Couple/ relationship therapy is a form of psychotherapy where two clients, plus the therapist, are present in the room. This could be a couple involved in a romantic relationship, or two people who care about their relationship and want to work through difficulties. This could be siblings, parent/ carer and child, business partners or friends.
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Couple Therapy
Reconnecting and rebuilding relationships
A Couple/ Relationship Counsellor helps two clients together gain insights into their communication patterns, resolve conflict and improve the satisfaction within their relationship.
Unfortunately the term “Couple Counsellor” or “Relationship Counsellor” is not a protected name in the UK. This means generically trained counsellors can advertise themselves as a Couple Counsellor. However working with two people in the room, and managing the dynamics between them is a very specific form of therapy and requires particular training.
We are very fortunately to have in our team Debra Lewis, a Couple/ Relationship Counsellor with over 10 years of experience or working with relationships. Please call or email to book in to see Debra. Please visit Debra’s profile page to learn more about her experience and approach.
Our practice also offers Individual Therapy based on relationships, where you can attend alone and think about the relationships in your life and how they are affecting you.
Research has shown that for couple therapy to be effective there needs to be a number of specific therapeutic factors present. The above video by Dr Abigail outlines these factors; they have all been discovered by the highly credible Gottman Institute which is devoted to researching what makes relationships work.
For more information please visit https://www.gottman.com/blog/ as they have a fantastic blog on how to improve your relationships.
Helpful and Unhelpful Communication Styles
The following video provides some examples of different types of communication styles within a relationship (romantic, family or friendship). It warns of four particularly toxic forms of communication – and how to turn things around to provide safe, calm relationships.
The Gottman Institute claims to be able to predict which romantic couples will stay together based on a short clip of their communication styles at the start of their relationships. They identified 4 styles that predict the ultimate demise of a relationship. See the video for more information.
Fair Fighting Rules
Healthy relationships are able to make room for verbal arguments. However, there are particular rules to fighting in a healthy way – rules that prevent the fight from becoming toxic and damaging the core of the relationship.
The following video provides guidance on healthy fighting rules.
Here is also a link on the steps (as outlined by the Gottman Institute) on healthy fighting https://www.gottman.com/blog/5-steps-to-fight-better-if-your-relationship-is-worth-fighting-for/