Marriage Counselling Singapore
Looking for Marriage Counselling & Treatment?
Hi, I’m Cassandra Chiu, a Psychotherapist/Counsellor and accredited coach based in Singapore. I am a mental health professional who has been offering marriage counselling and coaching since 2011.
Learn more about my services below
Our Approach to Marriage Counselling Services
Empathy and understanding
Through our couple therapy, we aim to help you and your partner recognize the conflicts in your relationship and learn about the relationship dynamics underlying the conflicts. You learn to understand the roles both you and your partner play in the interactions you have with each other, which may change the way you see the relationship and your partner.
Identifying Patterns
During relationship counselling, you learn to change your behaviour, as well as the way you interact with your partner so that the wants and needs of both people in the relationship are met. This can involve identifying and changing negative communication patterns so that both people learn to speak to each other in supportive and understanding ways.
Expressing Emotions
Couple therapy also aims to bring out the thoughts and emotions that you may fear expressing to your partner and vice versa to foster a closer relationship. Both people can express themselves emotionally while learning how to solve relationship challenges and communicate with each other more effectively during conflicts.
Strengthening Relationships
Finally, we help married couples focus on the strengths of the relationship instead of only concentrating on the problems. This builds resilience for stronger long-term relationships. Due to the many benefits of this type of talk therapy, self-improvement, better individual self-esteem, and mutual connection can also be evidently seen between partners who undergo couple therapy.
What to Expect
In the following sessions, we will work together to:
My Practice Philosophy
I am a registered counsellor with the Singapore Association of Counselling and a Master Solution Focused Practitioner with a Masters in Professional Counselling from Swinburne University (Australia). I was recognised as one of the services with the Best Marriage Counselling in Singapore by Best In Singapore.
For over 10 years I have helped couples build stronger connections with each other when they have struggled with frustration in doing so without professional help.
Couple’s therapy is an empowering process for both you and your partner. Growth occurs through encouraging honest, empathetic communication and using strategies and techniques that aid hearing, clarity and healing. My therapeutic approach for couples counselling is rooted in Gotmann Method Couples Therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy and Solution Focused Brief Therapy. Working together with a professional counsellor will help you identify the *negative thought, feeling and behavior patterns that contribute to your relationship with your significant other. Knowing how to handle and solve your inner thoughts and emotions will positively impact your overall mental and emotional health.
When both partners are provided with the right tools, appropriate approaches, and healthy insights, relationship difficulties and frustrations often ease or disappear. Problems become manageable. Validation & openness increases. And mature communication paves the way for a calmer, happier, and more fulfilling relationship and the healthiest way forward together.
Signs & Symptoms Of Trouble In Your Relationship
Are you struggling to deal with a disconnect from your partner? If you feel that no matter what you say, you are no longer being heard, or that you are not being appreciated as you once were, it may be time to book an appointment.
Have you felt like you don't quite know your partner anymore? Like one of you has changed, and that you don't quite feel the same spark that existed before?
Do you feel utterly alone in your relationship? Does their presence no longer bring you joy, making you feel like you can't communicate with anyone, or that they're not on your side?
Have the two of you been arguing over everything? Parenting, the in-laws, work, money, even what to eat for dinner or the way the house is maintained? If so, there may be a deeper issue.
Have you found that miscommunication plagues every interaction you try to have with your spouse, and well-meaning intentions are met with suspicion or hostility? Losing this fundamental ability to communicate is a sign of trouble in your relationship.
These are signs that your relationship or communication with your significant other has broken down. Sweeping things under the carpet will not solve anything, at best it only hides the hurt for a little while.
Marriage Therapy / Relationship Counselling
Are you wondering if this vortex of emotions will lead you down the same road as countless other couples who could not resolve their differences and eventually split up? The good news is that the old myth that “half of all marriages end in divorce”, is simply false. The US divorce rate has been falling for decades and current studies estimate it is closer to only ⅓.
However, it does not mean marriage or a healthy, meaningful relationship is getting any easier with time. After all, if we expand the above figure to include unhappy de-facto relationships and add in the ill-contented twosomes who will never divorce, we can see there are large numbers of seriously annoyed, frustrated, unhappy, glum people like you who are desperate for a change. Marriage and relationship counselling directly affects other people, especially those who belong inside the family; these types of therapy serve as family therapy because they influence family-related issues and the relationships of everyone in the circle. Divorce issues greatly impact children so by addressing these alone, we can already avoid difficulties in familial relationships.
If any of these sound like your relationship…
Then, Couple / Relationship therapy could be for you. By imparting conflict resolution and management skills and providing professional support, these counsellors are able to help couples work through major sources of strain in their relationship.
When Marital Therapy might not help?
Renowned marriage researcher John M. Gottman claims that the average couple that enters marriage counselling has experienced marital difficulties for over six years and that the longer a couple waits to seek assistance, the more deeply entrenched the communication problems, thus making them more resistant to improvements. Addressing problems in your relationship with marital counselling sooner rather than later will give you the best chance at repairing it. It is vital for people who are having a hard time dealing with the many challenges in life to seek support and guidance from an individual outside the relationship. By connecting with a professional therapist, there is a greater chance for marital difficulties to be addressed accurately and with success.
If your relationship meets any of the following conditions, it will be unrealistic to expect any therapist to resuscitate a relationship you have already pulled the plug on.
Testimonials
We've been recognised by Best in Singapore as one of the top marriage counselling services around!
Interested in reading the article? Click on the logo!
Here is what some of my customers have had to say:
“I first saw Cassandra with recommendation from my brother-in-law who had seen her previously for his set of problems. Cassandra has been really professional, thoughtful and empathetic in helping me manage my marital issues and my personal mental well-being. My sessions with her always helped me get more clarity and provided me some guidance in what my next steps should be. I encourage anyone with any set of problems to have Cassandra as their go-to person because she is that beacon of light and voice of reason when you are at your darkest and lowest point in your life. Thank you, Cassandra, for making me see hope when I thought all is lost.“
“At first I was skeptical that going to a counsellor would solve the problems in my relationship but because of the hard times we were going through I decided to give it a try. Throughout several joint sessions Cassandra gave us – in a very professional and caring way – a different mindset and view on how our partner feels and reacts and she taught us concrete techniques to deal with conflict. I can easily say that I wouldn’t be in a happy relationship now if it wasn’t for her counselling.”
Want to Start Your Marriage Counselling Process?
A loss of emotional intimacy and mutual understanding can be a heavy blow to couples. If you feel that your relationship needs a change, and you want to get better, it's time to consult a professional marriage counsellor and fix your marriage.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)
The good news is that the old myth that “half of all marriages end in divorce”, is simply false. The US divorce rate has been falling for decades and current studies estimate it is closer to only ⅓. You can avoid becoming a statistic by pursuing help for your relationship issues.
The “Journal of Marital and Family Therapy” report that marriage and family counselling helps seven out of ten married couples find great satisfaction in their relationship.
Our aim is to repair your relationship in as few sessions as possible. How long it takes depends on the depth of the issues you and your partner are experiencing. However, you should see a noticeable result after a small amount of sessions.
The initial counselling session can take up to 90 minutes, in order to get to know the couple or whole family better. Subsequent sessions will run up to 50 minutes each.
The first session will cost $400, and subsequent 50-minute sessions will cost $250 each. One sum is for the entire family or couple. We also offer additional marriage counseling packages, and do not charge GST. Find out more about our prices here.
We offer both in-person and online counselling sessions. Online therapy can be just as effective as coming down to our counselling centre, and might help you fit sessions into your schedule.
Learn more about our online counselling services here.
Couple counselling, also often known as marriage counselling, is a therapeutic intervention designed to assist couples in improving and achieving healthy relationships. The process encourages individuals to move past immediate emotions and impulses and to understand them from a broader perspective.
In these couples therapy sessions, you can better identify relationship issues in a constructive environment, facilitated by trained marriage counsellors. There are also different therapeutic approaches, the popular one being the Gottman Couples Therapy Method.
It is also slightly different from divorce counselling, which focuses more on helping you process your decision to end your marriage, figure out ways to cope and plan ahead for the future, and if you have children, make preparations and decisions that are the best for them.
Individual counselling can be quite different as well, often using different methods such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) or relaxation techniques to promote personal growth.
Ultimately, couples therapy provides a structured setting where individuals learn the art and skill of marriage communication effectively.
Premarital counselling has been found to be effective in improving relationships and reducing the likelihood of divorce.
Couples who attend premarital counselling report increased satisfaction, communication skills, and a reduction in negative conflict. Additionally, premarital counselling provides an opportunity for couples to address issues that could lead to divorce and to plan actively for the future.
Yes, marriage counselling can be incredibly helpful, though it's important to understand what it entails and have realistic expectations.
It's not a magic fix, but rather a structured and supportive space to process the complex emotions surrounding infidelity – the hurt, anger, betrayal, confusion, and grief. It can help couples understand the underlying issues that contributed to the infidelity, improve communication, rebuild trust, and make informed decisions about their future.
It's also a valuable resource for individuals struggling with the aftermath of an affair, offering a place to process their feelings and develop coping mechanisms.
I offer infidelity counselling and would be happy to discuss how I can support you through this challenging time.
I offer support and guidance for individuals navigating the emotional challenges of divorce. This includes processing grief and loss, untangling shared memories, and rebuilding self-worth. If you'd like to explore how this support could help you, please feel free to reach out.
