Prem Dana Takada is a fully trained Family Therapist (Victorian Association of Family Therapists, Clinical Member since 1990).

Marital/Couple Therapy

Communication/Trust Issues, Sexual Issues, Infidelity, Divorce, Cross Cultural Relationships.

There is a lot of recent research that demonstrates what is needed to create a successful marriage. The average couple waits six years before seeking help for marital problems (and keep in mind, half of all marriages that end in the USA do so in the first seven years). This means the average couple lives with unhappiness for far too long. In Dr. John Gottman's apartment lab at the University of Washington, he studies how people interact with one another under everyday circumstances. He has discovered that "bids for connection" happen at a very high rate between partners. What is a bid for connection? Bids can be verbal or non-verbal. They can be highly physical or come totally from the intellect. They can be sexual or non-sexual. The key is that a bid for connection is an attempt to create connection between two people. Its function is to keep the relationship going forward and in a positive direction. Bids are a fundamental element of emotional connection. Try the brief quiz on Gottman's website.

Recommended books: The Divorce Remedy Michelle Weiner Davis. After the Affair Janis Abrahams Spring PhD.

Available for seminars - for couples, cross-cultural relationships and "Making Marriage Work/Keeping Love Alive" seminars (developed by Michele Weiner Davis).

See also Pat Love's web site for books on relationship and sexual issues.

Family Therapy - sessions involving the whole family for problem solving and solution finding.

Parenting – sessions for parents, emphasizing the competency of both parents and children and opportunities for new understandings, communication and behaviors. Available for seminars on parenting.

Child and Adolescent Therapy – for older children and adolescents with Behavioral/Emotional/Social Difficulties. No formal educational assessments provided. Recommended book: Nobody’s Perfect K. Kirberger (for daughters).