RELATIONSHIPS AND INTERPERSONAL DIFFICULTIES
By David Hennessy, Clinical Psychologist
Psychological support for relationships and interpersonal difficulties can help you understand recurring patterns, express your needs and find more workable ways of relating to others.
Hennessy Clinical Psychology provides individual psychological therapy in Varsity Lakes on the Gold Coast and by secure telehealth across Australia. The practice does not provide couples therapy, mediation or joint relationship counselling.
You attend therapy as an individual. The focus is your wellbeing, experiences, choices and goals. You do not need a partner or another person to attend for your concerns to be taken seriously.
Hennessy Clinical Psychology does not provide couples therapy, mediation or joint relationship counselling. Individual therapy cannot assess someone who is not attending, establish their motives or make them change. It can help you consider your own responses and options without assuming you are responsible for another person’s behaviour.
Culture, family expectations, disability, neurodivergence, past experiences and practical pressures can all affect relationships. Support should respect your circumstances and communication preferences rather than impose a single idea of how relationships should work.
Where intimidation, coercion or abuse is involved, safety and appropriate support take priority over practising communication skills. Responsibility for abusive behaviour lies with the person using it. 1800RESPECT provides specialist domestic, family and sexual violence support.
Relationship difficulties can arise with partners, family, friends or colleagues, or when you want connection but feel isolated. You may be facing a recent difficulty or noticing a pattern that has followed you across different relationships.
People seek support for concerns such as:
These experiences do not automatically mean that you have a mental health disorder. Therapy starts with understanding what is happening in your life and what matters to you.
The focus of psychological support for relationships is tailored to your needs. Depending on your goals, we may work on the following areas.
Therapy may help you notice assumptions, put experiences into words and practise asking, declining or disagreeing respectfully. Assertiveness includes recognising your own needs alongside the rights of others. The Centre for Clinical Interventions offers structured assertiveness resources covering these skills [1].
Together, we can explore what makes saying no or tolerating disapproval difficult. You may practise setting realistic limits and distinguishing care for other people from taking responsibility for all of their feelings. A useful boundary describes your limits and actions; it cannot control another person.
Support may involve recognising early signs of overwhelm, pausing when appropriate and choosing how to return to a difficult conversation. The aim is to increase your options and reduce unhelpful reactions. Whether a conversation is safe and worthwhile also matters.
Loneliness involves a gap between the connection you have and the connection you want; it is not simply being alone [2]. Therapy may explore barriers such as rejection fears, grief, exhaustion or limited opportunities, and help you consider manageable steps towards meaningful contact.
Some responses developed when they helped you feel safe or accepted. We can look at what triggers a familiar pattern, what it achieves in the moment and what it costs over time. Understanding a pattern can create room to try a different response without blaming yourself for the whole relationship.
Change often takes practice, and progress can be uneven. Therapy may help you respond with greater clarity and flexibility, but it cannot guarantee reconciliation, new friendships or changes in another person.
In the first appointments, we discuss your concerns, relevant history, strengths and what you would like to be different. We develop a shared understanding of what may be keeping difficulties going, including pressures beyond your control.
Depending on your needs, therapy may draw on Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), mindfulness, compassion-focused strategies and behavioural practice. You can read about these on the Therapy Approaches page.
Sessions may involve:
We agree on a pace that is workable for you. The aim is practical understanding that can be used in daily life, rather than expecting you to get every conversation right.
These existing articles offer further reflection. They provide general education and do not replace individual assessment or therapy.
A closer look at how stress and familiarity can influence our responses to people close to us.
Reflection on holding tightly to people, outcomes and certainty.
Ideas for responding deliberately when difficult thoughts and feelings pull you away from what matters.
Explore the broader collection of educational articles about self-understanding, relationships and everyday wellbeing.
Explore further information when strong emotions and recurring reactions are central concerns.
Support and safety: 1800RESPECT provides 24-hour counselling, information and support for people affected by domestic, family or sexual violence. Call 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732, or visit 1800RESPECT. If there is immediate danger, call 000.
No. You can seek support for difficulties with friendships, family, colleagues, dating, past relationships or loneliness. The focus is the concern that matters to you.
No. Hennessy Clinical Psychology provides individual psychological therapy and does not provide couples therapy, mediation or joint relationship counselling. If you are looking for a service where both partners attend for relationship therapy, you will need a provider who offers that service.
It may help you understand the fears and expectations that make limits difficult, and practise more assertive responses. The aim is to care about others while also taking your own needs and capacity seriously.
Yes. We can explore the kind of connection you want, what has made it difficult and possible next steps. Therapy cannot guarantee new relationships, but may help you work with barriers and consider opportunities that fit your circumstances.
Therapy can take the impact on you seriously without requiring you to accept responsibility for their behaviour. We can consider your wellbeing, safety, boundaries and choices. We cannot assess or change a person who is not attending.
Yes. Appointments are available in person at Varsity Lakes on the Gold Coast and by secure telehealth across Australia. Suitability and practical arrangements can be discussed when you enquire.
You do not need to have worked out why a relationship difficulty keeps happening before seeking support. An initial appointment can help clarify your concerns and whether individual psychological therapy is a suitable next step.
David provides psychology for adolescents and adults at Varsity Lakes on the Gold Coast and through secure telehealth across Australia. Check current availability or send a general enquiry if you are unsure whether this service fits your needs.