Couples Counselling in Malaysia (KL & PJ): Best Options for Marriage & Relationship Therapy
As a couple in Malaysia, it can be difficult to identify the right counsellor for you and your partner.
On the surface, many counselling centres may list “couples counselling” as one of the services they offer. However, this does not always mean that they specialise in relationship-focused work.
You may find yourself wondering:
How do I know if therapists in the centre are actively working with couples?
What kind of approach do they use?
Will they be able to help with the specific issues my partner and I are facing?
How Does Couples Counselling Actually Work?
In most cases, effective couples counselling is grounded in a systemic approach, which is quite different from the individual lens employed in individual counselling.
Rather than viewing one partner as “the problem” in the eyes of the other, systemic therapy looks at what is happening between the two of you in the context of the relationship. Some approaches even extend the lens to incorporate interactional patterns that are carried across generations.
Relationships are not one-directional. Each partner’s responses often exert some level of influence on the other, forming circular interactional patterns that repeat over time.
This is why in couples work, the focus is often on:
interactional patterns
repeating cycles
emotional responses
Instead of asking “Who is right or wrong?”, the work shifts the focus toward: “What is this cycle that both partners are getting pulled into, and how can we change it?”
In my experience working with couples, once this shift in focus happens, many couples begin to see their relationship difficulties from a different lens - one that opens up more room for understanding and change.
Counselling Centres in Malaysia with a Systemic Focus
As a marriage and couples counsellor based in Petaling Jaya, I’ll share several options for counselling centres in KL & PJ that are known for their grounding in systemic work and relationship-focused therapy.
Rekindle Therapy
Based in Desa Sri Hartamas, Rekindle is one of the more established centres for systemic therapy in Malaysia, having been in operation since 2010.
Founded by Dr Johnben Loy, the centre has played a significant role in developing and promoting systemic therapy locally. They have also been actively training therapists through their Rekindle Academy over the years.
Their team consists of:
Marriage & Family Therapists
Registered Counsellors
Clinical Psychologists
They work with a range of couple-related concerns, including:
ongoing conflict
infidelity
separation and divorce
family-related challenges
If you are looking for a centre with a strong background in systemic work, this is one of the more established options.
Visit their website here.
Andolfi Family Therapy Centre
Located in Publika, the Andolfi Centre is Malaysia’s primary centre practising Multigenerational Family Therapy, based on the model developed by Prof Maurizio Andolfi, a renowned Master Family Therapist.
One of the distinguishing features of this approach is its focus on intergenerational patterns. Using Andolfi’s model of Intergenerational Couples Therapy, therapists explore the family dynamics across three generations as they often contribute to present-day relationship struggles.
Andolfi Centre also runs the Graduate Certificate in Family Therapy programme, contributing to the training of systemic therapists in Malaysia. I have personally undergone training in their Intergenerational Couples Therapy model, which focuses on the multi-generational dynamics of both partners and strengthening the sense of “we-ness” between the couple.
Andolfi Centre’s pricing ranges from RM200 - 500 per session (60-75 min), which varies depending on respective counsellors. For families in financial distress, they also offer therapy services from intern counsellors between RM50 - 150 per session.
Visit their website here.
Kin & Kids
With centres located in both KL and PJ, Kin & Kids is a well-established multidisciplinary practice specialising in marriage, family, and child therapy.
Their systemic and team-based approach makes them particularly suitable for couples whose concerns are intertwined with parenting or family dynamics.
In addition to regular couples counselling, they also offer specific sub-services such as:
premarital counselling
post-affair recovery
discernment counselling
fertility-related counselling
If your concerns extend beyond just the couple relationship - for example, involving children or parenting difficulties, Kin & Kids would be a great option to consider.
Visit their website here.
HEAL Systemic Therapy
Conveniently located at Sunway Geo, HEAL is led by Dr Nicole Chen, a seasoned practitioner with over two decades of experience in Marriage & Family Therapy. Dr Nicole has previously served as President of the Malaysian Marriage and Family Therapy Association (MyMFT).
Their team works from a systemic lens to support individuals, couples, and families in improving their relationship and well-being. The fees for their services vary depending on the specific therapist, and can be found on their respective booking pages.
Visit their website here.
Couples Counselling with Han Yang
If you’re exploring your options, you may be deciding between working with a counselling centre or an individual practitioner.
As a couples counsellor based in Petaling Jaya, I work with couples who find themselves stuck in recurring patterns and struggles - even when they have tried to communicate and resolve issues on their own. I have worked with couples across a range of concerns, including communication difficulties, conflict, infidelity, and intimacy issues.
In many cases, the persisting issues are not due to a lack of effort, but rather that couples are caught in negative cycles that are difficult to step out of without professional support.
In my work with couples, I apply Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) which involves:
identifying recurring negative interactions and cycles in the relationship
helping couples access and express underlying emotions more safely
facilitating structured conversations that rebuild connection, safety and security in the relationship
My approach is client-centric and flexible. If you resonate more with the Andolfi’s Intergenerational Couples Therapy approach (as I have explained previously), I would be happy to use this modality instead to work with you and your partner.
As an individual practitioner, I tend to work with a smaller number of couples at a time, which allows for more consistent and in-depth work across sessions.
If you are exploring couples/marriage counselling and would like to figure out if we’d be a good fit to work together, you are welcome to reach out to me for a 30-minute consultation session.
