Couples Therapy & Counselling Johannesburg

Connection and intimacy is possible for everyone.

Couples Therapy & Counselling in Johannesburg

We were born whole, with the desire and capacity for deep love and connection. But a lifetime of hurts, often stemming from childhood, can leave even the strongest of us wounded and a little stranded, sometimes in ways we don’t realise or understand. Marriage, and a committed relationship with a partner is one of life’s greatest gifts to restoring heart connection. We have a deep and holy calling to love each other into wholeness.

The ultimate achievement isn’t autonomy, independence or self-sufficiency. It’s in understanding and embracing our need for each other, to live fully alive ourselves.

My name is Louis, and this is my life’s passion - to see marriages restored.
This is why Couples Help^TM exists. You can read my story here.

Louis Venter, Founder, Couples Help

SESSIONS

2/3 DAY
MARRIAGE
RESTORATION
INTENSIVES

These intensives are not for the faint of heart, but they will change your lives forever. We don’t say that lightly. It takes courage and vulnerability to fight for your marriage and your hearts. The couples who come to these intensives are often at the end of their rope, and feel like they have nothing left to give. But we’ve watched impossible situations turned upside down, and right side up.

GOOD TO GREAT

So you have a good marriage. Make it GREAT. Good to Great couple's workshops are created to solidify strong, long-term relationships by bringing back the exciting times of a new relationship.

PRE
MARRIAGE

So you’re not married yet, but there’s nothing like starting strong. On a solid foundation of deep connection and wholeness. Or if you know someone who’s getting married soon, what better gift than to equip them for a strong and beautiful forever-after story. (Gift certificates available.)

COUNSELLING

You’re doing okay, but you wonder if you could be better. You lock horns every now and again, and there are things that trigger unhealthy responses. You just need some tools to help you have better conversations and find each other again. That’s okay, we can have a single session, and delve into your needs. At the end of a session, we’ll chat about where you are at and if you need follow up sessions.

sex and sensuality

Over time, many couples find that their intimacy and ‘spark’ wanes away, especially after several years of marriage. My sex therapy for couples will help you to identify and work with the challenges in the intimate aspect of your relationship to unlock your full sexual potential with each other. Intimacy therapy will also lead to a more fulfilling relationship in other areas.

baby ready

Finding out you’re expecting a baby is the best news many of us will ever hear, and there is nothing more exciting than the prospect of starting a family and bringing a child into the world together. At the same time, you need to prepare for how this will change your marriage and your relationship with each other.

i-help individual therapy

Signing your divorce papers forces you into an unknown space. A vulnerable space in which you’re discovering a whole new identity, dreaming new dreams, finding new rhythms, making sense of hurt and learning to trust people and the world again. You may be navigating your fears of single parenthood, or your loneliness at being apart from your children.

adventure in intimacy

Affordable workshops for couples who are determined to improve their current relationship or marriage. You will learn advanced techniques in a welcoming group before working on your relationship with your partner in a confidential and secure environment while being supported by a therapist.

THE GIFT OF WHOLENESS

If you know someone who needs a helping hand in their marriage or a couple planning to get married, and you want to invest into their lives, consider buying them a gift certificate to one of our private or group workshops. We will email you a beautiful gift certificate that you can print and give to your loved ones to say “We believe in you!”.

Fill in the details below, and we will contact you with payment details.

I would like to order a Couples Help gift certificate to the value of

How are Couples Help any different from
seeing a marriage counselor or clinical psychologist?

That’s a really good question, and I’m glad you asked.

I am immensely grateful for all medical and other professionals in our country who are committed to the restoration of relationships. I also believe that every couple is unique, and there is no one-size-fits-all blanket solution.

Having said that, Couples Help is largely about Intensive Therapy.

Most traditional counseling approaches involve an hour a week or something along those lines. But these short disconnected patches of time often lack a sense of continuity, and many couples are left feeling helpless and powerless when the rubber hits the road in the grind of everyday life. In many cases, these sessions ultimately become a guide to an amicable divorce, or at best, a relatively easier living arrangement.

My own personal story led me to realize that Intensive Therapy, on the other hand, has had an overwhelming track record of over 95% of relationships restored to wholeness. It involves a solid chunk of time, two or three days spent with the couple in their own home.

This isn’t a weeknight checklist-item.
This is real life. Real conversations. Real context.

It takes time, courage and commitment, both from the couple and the therapist. And sadly, very few places in our country offer Intensive Therapy. I’ve been there, and I understand the pain and hurt of disconnection. But I also understand what it means to have someone who’ll walk the road with you. And having come out the other side, still happily married to my varsity sweetheart, I live what I teach every day.

I believe with all my heart in the restoration of relationships and heart connection. What I offer is not just therapy. It’s an encounter.
With yourselves and each other.

TESTIMONIALS

From those who’ve been there

{ The couples who haved walked this journey with me have my deepest respect and awe. It takes courage to fight for love. They are the real heroes, my heroes. And these are their stories. }

"We approached Louis when our relationship was at its lowest and I honestly felt like walking away. It turned out to be an experience that literally breathed life into our relationship again. We learnt more about ourselves and each other in two days, than we ever had in the eight years we’ve been together. Louis is humble, kind, caring, genuine and non-judgmental. It was so valuable to us that he had experienced issues just like ours, and could relate to us. On the morning of our session with Louis, his home had been broken in to, but he still showed up and was fully engaged with us. He took time to understand our frustrations, and showed us why we were frustrated. He gave us new tools and helped us to remember why we fell in love. It was exhilarating and life changing. We are happier, closer and stronger than we have ever been as a couple. We will be forever grateful."

Verushka and Shahiem

"It's the Thursday after our weekend with you, and I am not sure if I have come in for a landing yet. It’s been the most intense, emotional and insightful journey I have ever experienced. We managed to delve into our relationship “knots” to an unimaginable depth. I realise now how little I understood before. A level where real understanding and feelings are unlocked. The process has made us look at ourselves and each other in such a different light. As nervous and anxious as we were before the ECCT it does not compare to how grateful we are now that we have scraped together the courage to go for it."

Pieter and Anita

"We went about our relationship in a vicious cycle of neglect, detachment, frustration, explosive fights and yet stayed in it because we loved and cared for each other. But we could not resolve it or make sense of it, so we started resenting and hurting each other even more. A friend recommended we see Louis, and thus began an intense and amazing journey. Louis was able to help us understand where we were in our marriage, how we got there, and how to move forward from a place of love and kindness. His guidance and superb counseling method saved us so much hurt and heartache. We love that he brings truth and clarity and lets you then make decisions from that place. We sincerely recommend Louis to any couple that find themselves struggling. We are so grateful to have had him take us on this life-changing journey."

Timi and Richard

"Thanks again for taking us on this incredible journey! We both feel more confident about the road ahead and believe that these skills have already set us on the right path and are excited about the future."

Faye