All close and long-term relationships have their ups and downs. Most of us change subtly (sometimes less so) over time. External pressures and challenging life events can mean that the ‘task’ of nurturing the relationship with our partner comes low on the long list of priorities.

For some couples, the result is distance and disconnection. For others, it’s conflict and chaos. Either way, we can find ourselves in a relationship that feels a million miles away from the closeness, intimacy, ease and trust we started out with. We can find ourselves

thinking: “how on earth did we get here?”

Couples therapy provides a safe, supportive and constructively challenging space for you and your partner to find answers to that question and, importantly, find a new way forward.

Couples come to us for all kinds of reasons. Some are navigating a specific crisis such as a big life transition or an affair. Others have simply noticed a slow drift apart – the gradual loss of connection that’s hard to pinpoint but impossible to ignore.

Couples therapy offers you the opportunity to step back from the day-to-day of your relationship to get a new perspective and really understand what’s going on between you.

Sessions are designed around you as a couple. Depending on your individual situation and goals, couples therapy can involve:

• Working through disappointment, conflict and blame
• Understanding and changing the unhelpful behaviours that keep you stuck
• Successfully negotiating life stages and transitions from the arrival of babies to empty nests, menopause, loss and retirement
• Exploring the impact of childhood experiences on our adult relationships, including self-esteem, recurring patterns of relating and communication styles
• Learning how to identify and communicate your needs while learning to understand the needs of your partner

Couple sessions cost £120 and are delivered by Kelly Matthews, our specialist couples therapist. If you are interested in having an exploratory conversation about whether couple therapy could help you please feel free to contact us for an initial conversation.