Therapy and counselling for Couples
I’ll start working with you both from where you are now. Past history may be relevant, but we can’t change the style of upbringing you had, for example, so we don’t dwell on it.How I can help couples
I’ll start working with you both from where you are now. Past history may be relevant, but we can’t change the style of upbringing you had, for example, so we don’t dwell on it.
My focus is to help you move forward and the focus of the therapy is future oriented. We’ll agree meaningful goals, keeping the therapy as brief as possible, so you can move forward quickly and effectively.
As a human givens therapist, using the human givens approach, and equipped with the tools and the framework provided, couples who work with me recognise that I know how to work with depression, anger, anxiety and addiction, as well as those suffering deep-rooted, psychological trauma.
This means that I can offer psychological repair work to either one or both of you if these issues are preventing you from getting your emotional needs met, and thereby hindering you from meeting the emotional needs of your partner. In relationships that are working well, both partners work towards emotional needs satisfaction.
I’ll aim to create a safe, warm environment to enable both partners in the couple to feel valued, heard and respected.
- Softening the start-up of disputes
- Making and receiving repair attempts
- Calming yourselves and each other
- Compromise
- Being tolerant of each other
- Staying connected in small ways
We’ll work towards enabling each of you in the couple to be able to do these things, with the aim of helping you to re-establish a warm, caring relationship moving forward.
Individual sessions
Sometimes it can be useful for me to have separate sessions with each partner to enable me to help with the psychological repair work. This means that for some of the sessions I may meet with both of you and for some sessions I may meet with you on an individual basis, so I can work with the individual on whatever issue they’re bringing, before coming together again as a couple to discuss and move forward together.
Finding out what’s preventing the couple from helping each other to get their emotional needs reasonably met is vital, because relationship difficulties only incur when innate emotional needs of one or both parties involved are not being met, or resources being used inappropriately.
How couples therapy can help families
The need for skilled, therapeutic support for couples and families has never been greater, especially as rates of mental illness have increased significantly over the past decades.
Growing up in families with parents who are suffering or having problems in their relationship can often hugely impact children.
This stress within the family can manifest in the behaviour of our children and young people. For example, they may be more likely to truant or refuse to go to school, suffer depression and anxiety, fear rejection by peers and friends, have low achievement at school and possible behavioural problems, such as anger outbursts.
A family where a couple communicates well, enjoys one another’s company, and feels at ease with one another, can help create a stable family environment for our children.
Book a call?
A one-hour couples sessions is £120. I also offer support for adult children and their parents if they wish to repair or strengthen a current relationship. If you have any questions or want to find out more about my approach to working with couples or parents with adult children, feel free to book a free, 15-minute call. You can do this together or on your own if you prefer.
