Stephanie Schiftan

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~ Couples & Relationship Therapist~

Background and Experience

Stephanie (she/her) is a counsellor with specialised qualifications in couples and relationship therapy who works with individuals and couples navigating relational challenges.

At the core of her work is a deep interest in relationships; how they shape us, and how they are carried within us in ways that influence patterns of connection and disconnection, often outside of conscious awareness. She is particularly interested in the impact of family systems, intergenerational experiences, and broader sociocultural contexts, and how these can impact the roles people come to inhabit in their relationships across life.

Before working as a counsellor, she worked extensively in education and studied the arts. Alongside her experience as a parent, these influences inform her understanding of development across the lifespan and how people make sense of their experiences, and continue to shape her sensitivity to subjective experience, emotional nuance, and interpersonal dynamics in her clinical work.

Therapeutic Approach

Stephanie brings a warm, attuned and thoughtful presence to her work, creating a space where clients feel safe to explore both the immediate difficulties they are facing and the deeper emotional and relational patterns that may sit beneath them. She understands conflict not simply as something to resolve, but as something to be understood: an expression of attachment needs, protective strategies, family histories and the meanings people have come to hold about themselves and others. In session, Stephanie helps clients make sense of the patterns that emerge in moments of conflict and disconnection, while fostering new experiences of emotional safety and attachment that support more secure and connected relationships.

Stephanie’s therapeutic approach is primarily informed by Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and psychodynamic principles, with integration of narrative and neurobiologically informed frameworks to support the unique needs of each individual and relationship.

Stephanie supports clients in all stages of their relationships and warmly welcomes LGBTQI+ clients and diverse relationship structures.

Areas of Focus

• Relationship distress, emotional disconnection and recurring conflict
• Communication difficulties
• Intimacy, desire and sexual connection
• Betrayal and infidelity
• Separation and relationship transitions
• Parenting and blended family challenges
• Grief and loss
• The relational impacts of anxiety, depression, trauma, neurodivergence, addiction and significant life transitions
• Support for LGBTQIA+ clients and diverse relationship structures, including ethical non-monogamy, open relationships and polyamory

Qualifications, Training & Memberships

• Master of Counselling (Couples Stream)
• Supervised clinical internship in couples counselling, Relationships Australia Victoria
• Specialist Course in Integrative Couples Therapy (SCICT), Relationships Australia Victoria
• Registered Prepare/Enrich Facilitator
• Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours)
• Graduate Diploma in Education
• Member, Australian Counselling Association (ACA)

Services Offered

• Couples & Relationship Counselling
• Prepare/Enrich Program Facilitation (A structured pre-commitment and relationship enrichment program)
• Individual Counselling

Session Fees

• 50 minutes: $220
• 80 minutes: $280