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Relationship Therapy & Coaching

Relationship Therapy & Coaching With Catherine Topham Sly

I know you want to feel close to your partner. You want a happy family life. You want to resolve your differences easily. Ultimately, you want to feel that relaxed togetherness, like you enjoyed in the early days. The good news is that relationship therapy and coaching can help.

Relationship stress is the worst. When things aren’t going well at home, it seeps into other areas of our lives. We’re unsettled, distracted, not our best selves at work, or with our family and friends.

It’s hard to be your best self when home doesn’t feel like the haven of support you need it to be. When you’re worried about the future, and struggling to work out a way forwards on your own.

Relationship Therapy & Coaching Can Help

I’m a BACP accredited relationship therapist and coach, and I specialise in supporting couples to build the kind of strong relationships that provide the foundations for a happy family life.

I’m a bit of a geek, and I somewhat obsessively read the research into what really works – and doesn’t.

My superpower is coaching couples in how to communicate in ways which bring them closer.

I do this from a place of empathy and compassion. (I’m a married mum of two, and I’ve been through plenty of my own ups downs since I met my husband in 2002.)

How You Can Work With Me One-to-One

 

Whether you want to work with me on your own or with a partner, get a brief injection of insight or do some deeper work, there is a relationship coaching or therapy option for you. 

There are many themes to the struggles we go through in life, but you, your partner, and your experience are unique. So we’ll start with an assessment, to work out whether therapy, coaching, or some combination of the two will be the best option to meet your needs right now.

The assessment is £250 for couples and £150 for individuals and it works like this:

  • You complete the the Insight & Connection Therapy Or Coaching Questionnaire. This has been carefully designed to support you to reflect on what’s going on in your relationship and what you want to change (in itself a powerful exercise!)
  • This will give me a clear picture of how I can help you, and I’ll take some time to reflect on whether therapy, coaching, or some combination of the two will best meet your needs
  • We’ll meet for a 50-minute session (in person or on Zoom) to get you started working on your relationship, and work out the best way forwards for you

Then I’ll recommend either:

  • Weekly therapy (£95 for couples or £80 for individuals) with me once I have a space, or with a colleague if you prefer not to wait, or
  • The Love Happy Live Free relationship coaching program (£800 or 4 monthly payments of £210 for couples, £600 or 4 monthly payments of £157.50 for individuals) which you can start right away

There is absolutely no commitment to go ahead with either option, and the assessment itself will leave you feeling empowered to start making changes in your relationship.

If you have a preference for counselling or coaching, please do let me know. However, I would encourage you to be open-minded about which might be the best option for you. Couples counselling has been around for longer, so you might know more about it. But the individuals and couples who have already completed Love Happy Live Free have been enjoying some incredible results.

What’s The Difference Between Therapy & Coaching?

 

The best way to find out whether therapy or coaching will be the best option for you is to book an assessment.

In the meantime, here’s a breakdown of the main differences:

Therapy

  • You work directly with me (so need to be available at the same time each week, Tuesday or Thursday 9:30am-2pm)
  • A responsive model – we deal with the challenges you choose to bring up in sessions
  • Usually open-ended (expect to need a minimum of 10 sessions to make lasting change)
  • You talk, and I listen and intervene, directing the conversation to support you to communicate better and feel closer

Coaching

  • You complete most of the program in your own time, have email support throughout, and two catchups with me
  • A directive model – teaches you the mindset and skills you need to enjoy a great relationship
  • Takes around 18 hours to complete, with lifetime access to the content when you need a refresher
  • You go on a life-changing journey of self-development, which teaches you to get your needs met better in all your relationships

When We Ignore Relationship Issues, They Tend To Get Worse

If you’re reading this, the chances are things haven’t been feeling great in your relationship for a while.

You’ve tried talking about your problems. You’ve done the late night googling. You resolve to make renewed efforts, but somehow things keep slipping back again.

The phrase I hear again and again from people I work with is “I wish I’d done this sooner”.

The truth is that when things are bad in relationships and we don’t do anything about it, they only tend to get worse.

Make The Changes You Want With Relationship Coaching & Therapy

Long-term love isn’t easy, and most of us didn’t have the best models for how to create really happy relationships, so it’s totally normal to want a little help.

People who work with me describe a sense of relief and hope, from our very first meeting. 

My approach is very practical. I will listen closely to gain a deep understanding of your situation. And then I will coach you in the skills you need to build the relationship you want.

Together we’ll work out what each of you needs, what you need to do in order to get those needs met, and how you can communicate about it all effectively. 

Ultimately, we’ll work out what you need to do feel close again. 

Don’t put off something that’s going to make your life better any longer. 

Click here to get in touch and arrange a relationship coaching or therapy assessment today.

 

Get In Touch

Really good value for money

I felt that my session was really good value for money because Catherine shared models of relationships, gave me recommendations for further therapy, gave me the space to talk, challenged (in a positive way) my position so that I could reflect and she also got me thinking about the areas that I would benefit from working on. Overall, I felt that she held a very effective clinical space, whilst also creating feelings of warmth and understanding. 

One-off Coaching Session, November 2020

Definitely go for it

 

What would you tell someone else who was considering working with Catherine?

Definitely go for it; Catherine is very professional and very good at what she does.

One-off Coaching Session, November 2020

I got more out of that one hour than I expected

What would you tell someone else who was considering working with Catherine?

She'll help "calm the crazy" as I like to say. Motherhood and marriage is messy and amazing and hard. It's such a huge life transition and so little is discussed around it. Catherine really validated my experience and gave me some great advice.

I got more out of that one hour than I expected. I really appreciated it. It made me want to sign up with her as my therapist!

One-off Coaching Session, February 2021

Practical examples of things to try

What was most helpful about working with Catherine?

Normalising patterns and behaviour that I am experiencing within my relationship currently. Offering hope that things can improve, giving me practical examples of things to try and tweak over the next few weeks. Giving me the permission to continue on my growth journey without expecting my partner to be on the same path or feeling responsible for his growth and overall life satisfaction. Also being encouraged to write about some of the topics you wanted to cover on the call in as much detail as you wanted was really liberating. Catherine took great care in digesting my information and usefully played it back to me during out session. She also sent many useful resources afterwards which I have been able to digest at my own pace.

One-off Coaching Call, March 2021

So many things were helpful

So many things were helpful that it is hard to choose just one. Most helpful was probably how compassionate you were towards me. This slowly helped me shift the way that I relate to myself. Counselling felt like a very safe and warm space, in which I could  look at myself with more kindness and allow myself to express feelings and needs. This has helped me personally as well as making me more open in my relationships with other people, privately and at work. Thank you Catherine. The two years with you have meant a lot to me and have changed me in many ways.

Individual Therapy, October 2020

I could not have asked for a better independent witness to my story

I could not have asked for a better independent witness to my story than Catherine. As she joined me on my journey she was kind and supportive. Encouraging me to see things in a different light. I will probably return at some stage; Catherine's instinctive approach and skill of picking out key elements in my narrative helped me make sense of things at this difficult time for me. Thank you. Everything was clear & straight forward. Which is no mean feat when you are operating in a global pandemic!!

Individual Therapy, August 2020

Her manner was calm and comforting

What made you decide to book a call with Catherine?

Her content on Instagram really resonated with me in terms of what I was going through with my partner. On her stories her manner was calm and comforting. She had a sense of quiet confidence about her and pragmatism in the way she approached different topics.

One-off Coaching Call, March 2021

Catherine is pragmatic, considerate, practical

Catherine is pragmatic, considerate, practical. She puts you at ease, listens and is what she preaches curiously compassionate 😉 She takes all the potential shame or guilt around asking for help out of the equation and provides you with so many practical and theoretical (if you want that too) tips and advice.

One-off Coaching Call, March 2021

Catherine always remained calm and collected

Catherine always remained calm and collected even during times filled with conflict in couples therapy. She managed to bring back my then boyfriend to a calmer state and I felt like she was standing up for me when I couldn't. I felt like I had a good bond with her and trusted her so that I could open up in front of her.

Couples Therapy, August 2020

I feel I am in a very different place

One of the most useful things about going to counselling was learning so much about myself. I feel I am in a very different place from when I first started and I owe it to the support and help which Catherine offered. I will not rule out returning if I feel I need to, but for now I feel happy with the place I am in.

Individual Therapy, July 2019

Such a calming force

[Catherine] was such a calming force, I felt very supported, she pointed out a few things I should look at, gave a book recommendation, she reframed some of the issues I had swirling around in my head, and she was able to bring the conversation to really nice ending point.

One-off Coaching Session, February 2021

I really found the whole experience really helpful

What was most helpful about your counselling?

Having a different perspective on my situation and what I was going through. Talking through how I was feeling and then being directed by Catherine to look at things in a different way and make connections to other parts of my life and relationships helped to make sense of things. I really found the whole experience really helpful and exactly what I needed at the point I was at. Thank you for your help.

Individual Therapy, June 2018

You were excellent

Thanks for all your help. I will be in touch if I need to in the future. You were excellent.

Couples Therapy, November 2017

I felt extremely well heard and held

What was most helpful about working with Catherine?

The clarity of her questions, including when completing the questionnaire before the session. Catherine's style of covering the points that I raised in a direct but sensitive way; I felt extremely well heard and held.

One-off Coaching Session, November 2020

Catherine was wise and supportive

Catherine was wise and supportive, picking out elements of my story and helping me see things in a different way. I will probably return at some stage; Catherine has been very kind and helpful at a difficult time in my life.

Individual Therapy, August 2017

She helped me through the fog of self doubt

Catherine describes herself as a demystifier – and she is. But not just of psychobabble. She helped me through the fog of self doubt, delusion, depression that clouded me in a difficult period of my life. And in place of fog she helped install the ropes and tackle I needed to climb onto dry land, out from the cold, and find a seat back by the fire. But equally, she possesses a superpower (and a useful one for a therapist): she has an off-the-chart ability to listen. To make you hear her listening, to adjust the quality of silence you sometimes need to say what you didn’t know you were going to say, to make you feel heard. Her empathy is palpable; yet I’ve never once felt patronised. Most extraordinary is that she does all this without judgement or prejudice, but with sincerity and good humour. It’s pretty much the perfect combination and I can’t think of anybody who wouldn’t benefit from talking to Catherine. And I can’t thank her enough.

Individual Therapy, January 2018

The help you’ve given me has been invaluable

I just want to say a huge thank you for the past year. The help you’ve given me has been invaluable and I’ve learnt so much about myself, my past, and my relationship to the wider world. Your guidance and help will stand to me for the rest of my life and I’ve made so many positive changes in the past year, a lot of which I feel I owe to you. Thank you so much for everything.

Individual Therapy, May 2017