About Counselling (Relate Therapist Berkshire)
Life is ever changing and at some point in their relationship, most couples will experience challenges that may seem difficult or even insurmountable. It is not unusual to feel that we are not the same people we were when we started out in a relationship. We may view the world differently now, feel battered by the demands of our private or professional lives and be tired of meeting the expectations of friends and family. We may find ourselves wondering why that initial sexual attraction has begun to wane or has disappeared altogether. We may miss the intimacy and closeness we used to have.
Counselling for relationships and family
Many find the demands of a young family overwhelming. With children around there is an inevitable impact on personal space and opportunities to simply be together as a couple. As children mature parents may grapple with managing the anxieties and concerns of teenagers, too young to leave home, yet old enough to make their presence very much felt.
Some couples experience the tensions caused by conflicting desires for children, or difficulties starting a family at all, whilst others whose children have left the nest, find themselves looking across the room and wondering what there is to talk about now.
Depression and Illness
It may be that you are coping with a long-term illness or an episode of depression or anxiety that has taken your life in a direction that you neither expected nor desired. While all of these scenarios are incredibly common, none of them is insurmountable.
Counselling and psychotherapy – the way forward
Relationship counselling is an opportunity to take stock of your situation and reflect beside someone who has extensive experience helping others (who have struggled with many of these scenarios). Whether you need individual, couple or family counselling to make sense of what is going on, I can help you to decide the best course of action.
There is a difference between counselling and psychotherapy and the two terms are often confused. ‘Counselling’ refers to a process which deals with the here and now, typically this may involve fewer sessions. ‘Psychotherapy’ lends itself to a process which explores and works through more deep routed issues.
Further information
If you are wondering whether relationship therapy might be helpful for you, feel free to contact me by email (claireearl.counselling@gmail.com) for a brief chat about your concerns. You can learn more about the practicalities (e.g. location and fees) on my What Next? page.
