Book Your Appointment
Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur · In person or online
Couples Counselling and Family Counselling in Kuala Lumpur
Couples counselling and family counselling for partners and families who want to communicate better, work through conflict or get through a difficult time together, at our Bukit Jalil clinic or online.
Whether you are dating, engaged, married or parenting together, our counsellors give everyone space to be heard and help you find a way forward that works for your relationship.
- 1.5-hour sessions
- RM550 per session
- Free 30-minute consultation
- In person or online
What is couples counselling?
Couples counselling is a series of conversations with a trained counsellor, attended by both partners, focused on your relationship rather than on one person. It gives you a calm, structured place to talk about things that are hard to raise at home, without the conversation turning into another argument.
Your counsellor doesn’t take sides or decide who is right. Their job is to help each of you feel heard, notice the patterns that keep conflict going, and help you practise new ways of talking, listening and solving problems together.
Couples counselling isn’t only for relationships in crisis. Many couples in Kuala Lumpur come to us to communicate better, prepare for a big change such as marriage, a new baby or moving abroad, or recover after a difficult period. Coming early, before resentment builds, often makes the work easier.
Signs couples counselling could help
Every relationship has difficult seasons. It may be time to talk to someone if conversations keep going round in circles, or if one or both of you feel more alone than you used to.
You don’t need to be sure the relationship can be saved, or even agree on what the problem is, to start couples counselling. Many couples arrive with different views of what is wrong, and that is part of what the sessions help with.
If only one of you is ready, that’s fine too. One partner can begin, and the other can join later.
- The same arguments keep coming back, and nothing gets resolved
- You talk less, or mainly about practical things
- Trust has been damaged, for example by an affair or secrecy about money
- One of you often feels criticised, dismissed or unheard
- Closeness and intimacy have faded
- A big life change is putting pressure on the relationship
- Family expectations or in-laws are causing tension between you
- You are unsure whether to stay together and want to decide carefully
Patterns couples counselling helps you notice
Most couples who come to us are not short of love or good intentions. They are caught in patterns that have built up over months or years, often without either partner meaning them to. Part of couples counselling is slowing these patterns down so you can both see them, and then trying something different.
Pursue and withdraw
One partner pushes to talk things through while the other goes quiet or leaves the room. The more one pursues, the more the other withdraws, and both end up feeling rejected.
Criticism and defensiveness
A complaint about one thing turns into a comment about the other person’s character, which is met with defence or counter-attack. The original issue never gets solved.
Keeping the peace
Avoiding difficult topics to prevent arguments can feel calm on the surface, but unspoken resentment often builds up and comes out later.
Scorekeeping
Tracking who does more at home, earns more or gives up more. Fairness matters, but constant scorekeeping leaves both partners feeling unappreciated.
Your counsellor will help you recognise which patterns apply to you, understand what each of you is feeling underneath them, and practise more helpful responses in the session, where it feels safer to try. Couples counselling can’t make one partner change against their will, and it isn’t a quick fix, but couples who both take part and keep practising between sessions often find their conversations become calmer and more productive.
What couples counselling can help with
Couples counselling at Sanctuary covers a wide range of concerns. These are some of the most common reasons couples contact us.
Communication
Learning to raise difficult subjects, listen without defending and talk through disagreements without them escalating.
Recurring conflict
Understanding the patterns behind repeated arguments about chores, money, time or family, and finding ways out of them.
Trust and infidelity
Making sense of what happened after an affair or a breach of trust, and deciding together whether and how to rebuild.
Life transitions
Marriage, a new baby, a move, a career change, retirement or children leaving home.
Connection and intimacy
Feeling distant, living like housemates, or differences in what each of you needs to feel close.
Family and cultural expectations
In-laws, extended family, different backgrounds or faiths, and expectations about roles at home.
When addiction affects the relationship
Support for partners of someone using alcohol, drugs or gambling. See our addiction treatment services.
Mental health in the relationship
Understanding a partner’s depression, anxiety or ADHD, and looking after yourself as well.
Marriage counselling in Kuala Lumpur
Marriage counselling is couples counselling for married partners. The approach is the same: both of you are heard, the counsellor stays neutral, and the focus is on the relationship. People often search for marriage counselling when they are worried about their marriage, but you don’t have to be married to come. Couples counselling is for any couple who wants support with their relationship.
We also see couples who are engaged or planning to marry and want to talk through expectations about money, family, faith, children and roles before the wedding. And if you are considering separation, counselling can help you make that decision carefully and, if you do separate, communicate respectfully, especially where children are involved.
How couples counselling at Sanctuary works
Every couple is different, so your counsellor shapes the sessions around what you want to change. This is the usual pattern.
1
Free consultation
A 30-minute chat, alone or together, to understand what is happening and what you would like to change, and to check couples counselling is the right fit.
2
First session
A 1.5-hour session where each of you has space to share your view. You agree goals together, and your counsellor explains how the sessions will work.
3
Ongoing sessions
Regular sessions to practise new ways of talking and resolving conflict, sometimes with small things to try between sessions.
4
Review
You review progress with your counsellor as you go and decide together how often to meet and when you are ready to finish.
Sometimes your counsellor may suggest an individual session for one or both of you, for example if one partner is dealing with anxiety, low mood or past experiences that affect the relationship. This is always discussed openly with you both.
How to prepare for your first couples counselling session
There’s nothing you need to get right before you come. A few small things can help you get more from the first session:
- Think about what you want to change. Not who is to blame, but what you would like your relationship to feel like in a few months.
- Agree on the basics. Decide together that you will both attend, and that you’ll try not to continue the session’s arguments in the car home.
- Be honest about worries. If you are nervous about counselling or unsure about the relationship, it’s fine to say so in the session.
- Plan the practicalities. Sessions last 1.5 hours. If you are coming to the clinic, arrive 10 to 15 minutes early to allow time for parking.
Most couples feel some nerves before the first session. That’s normal, and your counsellor will help you settle in.
Family counselling in Kuala Lumpur
Family counselling brings together the people in a household, or the wider family, to work on what is happening between them. It can help when tension at home affects everyone, when a family member is struggling, or when the family is adjusting to a big change.
Rather than focusing on one person as the problem, family counselling looks at how family members affect one another and helps everyone communicate more openly and kindly.
- Tension or frequent conflict at home
- Supporting a family member with depression, anxiety or addiction
- Parenting a teenager through a difficult time (we also offer therapy for children and teens)
- Adjusting after divorce, loss or a big move
- Rebuilding trust after a crisis
- Differences between generations living under one roof
How family counselling sessions work
Family counselling sessions also last 1.5 hours. Who attends depends on what you want to work on: it might be parents and a teenager, adult siblings, or several generations of one family.
Young people and teenagers can take part where appropriate. Your counsellor makes sure everyone, including younger family members, has a fair chance to speak, and may sometimes see family members separately before bringing everyone together.
If one family member needs their own support, we can arrange that alongside family sessions, through our individual therapy, therapy for young people or psychiatry services.
Online couples and family counselling
If travelling to Bukit Jalil is difficult, couples counselling and family counselling can take place online where clinically appropriate. Online sessions work well for busy couples, partners living in different places for work, and families with members in different cities.
You’ll need a private space, a stable internet connection and, ideally, a device that lets everyone be seen and heard. Your counsellor can advise whether online sessions suit your situation. Find out more about online therapy at Sanctuary.
Why choose Sanctuary for couples counselling
Talking about your relationship with a stranger can feel exposing. We aim to make it straightforward and respectful from the first message.
Neutral and non-judgemental
Your counsellor supports the relationship, not one side, and respects your background, culture and values.
Time for both of you
Sessions last 1.5 hours, so each partner has space to speak without feeling rushed.
Confidential
What you share stays confidential within the limits explained at your first session and in our clinic policies.
A licensed clinic
Sanctuary is licensed by the Ministry of Health Malaysia (KKM-231400-14152-11).
A whole team behind you
Our counsellors, psychologists and doctors work together, so further support is easy to arrange. Meet our team
In person or online
Visit our clinic in Bukit Jalil or join from home, whichever suits your relationship and schedule.
Couples counselling fees
Couples and family counselling sessions last 1.5 hours and cost RM550 per session. Your first 30-minute consultation is free and carries no obligation to book further sessions.
The number of sessions varies. Some couples come for a few sessions, others for longer, and you review progress together as you go. See all our fees on the pricing page.
Couples and family counselling: common questions
Do we both need to attend couples counselling?
It helps, but it isn’t essential to start. One person can begin, and the other can join later.
What if my partner won’t come to couples counselling?
You can start on your own. Individual sessions can still help you understand the relationship and what you would like to change, and some partners feel ready to join once they know what to expect.
Will the counsellor take sides?
No. The counsellor’s role is to help each person be heard and to support the relationship, not to decide who is right.
Is couples counselling only for married couples?
No. Couples counselling is for any couple who wants support with their relationship, whether you are dating, engaged or married.
What is the difference between couples counselling and marriage counselling?
Very little. Marriage counselling is couples counselling for married partners. The approach and the session format are the same.
How much does couples counselling cost?
Couples and family sessions are 1.5 hours and cost RM550. Your first 30-minute consultation is free. See all fees.
How many couples counselling sessions will we need?
It varies. Some couples come for a few sessions, others for longer. You’ll review progress together and decide when you are ready to finish.
Can couples counselling help if we’re thinking about separating?
Yes. Counselling can help you make the decision carefully, and if you do separate, help you communicate respectfully, especially where children are involved.
Can sessions be online?
Yes, where clinically appropriate. About online therapy.
Can family counselling include teenagers?
Yes. Family sessions can include young people where appropriate, and your counsellor makes sure everyone has a fair chance to speak.
Is couples counselling confidential?
Yes, within the limits set out in our clinic policies, which your counsellor explains at your first session.
Need urgent help?
Sanctuary is an outpatient clinic, not an emergency service. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, or you are thinking about ending your life, call 999 or go to the nearest hospital emergency department.
For emotional support, you can call Befrienders KL on 03-7627 2929 (24 hours) or Talian HEAL 15555 (Ministry of Health Malaysia). If you are not safe at home because of a partner or family member, contact the police on 999.
Talk to us about couples or family counselling
Book a free, confidential 30-minute consultation to see whether couples counselling or family counselling is right for you.
Visit us
P-5-1, Ground Floor, Pusat Perdagangan, Jalan Bukit Jalil, Jalil 3, 57000 Kuala Lumpur (near Pavilion Bukit Jalil)
Opening hours
Mon–Sat 9am–6pm. Sundays and evenings by appointment.