Hills Couples Counselling

26/10/2025

Yes, thank you for making a pet friendly stay possible while some work is carried out at home 🏡 🐶🐶

There is a very real need for avid pet lovers to be able to stay a night here and there in a decent hotel with their little loves.

Freya is also our lovely therapy dog in the Hills Couples Counselling clinic. Please remember to ask for her to be present in your session if you need an emotional support doggo. (Fully certified as a therapy dog - and a chunky Staffy at that).

22/10/2025

If you've been wondering when the pain stops, here's a little clue we offer to our clients.

Sometimes, you won't realise that you are, in fact, healing from whatever wounded you until you notice a distinct change in your behavioural patterns.

Are you still locked in unhealthy relationship squabbles?

Or caught in the never-ending infinity loop of unmet needs?

For *most* couples presenting at sessions, these two factors play a huge part in the 'why' of relationship decline.

The healing isn't only when the pain stops - it is when the long term patterns shift. 💜

18/10/2025

Evening Community 👋

Gosh, how hard is this to do?

Sometimes, you try and try and try, right?

We’ve all been there, doing the rewind thing, that’s just not working.

There comes a time when you have to hit delete, rather than rewind, to save or maintain your mental health.

Thankfully, there is help, support, and guidance available.

Is it time to delete, rather than rewind?

13/10/2025

A nice little read about getting to really know each other after marriage.

As newlyweds, it's normal for new conflicts to arise. Surprisingly, these arguments can actually be good for your marriage.

08/10/2025

Interesting read......

What do you think?

06/10/2025

Sometimes........................................................

Therapy can be like this. When working through long standing issues or dealing with raw and powerful emotions, you may need to take a short break to regather yourself and return to a state of emotional steadiness where you can make informed decisions.

There's absolutely no shame in putting the brakes on; likewise, for some, it's surge forward until you reach a decision or figure it out.

We are always happy to support what you need. No locking you in for weeks on end or minimum number of sessions.

In fact, we promote slowing down, pacing yourself at a comfortable rate and allowing adequate time to process the gamut of feelings and emotions that rise to the surface during therapy.

30/09/2025

👶🏼Baby, baby, baby. Oh my gosh, why didn't anyone tell us? 👶🏼

Why a Baby Can Strain a Marriage

Changes in roles and identity: Couples must transition from being partners to co-parents. This can lead to disagreements over parenting styles, division of labour, and a sense of losing one's pre-baby self.
The arrival of a baby creates a fundamental shift in a couple's life, introducing several common challenges:

👶🏼Sleep deprivation and exhaustion: This is often cited as a major factor. The constant demands of a newborn can lead to chronic tiredness, which can make both partners more irritable and less patient with each other.

👶🏼Changes in roles and identity: Couples must transition from being partners to co-parents. This can lead to disagreements over parenting styles, division of labour, and a sense of losing one's pre-baby self.

👶🏼Reduced intimacy and communication: The focus on the baby often leaves little time or energy for the couple's relationship. This can lead to a decline in communication, affection, and sexual intimacy, causing feelings of neglect or resentment.

It's important to note that a decline in marital satisfaction after a baby isn't an automatic sign that a relationship is doomed. Many couples successfully navigate this challenging period. The key is to be prepared for the changes, communicate openly, and make an intentional effort to nurture the relationship. This is where couples counselling can be a valuable tool to help couples manage the transition to parenthood.

At Hills Couples, we offer parenting classes and family sessions to help you make the arrival of your baby a joyous and connective experience.

29/09/2025

Couples Counselling is not just for the young.

Many mature couples find themselves at a loss once retirement time comes around.

For many couples, this long awaited event is fraught with difficulty.

Many couples come into sessions stating that after years and years of retirement anticipation, they are now little more than strangers.

It is not unusual to feel confused about now spending so much time together after years of time devoted to careers, raising the children and then grandchildren.

What comes next? Who are we as a couple? Do we even like one another now?

These are all questions that we can work through to map out a plan for enjoyment that is rightly yours in later years.

Discussing what this time looks like can be daunting. Reassuringly, there is help available.

Call us, DM us, or go to our site.

27/09/2025

Which way do I go?

Do I stay, do I go? Which path do I take?

When you feel like you're too overwhelmed to make an informed decision about your future or the future of your relationship, it may be time to get some professional advice.

Discernment counselling allows you to examine your future life path, allowing you insight to make a confident and well informed decision to stay together or go on separate paths.

As with all things in life, some problems are solvable and some are not. Discernment counselling differs from traditional couples counselling in that it examines future pathways to bring clarity and confidence around life-altering decisions.

At Hills Couples Counselling, we have helped hundreds of couples decipher the knot that is uncertainty in relationships.

25/09/2025

What comes to mind when you see this picture? 🤔

Isn't this what we all want - a happy and joyous relationship?

Often, when in its infancy, our relationships are wonderful, intimate and full of fun moments bonding us together.

Years later, we can find ourselves confused, disconnected and feeling lonely, even though we are in a relationship.

Disconnection doesn't have to signal the end of your relationship. Often, a fresh perspective with renewed commitment to reinvesting in the relationship can spark that old feeling of excitement and curiosity.

Don't wait until things are woeful, get help and start feeling the love. 😍

18/09/2025

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Healing explained in a simple way.

We develop coping mechanisms that are not productive and may be harmful. Negative ways of coping include alcohol, binge eating, random intimacy with strangers, drugs, angry outbursts, etc

We then try to heal ourselves by getting rid of the unhealthy habits. It's not as easy as simply wishing the negative behaviours away.

With a good therapist, you can work your way towards adding new skills and tools to assist you in coping in a positive and affirmative way.

At Lifeforce, we help you find hope again.

18/07/2025

Sometimes we forget all the little things that can make a marriage great.

Here are 5 things to practice that may help you towards a healthier and happier relationship.

It's pretty common to think about working on your marriage, but what about practice? Are there areas where practice pays off?