Couples Counselling & Relationship Therapy for Ivanhoe
A dedicated practice for couples and individuals navigating the complexities of intimate relationships. Based in Thornbury, a short drive from Ivanhoe, with secure telehealth available across Melbourne and Australia-wide.
Stephanie Schiftan
Couples & Relationship Therapist
MCouns (Couples) · GradDipEd · BFA (Hons) · Specialist Course in Integrative Couples Therapy (RAV) · ACA Member
I came to counselling through a winding path, through classrooms and creative spaces, and both continue to shape the way I work. My background in Fine Arts gave me a deep attunement to how meaning is made and expressed. My years in education taught me to pay close attention to how people make sense of themselves and the world. That curiosity and attentiveness sits at the heart of how I practise.
I hold a Master of Counselling (Couples Stream) and trained as a couples therapist at Relationships Australia Victoria, completing the Specialist Course in Integrative Couples Therapy and my supervised clinical hours there. I am a member of the Australian Counselling Association.
I work with couples and individuals across all relationship stages. I am interested in the ways people try to stay connected, make sense of difficulty, and navigate the tensions that arise in close relationships. LGBTQI+ clients and diverse relationship structures are warmly welcomed.
Couples Counselling for Ivanhoe
Relationship Practice is a dedicated space for couples and individuals navigating the complexities of close relationships. Relationships ask something of us. They bring us into contact with love and belonging, but also with the uncertainty, vulnerability and long-learned patterns that shape how we connect and disconnect, often outside of conscious awareness.
I believe deeply in the capacity of therapy to help us connect more fully, both with ourselves and with the people who matter most. When we begin to understand our patterns more clearly, something important becomes possible: a different way of relating, and often a richer way of living. The work begins with curiosity rather than blame, making sense of what unfolds between people so that new understanding, and new possibility, can emerge.
Relationship is not something we have, but something we do, practised in the ordinary moments of everyday life and in the larger transitions that ask more of us than we expected. Whether you are facing a crisis, a quiet distance that has grown over time, or simply a wish to understand yourself and your relationships more deeply, there is space here to slow down and begin. You can read more about this way of working in relationship as practice.
The practice is in nearby Thornbury, a short drive from Ivanhoe, with sessions available in person or via secure telehealth.
How We Can Work Together
Couples & Relationship Counselling
A space for couples to slow down, understand recurring patterns, and work with the emotional processes shaping distance, conflict or disconnection.
Individual Counselling
For individuals seeking to better understand themselves in relationship, including attachment patterns, relational difficulties and intimacy concerns.
Prepare/Enrich
A structured assessment-based program supporting couples to strengthen communication, alignment and long-term relational foundations.
Begin with a conversation
If something in your relationship feels stuck, distant or uncertain, you do not need to have it all worked out before reaching out. A free 15-minute consultation is a low-pressure way to ask questions and see whether this feels like the right fit.