Relationship & Couples Counselling
About Our Couples Counselling in Leeds
Sessions are available both in-person and online. If you find co-ordinating your schedules and obligations challenging or you do not live close by, online therapy offers convenience and flexibility from your own home(s). Alternatively, I offer a comfortable environment within my home where you may feel you can leave your feelings and struggles for me to ‘hold’ until our next session.
Sessions can address any issues. Examples include trust, jealousy, intimacy, communication and navigation of life transitions.
Any relationships can benefit from couple’s therapy. Relationships and couples I have worked with include spouses, partners, family members, affair partners and other non-monogamous relationships. Everyone in the relationship usually attends together. In the sessions you can expect to explore what’s really simmering away under the surface and identify what you need to achieve to move forwards. That may mean together, or independently.
Why Insight? The Process and the Sessions:
Usually, I am contacted by 1 party within the relationship to discuss therapy and I offer a free 15 minute consultation for this. Sometimes the other party is ‘onboard’ with seeking therapy, other times they have not yet been consulted.
I would ask that all parties concerned are involved in completing my assessment form, either independently or jointly. Once I have received completed copies, we can look to schedule an appointment.
I do ask that at the end of each appointment, all parties discuss whether they would like to seek another session after leaving and that individuals take turns to make these arrangements going forward.
What is my role in the therapeutic relationship?
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To keep all information confidential from anyone but the two of you, with the exception of my supervisor. Your identities will be anonymous.
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To be neutral and not take sides.
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To only talk to you when we are all together, not individually
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To find an equal balance between understanding, compassion and limit setting.
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To be 100% present, able to put aside whatever is going on inside me.
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To interact in a respectful, non-shaming manner.
Types of Couples Counselling
Marriage Counselling
Marriage counselling can help you understand and improve the situation, whether working alone or in couple’s sessions.
Fertility Counselling
Fertility counselling provides specialized mental health support for individuals and couples navigating the emotional and psychological challenges associated with infertility and fertility treatments.
Relationship Counselling
Not every relationship that requires work regards an intimate couple or a marriage. Sometimes people choose to engage in therapy together in other circumstances, such as parent and child, friends, siblings, in-laws or colleagues
Divorce Counselling
When the idea of divorce begins to be considered, it can feel overwhelming and uncertain. I provide a safe space to explore your feelings, concerns and options.
Frequently Asked Questions
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This is entirely decided by yourselves. I will help you to review your progress along your journey.
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Yes. I have had very effective outcomes with online couples counselling and it’s a very simple procedure of sending 2 different Zoom invitations to the same meeting.
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If we decide to go ahead then I will work with you in 60 minute sessions. Each session will be charged at £70. Please establish with your partner when works for you both and I will try to accommodate your availability.
This does not necessarily need to be the same day and time for each session but please do see my cancellation policy above if you need extra flexibility.
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Yes. Regarding attendance and punctuality:
I ask you to give me 48 hours notice if you need to cancel. If it is less than 48 hours you will be charged my full fee.
The purpose of this policy is to help you stay committed to coming. As the work progresses, there may be hard times, and it is easy to just want to avoid them by cancelling. I believe that is not in the best interest of your relationship. If only one of you attends a session, I will not be able to see you and the session is still payable.
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I do receive enquiries from individuals who want to discover more about the process before discussing attendance with their partner. We can absolutely discuss this over the phone. In order to attend for couples counselling, both parties need to be prepared to enter into the therapeutic relationship and accept the responsibilities described above.
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You would need to contact a bigger organisation, such as Relate, due to insurance and safeguarding issues.
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Examples include infidelity, infertility, erectile dysfunction, addiction, mistrust, re-establishing trust, parenting difficulties (link to blog?) violence (link to other page?) physical or mental illness (link to other page?), bereavement (link to other page?), work impacting on home- life, marriage, separation and divorce and the impact of social media and current technology on relationships.
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To keep appointments by attending on time and paying the fee in advance as per contract.
To be as honest about your feelings and thoughts as you know them.
To be willing to be open and curious about your partner’s reality.
To be willing to take responsibility for your part of the situation.
To be respectful to your partner in and out of the session.
To never use material from the sessions against your partner.
To express appreciations and gratitude for your partner.
To take the risk to be vulnerable at whatever level stretches you.
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There are many reasons why people may avoid therapy, including fear, shame, avoiding being, ‘unpicked’. People may be afraid to uncover buried pain and to face their feelings. Not everyone sees the benefit of therapy, initially, but everyone CAN benefit..
What I Can Help With
Couples & Individuals
Bereavement and loss
Relationship difficulties
Parenting problems
Difficulties at work
Stress and anxiety
Separation and divorce
Illness
Abuse
Confidence and self esteem
Self-awareness
Current problems
Long-running issues
Behaviour patterns
Childhood issues