We all exist in relationship with others, whether that’s parent-child, sibling, friends, colleagues or intimate partners. And all of these relationships can experience problems. Therapy can be a space to explore how you interact, what causes you to disconnect, what might have happened in the past that is triggering reactions in the present. It’s a chance to understand patterns of behaviour, differing conflict styles, or unhelpful ways of communicating. It’s a chance to resolve past hurts, and understand yourself and your partner better, so that you can move forward united, with a common goal and a shared sense of respect and trust.
My role is to be that impartial person who will listen, notice patterns, gently challenge both parties, help you find new, better ways of communicating and resolving problems or ruptures in the relationship, and support you in building a stronger emotional connection. Change comes from showing up and being curious and open to your partner’s and your own experience. Part of the work is to understand how your past, including childhood experiences, impacts the present (although couples counselling focuses most on the relationship and less on personal healing). Couples and relationship counselling can be a challenging but hugely rewarding process – to see each other as you truly are, and to reconnect in an authentic way, with compassion and empathy.
Communication skills are a vital part of the process, so that you’re able to explore challenging topics with validation, empathy and compassion for yourselves and each other (it’s often more important to consider how you say something rather than what you say).
Some couples decide they don’t want to stay together, and when this happens, therapy can be a helpful place to make this transition with respect and kindness.
My commitment is to ‘your relationship’ rather than to you as individuals, which can feel a change for those who have been in 1:1 therapy before. If you haven’t experienced any kind of therapy before, please do let me know if you have any questions.
Relationship sessions are weekly, online only, and are one hour long, which is slightly longer than the usual 50-minute individual sessions. Get in touch to find out more.