you have the chance to have all your questions answered as to what the process involves, as well as for us to meet in person and for us to decide whether we feel we want to work together.

Usually six sessions, meeting on a weekly or two-weekly basis, are agreed upon after that first session, with regular assessments of how things are progressing. My intention is to provide an environment for both partners in the couple to be heard by each other and by me, for emotions and thoughts to be expressed safely and without judgment and for the couple’s strengths to be rediscovered and built upon. Some couples come to counselling to work through a crisis, otherwise come with more long term work and to deal with deeper issues. Either way, I support both individuals in the couple through the process – a time when it is really important to reach out and have that support.

Please refer to the fees page for my charges.