Whether you are single, or in a relationship; living together or apart, married or in a civil partnership; relationship therapy offers a space to explore and resolve difficulties that affect you.  Every relationship is different, however here are some difficulties that many relationships experience:

Feeling stuck. You get on, kind of, but the relationship feels dull and a bit stale.  It’s hard to remember that you used to have fun together.

Destructive arguments.  Persistent bickering and treating each other with contempt make it hard to see a way forward.                             

Affairs (sexual or emotional).  Rebuilding trust can feel like a pointless exercise when there’s so much pain from the betrayal.

Bad or no sex.  There’s a solid friendship, and lots that you value about the relationship, but there’s no erotic charge between you.

Impact of children.  This might be the physical and emotional toll of a difficult birth, PND, or just the on-going exhaustion of family life – your couple relationship gets overlooked.

Consensual/ethical non-monogamy.  You can use therapy as a space to explore issues around opening up your relationship.

I start with an initial appointment. It’s a chance for you to meet me and see how you feel about working with me. It’s an opportunity for me to find out more about what is going on for you, and whether I might be an appropriate therapist for you.  At the end of this first appointment, we will make a decision together about whether on-going therapy might be useful. I will often suggest that I see you separately (if you are attending with a partner). This helps us build a detailed understanding of what is going on, and often makes the focus of our work more useful.

I won’t tell you what to do, but I am an active therapist. By this, I mean that I work hard at engaging with you, and will make specific suggestions when you feel this is helpful.