Queer & LGBTQIA+ couples therapy · Online across Australia · In person in Perth being planned
Who taught you how to do this? Nobody did.
Queer couples invent their relationships with no map. That's a skill. When the two of you keep missing each other, the Lounge is where you slow it down and find each other again. No Queer 101. Just the work.
Not sure yet? Start with the free call. Either way you'll create a quick login, about two minutes. Or take ten free cards home.
pull up a chair
The miss
You haven't fallen out of love. You've fallen out of sync.
It's rarely about the dishes. One of you reaches. It doesn't land. So one asks harder and the other goes quieter. That's the miss. Every couple has one. Almost nobody gets to see theirs from the outside.
In the room we slow it right down until you can both see it. Then we build the few moves that get you reaching for each other again. Not just fighting less. Reaching again.
Nobody here is the problem. The loop is.
How it works
Starting is the gentlest part.
Two ways in, then steady work at a pace that suits you. Hesitant couples start with the free call. Decided couples book the first session and skip a step.
A free call, if you want one
You book a time that suits. We talk about what's been happening and whether we're a fit, and if you want to go on, we book your first session before we hang up. No commitment.
Your first session
Longer, so there's no rush. You'll complete a short intake first so I know a little about you both before we meet. We start with your story, and you leave with the start of a map.
Ongoing work
Fortnightly or at your own rhythm. No blame, no taking sides. My client is the relationship itself, the living thing between you.
The Lounge Method
Pull up a chair. Find the miss. Reach again.
The practical repair skills of the Gottman Method and Esther Perel's eye for desire, reshaped from the inside for how queer relationships actually move. Ten free cards carry it home. Each one names a moment you'll recognise, asks you one question about yourself, and gives you the words.
Sit on the same side. You're not opponents, you're two people looking at one loop together.
Name the moment one of you reaches and the other doesn't quite land. Say it out loud, without fixing it.
One small, deliberate move toward each other. Tried on purpose. Noticed when it lands.
Every question is about you, not them. That keeps a card a reach, not a verdict. Read all ten
Every kind of us
You won't spend the first three sessions explaining your relationship.
Not the structure. Not the pronouns. Not why your family is the people you chose. We start with what's actually happening between you. That's the whole point of a room built by and for us.
You don't have to be queer to come here. The lens makes it useful for any couple, and especially for relationships where one person's sexuality or gender is shifting and you both want to stay close through it.
Meet your therapist
Hi, I'm Lauren. I'm a couples therapist, and I'm queer.
I know what it's like to walk into a room and spend the first while explaining your own life before anyone can help you with it. So I built one where you don't have to.
I'm a Yorta Yorta and Boonwurrung woman, an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker with about fifteen years in the room, trained in the Gottman Method and informed by Esther Perel's work. I've reshaped both for how queer relationships really work. I work online across Australia, with in person times in Perth being planned.
Lauren
Sessions & fees
Simple, private, no surprises.
Free intro call
$015 minutes
- Fit, questions, and a safety check
- Book it online, choose your own time
- No obligation to continue
First session
$24090 minutes
- Book straight in, no call needed
- A short intake first, so I know you both a little
- Leave with the start of a map
Ongoing sessions
$19075 minutes
- Fortnightly, or a rhythm that suits you
- Steady work on the loop underneath
- Online now, in person in Perth being planned
Private fee, GST free. Couples and relationship therapy isn't rebatable under Medicare. A $50 deposit holds your first session and comes straight off the fee. Cancel or move with 48 hours' notice and the deposit carries over. Whichever door you come through, I read your intake before we meet and may call briefly first if anything needs a conversation.
How I work
What you can count on from me.
I read your intake before we meet. I won't take sides. I'll go at a pace that's safe for everyone in the room. And if I'm not the right fit, I'll tell you, and help you find who is.
We arrived with a fight and left with a language.
L & M, together nine years“Connection over correction.” Those words completely shifted the way we approached our relationship… you will not regret working with Lauren.
A & DWe love love, and Lauren has helped us understand how to nurture ours.
L & HIn their words, shared with permission and abridged, initials only. Everyone's therapy is different, and these are their experiences, not a promise of yours.
Good questions
Before you book, honest answers.
Do you work with open and polyamorous relationships?
Yes. Monogamous, open, poly, solo poly, and relationships with more than two people are all genuinely welcome. You won't have to explain or justify yours before we begin.
One of us is exploring their sexuality or gender. Can you help?
Yes, and it's some of the most meaningful work I do. A relationship can hold real uncertainty and deep love at the same time. I help you stay connected and honest through it, with no agenda about where it lands.
Does online therapy really work for couples?
Many couples find it does. Being in your own space can make the hard conversations a little easier, and structured couples work adapts well to video. If it isn't working for you, we'll talk about it. If you're in Perth, in person times are being planned; ask to join the list.
What if only one of us is ready?
That's normal. One person usually reaches out first. The free call is a low stakes way to test the water together, and nobody has to commit to anything on it.
Do I have to be queer to see you?
No. The Lounge is queer led, which means no assumptions about who you are or how you love. That makes it a useful room for any couple who wants a therapist who won't assume.
Do we have to do the free call first?
No. If you've read this far and you're ready, book the first session directly. You'll complete a short intake before we meet, and I read it first. The free call is there for couples who want to check the fit before committing, and if you take it, we book your first session before we hang up.
What does the free call actually cover?
What's been happening, what you're hoping for, and whether we're a fit. I'll also ask a few questions to make sure couples work is the right and safe next step for both of you. Then we find a time, if you want one.
Is couples therapy right for everyone?
Nearly everyone, and I'd rather be honest about the exceptions. Couples work is for the loops two people fall into together. It isn't the right starting point if one of you feels frightened of the other, or if someone needs urgent care right now. In those situations I'd suggest a conversation on your own first, with me or with 1800RESPECT, and I'll help you find the right door. I also don't see people under 18, or write reports for court. For everything else, from the argument on repeat to the quiet distance nobody's named, you're welcome here.
Why do I need to create a login to book?
Bookings run through our secure client portal, part of Body Belonging Clinic, where your consent forms and notes are held privately. It takes about two minutes: name, email, mobile and a code by text. You only do it once.
Not ready to book?
Take ten free cards home.
All ten Lounge Method cards, free to read on the site and free to keep. The printable set comes by email, with blank cards for the ones only you need. Print it, cut it, keep it somewhere you'll see it.
Or six weeks at your own table: The Lounge at Home opens 8 November.
Whenever you're ready
Pull up a chair.
A free 15 minute call, or straight into a first session. Booked online, in about two minutes. No pressure. No explaining yourselves first. Just a warm place to begin.
Booking opens our secure client portal, part of Body Belonging Clinic, where your care is held. Prefer to write first? lovelounge@queerlovelounge.com.au