RELATIONSHIP INtensives + retreats specialist | online worldwide + in-person SE ASIA
I'm Lucy Orton.
I work with couples who are ready to stop going round in circles.
Lucy Orton, MsC, PGDip, DIP.COUNS, RELATIONAL LIFE COACH, Certified Sex Therapist,
Level 3 IFS THERAPIST, BRAINSPOTTING THERAPIST + Registered counsellor
You're here because nothing else has worked.
You're tired of feeling like disconnected roommates, or worse - like strangers walking on eggshells in the same home.
You’ve read the books, listened to the podcasts, maybe even tried therapy... and yet the same arguments loop back, the resentment heightens, the silence stretches longer, and the intimacy keeps fading.
You’re not broken yet. But you are completely stuck.
And right now, it might feel like you’re on the brink.
Perhaps one of you is pulling away. The other is clinging. Or maybe you’re both so shut down you can barely look each other in the eye.
You want to fix things - but you have no idea where to start, how to untangle this mess, many years in the making.
You want honesty, closeness, connection… but you keep hitting walls instead of breakthroughs.
This is the moment where something different is needed.
Not more talking around the issues. Not more waiting for it to get better on its own.
It’s time for real work. Deep work. Brave, relational work that can shift things - fast.
If you're here, something in you already knows it's time to do this differently.
You are in the right spot.
How I work
At the core of my approach to couples therapy is a belief that most disconnection isn’t about the content of your fights — it’s about the unhealed pain, the patterns and the lack of skills that keep you from truly seeing each other.
When you work with me, I promise you this:
You won’t just have someone sitting across the couch, nodding and occasionally asking you ‘How are you feeling about what she just said?”.
Instead you’ll have an active support partner in your couples therapy journey. Someone who wades deep into the relationship trenches with you - human to humans.
I don’t just help you communicate better: I help you understand what’s underneath the tension, the silence, or the blow-ups.
Together, we’ll untangle the deeper patterns, meet the parts of you that get reactive or shut down, and build the kind of relational skill set that creates real, lasting change.
HEre’s what I believe about couples therapy:
It’s not about who's right — it’s about what works.
I won’t sugar coat things and we won’t meander around the challenges. I will help you get unstuck from getting the last word, winning or being right. I will empower you to speak honestly and listen bravely — so repair and progress becomes possible.
It’s no wonder you are struggling as a couple, in this world and without a map.
Most couples get caught in painful cycles of blame, withdrawal, or control with no knowledge of how to dig themselves out. We’ll uncover these patterns, not to assign fault, but to restore connection and to recognise how to shift from a individual perspective to a perspective of ‘Us’.
You are inherently deserving of a healthy, loving and intimate relationship.
Insight is helpful and trauma work is beautiful - we will utilise both - but the way I approach couples therapy, based on the powerful Relational Life Therapy model, is action-oriented first and foremost. I will invite and encourage all parties to take new relational risks, set boundaries, and build the skills you were never taught, so that you finally get the partnership you absolutely deserve.
Find out more about our passions at Couples Awaken
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I’m trained in a wide variety of therapy methods, the central ones are detailed below. These allow me to tailor my approach to your unique goals and needs.
However, I believe the most transformative therapy for couples is Terry Real’s Relational Life Therapy, alongside Dick Schwartz’s amazing Internal Family Systems, and I am passionate about bringing this incredible work to as many couples clients as I can.
Relational Life Therapy (Terry Real)
Internal Family Systems Therapy Level 1 , 2 and 3 (Richard Schwartz)
Brainspotting Therapy - Phases 1-5 (Dr David Grand)
Sex Therapy (Certified Sex Therapist with Modern Sex Therapy Institutes/Florida State)
Emotionally Focused Therapy (Sue Johnson)
The Gottman Method (Gottman and Gottman)
Positive Psychology Coaching (Robert Biswas-Diener)
Executive Coaching (ICF-accredited trainings)
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Qualified Professional Counsellor - able to work globally including in the US
Registered Member of the Australian Counselling Association (membership number 27921)
Certified Sex Therapist (Modern Sex Therapy Institutes, Florida, USA)
Relational Life Therapy (RLT) Levels 1, 2 and 3, plus Coach Certification (Relational Life Institute, Terry Real) -- completing May/June 2026
Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS Institute) Level 1
Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS Institute) Level 2
Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS Institute) Level 3
Brainspotting Therapy Phases 1, 2, 4 and 5 (Dr David Grand)
Certified Coach (ICF-accredited training)
Certified Positive Psychology Coach (ICF-accredited training)
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Diploma in Counselling (Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors)
PhD Candidate, Clinical Sexology (Modern Sex Therapy Institutes, Florida, USA)
MSc Speech and Language Therapy (City University, London: Merit)
PGDip Speech and Language Therapy (City University London: Distinction)
BA History (Bristol University: First Class)
Ready to get started?