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Marital Counselling

Looking for professional marital counselling?

Imagine if a professional relationship coach contacted you, saving you the time and effort of calling people who don't answer their phones; or who put you on hold only to tell you that they can only meet in a month?

My name is Mark Connelly. I'm a registered psychologist based in Kenilworth, Cape Town.

Update: 15 January 2023: As of 1 March 2023 my practice will only offer web-based (online) counselling appointments. This is an important consideration before you begin therapy. We can discuss what this means when we meet.

You are still welcome to meet me for a No Charge, No Obligation 15-minute meeting, in-person or online. During January and February 2023 I am accepting new clients for short-term, in-person appointments OR based on your ability and willingness to meet online after 1 March 2023.

I will not be able to facilitate marriage and relationship counselling online.

Please note that all fields followed by an asterisk must be filled in.

Here's how I make sure you get professional marriage counselling

I'm very serious about ensuring that you get professional marriage counselling. After all, I have to uphold my reputation as a psychologist and marriage counsellor.

  • I will email you or phone you to discuss your needs.
  • We'll chat, and if you're happy we'll arrange to meet as soon as possible.
  • I will try to refer you to a marriage specialist in your area if we can't meet in person.

Find out more about me.

What can I do right now?

There are four things I suggest you can start doing right now.

  • Quit blaming yourself or your spouse and start thinking about how to move forward. Blame can feel good but it can also be a barrier to positive change.
  • Take responsibility for yourself. It's easy to get caught in the trap of feeling helpless and out of control. Decide that you can take action.
  • Use expert information. We can't always talk to our friends and family about the problems so it's a real support to have expert materials at hand.
  • Take Action. Rather than feeling helpless there is a lot you can do right now. Fill in the contact form on this page so we can talk about your needs.


What is marital counselling?

Marital counseling is an opportunity for you and your life partner to meet together with a trained professional to focus specifically on your relationship.

Usually this happens when your marriage has suffered some damage, but this does not always need to be the case. For example, I also meet with couples who are planning to get married.


How does marriage counseling work?

You and your partner meet with me on a regular basis. You might choose to meet me for a set number of sessions or over a period of time (3 to 6 months, for example).

The first session may take 90 minutes but we will work within 60 minute sessions after this.

As a trained facilitator of the process I do not act as a judge, but work to help us to understand what is happening in the relationship and what can be done if you don't want this to continue.

I do this by asking questions and drawing attention to what I see happening.

I don't give you advice as there is no 'right' way of doing things. You need to discover what will work for you and your relationship.

I will offer suggestions when necessary and you can try these out together.


What if my partner refuses to join me?

We'll discuss how we can go about inviting your partner to join us.

If they choose not to participate you will still benefit from the process as you will gain insight into your thoughts, feelings and behaviour. With this kind of understanding you'll also discover ways to make changes in your relationship.

Marital counselling may follow at a later stage.


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