Couples counselling
According to recent research, ‘couples therapy’ improves relationships and mental health (tavistockrelationships.org, 2016) in particular ‘couple-based interventions are efficient at lowering depressive symptoms’. (Chen,Huang and Yang, 2025).
Meeting client needs is extremely important in my practice and after numerous requests to provide couples counselling, I can now offer this service face to face or online.
Couples Counselling is quite different to Personal Counselling, as it involves a certain amount of mediation in sessions. I work to aid communication between the couple and to create space for each party to be heard. Relational difficulties can be based around a persons’ individual attachment style and so this may be an area of focus in sessions, together with love language, previous relationships and relational belief systems to name a few.
American psychologist Dr. John Gottman developed the theory of the ‘Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in relationships.’ Four toxic communication styles were identified by Gottman and his team through research and observation of couples at the Gottman Institute.
These are:
Criticism
Contempt
Defensiveness and
Stonewalling.
These toxic communication styles may be explored in sessions together with help to replace them with healthier ways to communicate.
What topics can we bring to couples therapy?
The simple answer is no topic of conversation is off limits and welcome in sessions. The more typical areas of discussion can include:
Open relationship issues, Polyamory, Intimacy, Infidelity, Jealousy, Secrets and Lies, Trust issues, Family dynamics, Illness, Bereavement, Parenting disagreements, Children, Financial issues, Life transitions.
Sometimes it becomes apparent that one or both individuals would benefit from personal counselling before or alongside couples work according to circumstances. If this is the case, I will communicate this to both parties. .
Contact me now to arrange a complimentary assessment session!
