Online counselling or in-person at my Gold Coast clinic. Fees start at $120.
I've helped couples thrive after affairs, resolve conflict, create emotional connection and strengthen the weak areas of their relationship, for over 15 years.
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81 customer reviews
Sarah
Pre-marriage counselling with Mark has been a priceless investment for my partner and I. Mark has been able to support us through navigating the realities of marriage, whilst encouraging thought-provoking discussion on building and maintaining the strong foundations of a long-lasting relationship.
Mark’s insight and communication was always led by a sensitive, caring and compassionate approach whilst he was always ready to actively lend a listening ear. He is also straight-forward, without being condescending. We cannot recommend Mark enough.
Thank you for being a part of our journey Mark! 🙏
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Bek E
Relationship and Marriage Counselling
Mark was great. Really down the line but still friendly. Identified areas that need work really quickly and has strategies and exercises that can be started straight away. I also liked that he specifically asked each of us questions allowing space for both of us to speak. More...
jarrad
Mark was very helpful to speak to along with making it clear and upfront on way to move forward in my relationship with my partner, would recommend anyone having difficulty's in there relationship take the time and speak to Mark.
Ben
Therapist
Mark is genuinely one of the most sincere, easy-to-talk-to Counsellers I have ever spoken with. He was engaged, never pushy, understanding, empathetic and had really impactful advice, he's also a straight shooter and despite some hard truths told me what I needed to hear, rather than what I wanted to hear. It's not a given you'll connect with a therapist, but he made a big impact in one session and I'm really looking forward to more. More...
Nicole
Relationship and Marriage Counselling
Mark is fantastic. He is a straight shooter like he says. He's honest and down to earth. Would recommend him any day of the week! Fantastic bloke and really makes you feel comfortable to be yourself and truly open up to get things resolved. More...
Colin
Couples Counselling
Called mark he responded straight away got my first session an did the hour an booked in again really enjoyed listening to his points an wanted to call back straight away to rebook great attitude an no bullshit top bloke
Katelyn Lehmann
Couples Counselling
Mark has been amazing very straight forward an honest an fair definitely what we needed.
Lee
Relationship and Marriage Counselling
Our first session with Mark was an eye opener. He gave us great insight into where we needed to work and some great advice. He’s a straigh shooter which we appreciate. Thorough and to the point. Definitely recommend Mark! More...
Dean
Mark was extremely helpful and really helped me and my partner rebuild and save our relationship. We can’t thank him enough.
Danielle Street
My partner and I have seen Mark twice so far and could not fault him! He is very straight to the point and breaks things down and explains everything so great. He is 100% focused during the session and has already given us so many great tools for our relationship. He checks to see if we have anything specific we want to talk about before focusing on other things. I couldn’t recommend him enough! More...
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Tracy
Relationship and Marriage Counselling
Mark has given us some great strategies in only a few sessions, our relationship is already improving, will continue to see him.
Rhi
Mark is amazing, he has given us so many amazing tools to make our relationship healthier and stronger. Every minute with Mark is informative and each session is filled with “aha! ” Moments. I can promise you and your partner you will not be disappointed More...
Averil Jewell
Couples Counselling
Easy to connect and book and readily available appointments to meet our needs.
Kylie
Relationship and Marriage Counselling
Mark was great. Straight shooter which is what we needed. He was able to quickly see the cracks in our marriage and after the first session gave as clear homework to move forward.
Danni ulph
Couples Counselling
I was really worried about doing marriage counselling as i was concerned that it would become onesided. But Mark was so understanding and didn't sugar coat anything which was so helpful. He listen and gave amazing feedback. And helpful advice, he is really comfortable to talk and open up to. More...
Ryan
Very easy to talk to. Gives very relatable advice and achievable goals and very down to earth
Karley
Mark really knows his stuff and made us feel comfortable from the get go. He offered us practical strategies to improve our relationship and I’m excited to see where this takes our relationship
Karla
Highly highly recommend Mark! He has helped us to understand/ process our problems and identify what the underlying causes are - and then gives practical tools that help you to make a change right from the first session! As we have gone on with our sessions, I've noticed that no matter how we feel going in .. we always leave feeling encouraged, hopeful, excited, and most importantly- connected. Not once have we ever felt judged, misunderstood, or that the session was biased. I am so grateful that we have found Mark and for the difference he has made to our relationship. (Thankyou Mark!) More...
Declan
I didn't know what to expect from counselling. However Mark hits the nail on the head, is incredibly helpful and is always on the right track. He is very objective and makes his point without offending or blaming anyone. More...
Jessica fechney
Relationship and Marriage Counselling
I rate the best married life a 5/5 he was so accurate with how we feel and why we feel like that. He has already improved our married and we have only had a few session. I loved how he got straight into what’s going on and strategies we can use to fix it instead of talking for a few sessions to get the whole story, he got right in and helped from session one! More...
Carly
We have felt great benefit from our sessions with The Best Married Life. From our first session, Mark's guidance is practical, logical and action based.
It has completely changed how we communicate with one another and work to understand one another.
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KB
Relationship and Marriage Counselling
Working with The Best Married life has only just started but I have immediately felt happy with the service. I feel as if we are being helped and he sincerely is trying to help us.
Ann
The first session with Mark was fantastic. He was able to give tools to utilise straight away - that have worked! Love that the hour is not about “he said she said” but focuses on techniques to move things forward.
The session was maximised with beneficial advice and useful methods to help us to communicate better through our issues. Looking forward to the upcoming sessions.
Thanks Mark
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Alyce
Couples Counselling
Mark was incredibly helpful with all the useful tools he offered on our first session. He was skilfully able to pinpoint our weak areas and what we needed to improve on. We look forward to more insightful sessions with him in the future. More...
Mark Staples
Relationship and Marriage Counselling
Extremly happy with Mark , he got our minds at ease as soon as we starting speaking with him.
Very professional , and also extremly understanding.
He gave us some really great info and homework to make our marriage stronger. Will definately keep seeing Mark.
Highly recommend !!!
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Tiff
Relationship and Marriage Counselling
mark was great to talk too. he gave us some very helpful strategies within our first session. we look forward to meeting with him again.
Francisco
What a pleasure working with Mark. He has really helped our relationship and continues to help us get out of old habits and think about now, today and the future ahead.
Dana
Relationship and Marriage Counselling
My partner and I had our first couples counseling with Mark, and I feel a total sense of relief after the session he has already answered so many thing I was unsure about, his knowledge and guidelines is more then I could have ever anticipated. I can’t wait to continue working with Mark to mend my relationship with my partner! More...
Eva
Relationship and Marriage Counselling
Mark listened to our issues and pointed out what we needed to do to connect better. We needed someone to help us build a good relationship and he gave us great pointers.
Adeline
Relationship and Marriage Counselling
Even though we only just started seeing Mark, my partner and I have found value in our first session with him to help us reach a better future and setting a firm foundation within our relationship moving forward together. I feel confident that with Mark’s counseling my partner and I will be much stronger together as a couple and take the next step into marriage. More...
Mick
Relationship and Marriage Counselling
Really easy to talk with. None judgmental. Really good strategies to improving yourself and your relationship.
Melissa
Relationship and Marriage Counselling
Mark has been fantastic in assisting us to navigate our relationship. Unpacking everything and building something much stronger. Highly recommend. Thanks
Mel
Couples Counselling
My husband and I have only had one session but we feel Mark is the right person for us and we look forward to working with Mark.
Ester Potgieter
Couples Counselling
Awesome, Mark created a calm conversation and setting. It was the first session i have ever attended that made me feel it was all about my life.
Jasmine
Couples Counselling
Mark is so understanding and made both myself and partner feel very comfortable. We're looking forward to our next session :)
Anon
I found the session very helpful, I was unsure whether I was going to go through with the appointment as I thought we could work it out ourselves but I feel in the hour we had we received excellent advice and strategies that we would not have otherwise considered. I feel that without Mark's input we would only be moving forward and sweeping things under the rug so I am very glad we attended More...
Izzy
Mark was very nice, understanding and straight forward. We felt comfortable to open up to him and he left us with some interesting tasks to complete before our next session. He also left us curious to find out more of what he can offer to help our relationship grow. More...
Dave
Couples Counselling
Really happy with the help and advice given, he calls it like it is with no judgement. Very helpful and insightful.
AJ
Our first session went really well. Mark is very friendly and really attuned to what we were both trying to communicate. We look forward to continuing to improve our marriage with his guidance.
Mandy
Relationship and Marriage Counselling
Our first session was great! Not at all scary, I was a little nervous as this was our first counselling session but Mark made both my husband and I feel comfortable through the session and has gotten us communicating better already. We are both looking forward to our next session More...
Rhiannon and Adam
Mark is excellent and we have gotten so much out of our sessions so far. Mark is empathetic, intuitive and so astute. He seems to hit the nail on the head every time and always gives us practical advice and feedback, without being condescending.
We have genuinely seen instant results, with a significant improvement in our ability to communicate and show affection, as he gave us simple, practical advice to implement straight away.
For anyone wanting to improve any aspects of their marriage, we cannot recommend Mark enough and are so grateful to have taken this step.
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Kimberly
Couples Counselling
I would highly recommend Mark! He really takes the time to listen with a lot of empathy and kindness.
Jo
Relationship and Marriage Counselling
Very professional and smooth process start to finish. Mark has a great energy, is flexible and a good listener. He can project his voice without the need for a PA which takes a true master of his art. Everyone loved his approach and he tailored the day to exactly how we planned. Worth the money. More...
Grant
Couples Counselling
Very easy to talk to, and doesn't beat around the bush.
Linda
Highly recommend, working with Mark, he was able to understand the issues and challenge us to open our minds to the work that was needed for our marriage.
Jill
Couples Counselling
Had our first session today. We both feel so much better, and are looking forward to continuing sessions and rebuilding our relationship
EJ
Couples Counselling
Mark created a really safe space for us to open up as a couple and start the healing journey. Thank you
Brian
Thoroughly enjoyed our initial session with Mark. He was clear and concise managing to pack plenty of helpful content in only one hour. My wife and I both walked away feeling like we've found the person to help us along on our journey. No doubt we'll be making more time for Mark and his the best married life services. More...
Georgina
Mark was very professional and provided my boyfriend and myself with very practical, helpful advice which we have started implementing already in our relationship. We sought advice proactively as our relationship is relatively new and we wanted to begin with healthy communication and wise counsel regarding future plans. I thoroughly recommend Mark to anyone seeking advice. You will not regret the investment of time and money. More...
Geoff Treweek
Relationship and Marriage Counselling
Very professional and well worth doing.
What do you love most about your job?
The only reason I do this, is because I'm passionate about helping people.
What inspired you to start your own business?
I want to people live happily married and have the relationship of their dreams. I know how hard marriage can be but I also know what it takes to make marriage great. When my wife told a thanksgiving dinner party that the best thing about 2020 was her marriage, I realised that hard work pays off. Let me help you have a marriage of your dreams.
Why should our clients choose you?
I'm down-to-earth, I have years of experience, I'm a straight shooter yet empathetic to what's happening in your relationship. My reviews speak for themselves.
Can you provide your services online or remotely? If so, please add details.
In our crazy covid-world I love meeting people via Zoom.
What changes have you made to keep your customers safe from Covid-19?
I operate with the covide safe regulations and happily meet via Zoom.
A PROVEN PROGRAM FOR PROVEN RESULTS
Whether you’re about to be married, or you’re already there, I will help your marriage become strong with greater communication, deeper intimacy, clarity on roles and expectations, conflict resolution skills and so, so much more.
Using a leading relationship assessment and skills-building program, I'll assesses a broad range of dimensions within your relationship to help you have a successful, happy and rewarding marriage.
Our sessions are built on a foundation of solid, university-developed research which is proven to significantly improve a couple’s relationship.
PRE-MARRIAGE COUNSELLING
For couples who are planning on marriage, this service is for you. Start your marriage from a position of strength. Get all the tools you need to prepare you for a long and happy marriage.
The Pre-Marriage Counselling Program gives you the opportunity to establish some strong foundations that will set your marriage up to succeed for decades to come. Not only that but you’ll also be equipped with tools to help you through the challenging times of your marriage. Plus, you’ll probably even discover some things about your partner that you didn’t know, and who knows, you may even discover some things about yourself.
MARRIAGE & RELATIONSHIP COUNSELLING
I'll provide you with the insight and support needed to refresh your marriage and help you return to the love, passion and friendship you had for each other on your wedding day.
Marriage is not always easy but it can be happy and rewarding. Sometimes you just need the support to get there.
With experience in helping couples return from an affair to have the marriage of their dreams, providing tools to improve communication and resolve conflict, helping you (re)gain emotional connection and fall in love all over again, I'd love to help you have a marriage you enjoy, rather than endure. Let's bring happiness back to your home.
ONLINE OR IN-PERSON CONSULTATIONS
We can meet online from anywhere in the world, or in-person at my Varsity Lakes counselling room, on the Gold Coast.
I meet with clients 7 days a week, including evenings Mon-Wed.