As a relationship issues specialist counsellor, I help individuals and couples to deal with all kinds of relationship problems. This article is about perpetual problems: those pesky relationship issues that just won’t go away. All Relationships Have Problems Relationships are hard. Let’s face it: you’re two different people! And each of you has your own...
If you’re in a relationship – and you want it to last and be satisfying for you both – you probably like the idea of healthy interdependence. What exactly that looks like and how to achieve it, though, might not feel so straightforward. You and your partner might well have different ideas about what healthy...
Welcome to my new website! When you’re looking for a counsellor, you’ll often get asked what’s bringing you for counselling, and why now. You might be suffering with stress, anxiety, or depression, for example. Counselling really helps with difficulties like these. One way that it works is by helping you to gain a new perspective...
Relationship Problems Every couple experiences relationship problems. And sometimes when you’re going through a rough patch it can be difficult to work out exactly what the problem is. Here are six statements that you will have heard or said about relationship problems, and some new perspective on them that might help things feel a little less...
Beyond Conflict Resolution When I ask couples what they want to get from counselling, their top two wishes are usually to improve communication, and to stop arguing so much. They just want to get on better. And couples counselling can really help with that. But to make a lasting difference, it needs to go beyond...
Separation Counselling What is separation counselling? Isn’t couples counselling all about making it work? If your relationship has broken down, you might be considering your options. Perhaps you have been thinking about trying couples counselling. On the other hand, maybe you feel like it’s too late to go for counselling together, and separation is your...
Sometimes despite our best intentions to raise difficult issues gently, things can escalate. Arguments can quickly become stressful and unproductive, especially when we are stuck in bad patterns. Most of us don’t get taught how to deal with horrible rows! But learning how to resolve arguments constructively can save you a lot of stress and heartache....
Is there something going on in your relationship that’s bothering you? Are you unsure how to address it? Firstly, by looking for a way to talk about it, you’re doing the right thing. John Gottman has been doing research with couples for 40 years, and he has found that “only 40 percent of the time do...
