Relationship counselling

As human beings, our relationships with others - including romantic relationships, but also relationships with family and close friends - are the source of our greatest joys. But there is also nothing quite like the pain and frustration of a close relationship that is in conflict or simply ‘not working’. The basis of relationship counselling is the simple insight that most common conflicts emerge simply from struggling to see the other person’s point of view, especially when we are in pain or otherwise ‘activated’. Having a trained, neutral person in the room (real or virtual) can help us slow down and find common ground. It can also alleviate the loneliness of having to ‘re-invent the wheel’ - people have been having relationships since the dawn of time, and there is wisdom out there!

My practice in relationship counselling is a bit less open-ended than my individual work, as I understand the priority is working on tricky aspects of the relationship. So I will try to keep us focused on that, while also offering exercises and other practises that have been found to help others. My emphasis is on what works for you collectively, so please let me know in your introduction if you have any specific needs or requests.

Relationship counselling is traditionally focused on two people in a monogamous relationship, and I do work with couples like this. However, I also recognise that people have many other types of significant relationships that run into conflict and issues with communication. This includes people in various polyamorous configurations, but also relationships that aren’t sexual or romantic, including relationships between family members, close friends, or even work colleagues. If you’re having trouble figuring it out on your own, I’d like to be able to help.

The basis for my relationship work is the COSRT-accredited certificate at the Grove Practice. For details of sessions and fees with relationship counselling, please check out the page with these details here.