Getting the Love You Want

Last updated on February 10th, 2026 at 10:24 am

Couples Workshop: Sydney 7-8 March 2026

Reconnect. Communicate. Choose each other again.

A private, experiential weekend retreat for couples who want to strengthen connection, improve communication, and move out of repeating patterns without group therapy or forced sharing.

Getting the Love You Want is grounded in Imago Relationship Therapy, developed by Dr Harville Hendrix and Dr Helen LaKelly Hunt. Imago is a structured approach that helps couples transform conflict into connection by fostering empathy, understanding relationship patterns, and learning a new way of listening to each other.

$995 per couple • Ends 14 February • Limited places

This Imago Workshop Is For Couples Who Want Real Change

Is this you? This is not group therapy.
This is not about analysing or blaming each other. You know that doesn’t work; you are smart people. Just stuck, probably despairing as Chris and I were when we attended our first workshop. As a couple! This means we can help you get past this. We did.
And you will never be asked to share personal details publicly.

This workshop is for you and your partner, working privately together using the proven structure of Getting the Love You Want, with clear, guided exercises drawn from Imago Relationship Therapy.

Most couples describe the experience as safe, grounding, and deeply connecting, even if one partner arrives feeling unsure.

📍 Location: Crows Nest Community Centre, Sydney
📅 Dates: 7–8 March 2026
⏰ Times: 9.00 am – 6.00 pm

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When Love Is Still There, But Connection Feels Lost

Many couples who attend this workshop are not in crisis.

They still care deeply about each other.
They’re still committed.
They’re still trying.

But something feels off.

Conversations go in circles. Small disagreements escalate. Emotional closeness fades under the weight of stress, parenting, work, and unresolved patterns. Couples often tell us, “We love each other, but we don’t feel close anymore.”

Disconnection doesn’t mean failure.
It means you’re stuck in a pattern.

And patterns can change.

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Why Talking More Often Doesn’t Fix Disconnection

Most couples believe communication problems mean they need to talk more, explain better, or try harder to get their point across.

In reality, talking harder often makes things worse.

When emotions are involved, conversations quickly become reactive. One partner speaks from frustration. The other hears criticism. Defences rise. The original message is lost.

Real connection requires structure, not more effort.

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What Is Imago Relationship Therapy?

This workshop is based on Imago Relationship Therapy, a well-established, evidence-informed approach to couples work used worldwide.

Imago helps couples:

• Slow conversations down
• Listen without interruption or defensiveness
• Rebuild emotional safety through structured dialogue
• Transform conflict into understanding and empathy

Rather than debating who is right, couples learn a new way of listening that allows each partner to feel heard, seen, and understood.

This is why the workshop is private, structured, and not group therapy.

What You’ll Experience Over Two Days

Over these two days, in our couples workshop in Sydney, you and your partner will:

• Understand why the same arguments keep repeating
• Learn how to listen without interrupting or defending
• Replace criticism with curiosity and empathy
• Move through the power struggle stage into conscious partnership
• Rebuild emotional safety, affection, and trust
• Leave with practical tools you can use immediately at home

This is experiential work. Couples don’t just talk about change. They feel it.

$995 per couple • Ends 14 February • Limited places

You Don’t Need to Be in Crisis to Attend

This workshop is for couples who want to strengthen their relationship, not just repair it.

Many couples attend because they want to:

• Reconnect emotionally
• Improve communication before resentment builds
• Deepen intimacy and understanding
• Prevent small issues from becoming bigger ones

Couples who attend early often say they’re grateful they didn’t wait.

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What’s Included

💛 A Getting the Love You Want workbook for each partner
💛 Private partner work throughout (not group therapy)
💛 Clear, structured Imago dialogues and exercises
💛 Neuroscience-informed tools for connection and repair
💛 Optional group sharing. Only if you feel genuinely comfortable

What Couples Say

“We came in barely talking. We left holding hands with hope again.”
— L & A, Sydney

“It felt safe, structured, and surprisingly gentle. We finally listened properly.”
— J & M, Melbourne

“As a therapist, I finally felt what I ask my clients to do. It changed everything.”
— K & T, Canberra

💬 Are You a Therapist, Psychologist, or Imago Trainee?

This workshop is also highly valued by helping professionals who want to experience the work from the inside out.

Many therapists attend with a spouse, partner, friend, or colleague because they want to:

• Experience the Imago dialogues and techniques they recommend to clients
• Understand where clients feel stuck, exposed, or overwhelmed
• Build embodied confidence in using couple ready tools, not just intellectual understanding
• Strengthen their own relationship while deepening clinical insight

“As a therapist, I finally felt what I’m asking clients to do.
It’s changed how I show up in my work, and in my relationship.” FT.

🌿 Professional development and tax considerations may apply (check with your accountant).

$995 per couple • Ends 14 February • Limited places

Who You’ll Be Working With

Philipa Thornton, Psychologist, Advanced Imago Therapist
and her husband
Chris Paulin, Master’s in Clinical Psychology (40+ years experience)

We are long-time Imago practitioners, experienced workshop facilitators, dance partners, and a real-life couple who continue to practise what we teach.

We know this work from the inside out, personally and professionally.

Investment & Availability

Early Bird: $995 per couple (until 14 February)
Standard Price: $1,195 per couple (after Early Bird)

Places are limited to keep the workshop safe, spacious, and intimate.

👉 Secure Your Early Bird Place – Save $200

Ready To Join Us?

If you’re ready to slow down, reconnect, create intimacy, and learn tools that last well beyond the weekend, Chris and I would love to welcome you.

📩 To reserve one of the limited places:
philipa@resourcetherapy.com.au