What is relationship counselling?
Relationship therapy is for anyone having difficulties in their relationship. Sometimes people come together, sometimes on their own. Relationship therapy is also for individuals to explore what they want out of a relationship, how they can achieve that and what has been standing in their way of finding the right person for them.
Our intimate relationships are a source of enormous satisfaction when they are going well but when things are going badly they become a source of misery and unhappiness.
Relationship therapy offers a safe, confidential environment to explore what is going wrong, how you are feeling and what is maintaining the problem. For many people, the spur which makes them contact a counsellor is the realisation that they do not seem to be able to communicate with their partner in a way in which each feels heard and understood by the other and they end up escalating the gulf between them. They often feel disappointed at how the relationship has changed and are pessimistic at whether it has a future.
Many couples find that expressing how they are feeling in front of an impartial trained experienced therapist enables them to gain a new insight and with that the belief that they can make the changes that are necessary to improve the relationship. They also often quite quickly, experience a sense of relief that they have agreed together to come for counselling and that together they care enough about the relationship to do something about it.
There are many reasons why couples and individuals experience problems in relationships. Although the focus of relationship therapy is the couple, it also offers the individual a chance to explore their thoughts and feelings and understand where these come from. These may stem from earlier life experiences, role models and messages from the past or may be rooted in current issues, life stage events or the stresses of everyday life.
In relationship counselling you can expect to be treated equally and impartially with both of you being given time to express how you feel. We will look at what brought you into counselling, explore in detail the reasons and the maintaining factors and explore what your goals are. If these are not shared we will begin the process of trying to understand the thoughts and feeling you have and how to go forward.
Counselling comes to an end when you or you and your partner feel ready to move on, understanding and insight has been gained and decisions about aspects of your future can be discussed between you in a positive way.