South Asian Men's Behaviour Change Program

We are excited to launch our first client-centered South Asian Men’s Behaviour Change Program supporting men from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bangladesh. This is the first such program to be delivered by two multi-lingual Facilitators at Relationship Matters.

The program involves intensive work to enable men to accept responsibility for their choices and behaviour and to handle strong emotion and conflict with understanding, confidence and self-control.

When:       June 2022 weekly for 20 sessions
Time:         5.30pm -7.30pm
Where:      Delivered online
Cost:          $455 or $325 concession
A fee of $50 is applicable for two intake assessments.

Contact Guy Penna on 1300 543 396.  

Download South Asian MBCP Flyer

Relationship Matters in Frankston

Accreditation Ticked

Relationship Matters has achieved accreditation by Quality Innovation Performance (QIP) against the following:

• Health and Community Services Standards 7^th Ed
• National Standards for Mental Health Services
• Rainbow Tick Standards (Ed 2)
• Human Service Standards

Rainbow Tick Accreditation

Relationship Matters continues to work to improve the quality of care and services we provide to lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) service users, staff and volunteers. The LGBTIQ+ inclusive practice Standards that are used in the Rainbow Tick accreditation process guides us to strive for the most impactful ways to measure and demonstrate LGBTIQ+ inclusion in organisational practices and service delivery.

Parent and Adolescent Mediation and Therapy

Relationship Matters provides support for families where there are issues around relationships between adolescents and their parents.  Parent and Adolescent Mediation and Therapy (PAMT) is a solution-focused, therapeutic process in which a qualified family practitioner assists family members to resolve conflict, improve communication and strengthen family relationships.

It can assist in providing a safe and confidential forum for parents and adolescents to discuss current issues and create mutually acceptable solutions.  Support is given to all involved family members so they can develop new styles of respectful and positive communication.  It can help repair relationships and re-establish connections with family members.

Either a parent or adolescent can initiate the process.  An initial meeting is arranged where the adolescent and his/her parent(s) are seen separately by the family practitioner.  During these sessions, the family practitioner will provide information on the process, hear and understand each person’s perspective, explore strategies and options and ensure that each participating family member feels safe to participate.

If appropriate, a joint session will be arranged for both the parent(s) and adolescent to meet together with the family practitioner.   Some of the issues that can be discussed include communication, school issues, changes in the family, health issues, and interpersonal issues such as grief or loss.  There is no limit to the number of sessions, but usually, issues are resolved in 2-3 sessions.

Find out more

Relationship Learning

Our relationship learning programs support relationships through life’s many stages. We recognise each life stage comes with unique challenges and we provide specific learning programs to support you and your family.
In this edition, we detail one of our individual relationship programs, Sea Change: Anger Management for Women.
The Sea-Change Program supports women to explore healthy ways to communicate, increase their confidence and build a respectful relationship with themselves. Sea Change is a 6 week, evidence-based program that offers skill-building, strategies and support for women who are struggling to manage their emotional responses. 
Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.  In our last program, 100% of participants found the program helped with their personal situation and could use their knowledge and skills from the program to support their daily life. 

What some of our clients said about the program.

“This program provided a GREAT insight into my learned behaviour, understanding triggers, the importance of self-care and emotional regulation, thank you”

“It’s been good for being more self-aware, it will help in every aspect of life”

“'This program has made me more relaxed now and I have increased my confidence in myself”

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Kate's Sea-Change Journey

When Kate* booked into this program, she was struggling with feeling overloaded with responsibility and her life lacked balance. As a busy mum, she felt like she was becoming ‘snappy’ in her relationships, and wondered if it was due to trying to do everything and be everything to everyone else.  She was keen to learn new skills and strategies but worried about how she would manage to talk about her issues in a group.   
Kate began to feel more positive even starting from her individual intake where she was able to meet her facilitator and share her hopes and goals for the program.
During the six weeks of the program, Kate participated in many important and useful discussions and also found the program materials useful. Kate realised how she showed anger could be attributed to her family of origin and how she was raised. She noted feelings of hurt, sadness and pain.
In one of the groups, Kate became aware helping herself through self-care was also helping others. As such, she was proud to say she began listening to her favourite music in the car and going for regular walks. Kate recognised she needed her own space and time. 
Kate reported feeling supported by the other women in the group as they were able to share similar experiences and successes throughout the program.
Kate’s journey continued after the group using the tools and strategies she learned and even made a few new friendships.
* Name has been changed for privacy and non-identity.