"Affairs can deeply wound a relationship — but with honesty, support, patience, and repair, healing is possible."
Gottman Institute - informed couples counselling and individual support for people within relationships.
Discovering or disclosing an affair can feel devastating. It can shake trust, emotional safety, identity, and the future you thought you had. Counselling can help you begin making sense of what has happened and support you through the painful and often confusing process of healing.
Relationship recovery work is approached with compassion, emotional safety, and respect for both partners’ experiences. Using themes informed by The Gottman Institute, counselling can help couples understand what happened, communicate more openly, and begin rebuilding trust step by step.
After an affair, many couples experience shock, emotional flooding, intrusive thoughts, anger, grief, numbness, confusion, and intense insecurity. One partner may feel shattered and unable to trust, while the other may feel guilt, regret, defensiveness, or fear that the relationship is beyond repair.
Even when both people want to stay together, the path forward can feel unclear. Conversations may become reactive, repetitive, or emotionally exhausting. You may both be hurting deeply — but in very different ways.
Recovery is not about pretending it did not happen. It is about creating enough honesty, emotional safety, and understanding for real healing to begin.
If you are both wanting support after an affair, counselling can help you move through the crisis with more clarity, care, and direction.
“Forgiveness is a process, not a decision. It takes time, patience, and a willingness to confront painful emotions in order to move forward.” Sue Johnson Psychotherapist
After an affair it's not about fixing a relationship. It's about building an entirely new one.
Trust is rarely restored through promises alone. Recovery usually involves consistent actions, emotional openness, accountability, and a willingness to understand each other more deeply.
Gottman-informed relationship counselling often focuses on:
I have sat with many couples who have been through this scenario, so please don't worry or be embarrassed about attending counselling, many other people have been through, or are going through similar experiences. There are so many big feelings involved, I am very comfortable hearing about them, and helping you navigate through them.
Relationship counselling works best when both people are willing to engage openly in the process. Meaningful change is difficult when one partner feels pressured or unwilling to participate.
One of the central ideas in Gottman-informed therapy is emotional attunement — learning to truly hear and respond to one another with empathy and care.
Even small moments of emotional connection can begin rebuilding safety over time:
Healing does not happen overnight, but many couples find that with support, honesty, and commitment, it is possible to move toward greater understanding and connection.
🌿 Sometimes, despite best efforts, a relationship may not be able to continue. If not, therapy can still offer a supportive space to find clarity, communicate with care, and move forward with compassion — for yourself and each other.
It depends on the couple. It takes a great deal of patience and a willingness to move through some very difficult emotions. It takes work, and learning new skills. The relationship will not be the same afterwards. Recovery is possible with time, honesty, and support. This process involves rebuilding trust, understanding what has happened, and creating a new foundation for the relationship moving forward.
🌿 Not every relationship survives an affair — but many people benefit from support whether they are trying to repair the relationship, make sense of what happened, or decide what comes next.
I have supported many couples through this process, so you are not alone. It is a common reason people reach out for help.
Contra-indications for Couples Counselling
🌿 If there is any form of abuse; emotional, verbal, physical, financial, or sexual abuse.
🌿 Where an affair - emotional or physical is ongoing.
🌿 If there is a current addiction.
In these situations, individual counselling is recommended.
🌿 Many couples describe affair recovery as one of the hardest experiences they have faced — but also as a turning point toward deeper honesty, stronger communication, and a more conscious relationship.
The process is supportive, and tailored to your needs. I will coach you in new skill sets, help you identify patterns that work, and those that need strengthening. I'll also provide you with handouts and suggested videos to watch after the session.
Give me a call to arrange an appointment. There are contra-indications for Relationship Counselling for couples - if there is an ongoing physical or emotional affair, or domestic violence. You can still have an appointment but as an individual.
Is a couples session together. We’ll talk about what’s been happening in your relationship and what support would feel most helpful. If you would like to continue, I ask you to commit to 2 individual sessions next as well as a follow up couples session. I'll also send you out The Gottman Relationship Questionnaire to return prior to your individual sessions.
Sessions are shaped around your relationship goals, communication needs, and shared understanding. I tailor your sessions with feedback from your questionnaire which helps pinpoint areas that need strengthening, as well as areas where you have strong couple strengths.
Hi, I’m Kareen Fellows, a degree-qualified counsellor, specialising in relationship counselling and couples therapy. I’m passionate about helping people feel more grounded, understood, and connected — both to themselves and to each other.
My approach is warm, thoughtful, and collaborative. I aim to create a safe, supportive space where individuals and couples can slow down, reflect, and explore what’s been happening in their relationships without judgment or pressure.
I have a special interest in relationships and have supported many couples in building more fulfilling, respectful, and loving connections. While many relationships can be strengthened, I also support clients in navigating separation when that is the healthiest path forward.
My work is informed by training through The Gottman Institute, Relational Life Therapy, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), and Mindfulness which I integrate to support emotional regulation, communication, and deeper connection.
You can learn more about my therapy background here.
Reaching out for support can feel like a big step, especially when things have been difficult for a while. You don’t need to have everything worked out before making contact.
Whether you are coming as a couple or individually, counselling offers a space to slow things down, understand what’s happening, and begin moving forward in a more supported way.
Contact Kareen: 0408 792 747
You’re welcome to call if you’d like to talk through what’s going on and see if counselling feels like a good fit.
Telehealth Video sessions are available across Australia, so you can access support from the comfort and privacy of your own home.
