We don’t wait until our car breaks down before sending it in for a service, so why don’t we do the same for our relationships?

There’s nothing more devastating than when a relationship ends, yet most of us don’t take any action when things start heading in that direction. We keep up ongoing maintenance on our cars, houses and even our bodies, yet we don’t give the same treatment to the most important thing in our life.

We all take our partner for granted at times, so it’s important to recognise the warning signs that your relationship might be in trouble before it’s too late.

• You’ve stopped communicating
• You don’t make time for each other
• You fight or bicker frequently
• You feel resentment
• You are unable to compromise over issues
• You think about leaving

Sound familiar? Then maybe it’s time to think about sending your relationship in for a service, and that’s where counselling can help.

We spoke with Louise Hosie from Hunter Valley Mediation to find out more about counselling for couples. Louise works from Muswellbrook and most of her clients are from the mining industry.

“I know the mining industry well and the demands it can place upon couples with things like shift work and fatigue.” Louise said. “The latest census showed that in 2016 over half of the people employed in the local mining industry suffered a relationship breakdown and I believe that with counselling many of those breakups might have been avoided.”

So why don’t we seek help when so many of us are suffering and so many families end up torn apart?

There’s a lot of stigma still attached to counselling that we need to abolish. Counselling is for everyone and for any reason. What makes counselling so effective is having an impartial third party see things that we can’t, and then being able to provide advice and effective strategies.

Louise said that people think that if they attend counselling they will be judged or blamed but that’s not the case at all. “It’s a welcoming environment and it’s all about working together. The most common thing I hear from couples who come to see me is a lack of communication. Sometimes it’s as simple as getting them to start talking again. There’s so much to gain from counselling. Not just preventing the end of a relationship, but even more importantly, improving that relationship.”

If you are interested in finding out more about sending your relationship for a tune up, head to www.huntervalleymediation.com.au