Relationship Counselling

RELATIONSHIP ISSUESRelationship counselling

The term ‘relationships’ can refer to many different types:- marriage; couples, including same sex relationships; siblings; parental; workplace, etc. There can be many reasons
surrounding the breakdown of any relationship – following a death, moving house, unemployment, retirement, affairs, infertility, children reaching adolescence, children leaving home, birth of a first child, are a few examples.

As in other forms of counselling, it is important that the counsellor is sensitive to the values possessed by the client. InterActions counsellors aim to recognise the place of values in life and in relationships. They then use their experience, knowledge and training to recognise their importance and relevance to therapy. Clients are therefore encouraged to make decisions according to their own personal values.

Communication is fundamental to any kind of relationship. It is when communication breaks down that individuals find the greatest difficulty in conveying to their partner, workmate, parent, etc what is troubling them. There is often a sense by the client of ‘not being heard’, ‘understood’ or even ‘ignored’ by their partner.

InterActions counsellors work to fulfil a role of mediator of communication, assisting clients to re-open what can sometimes be described as ‘long shut-down relationship’, where they can learn to listen to each other, value the other person’s perspective as well as the individual, thereby opening the channels of communication. Clients can explore issues important to them, set goals and be encouraged through therapy to take greater responsibility for themselves, their decisions and their relationships.

Clients can meet with an InterActions counsellor individually or as a couple. Individual therapy can be particularly useful where the client wishes to work on particular issues prior to being seen as a couple.
Clients with workplace, sibling, parental issues can work with an InterActions counsellor to look at ways in which their particular issues may be improved or resolved, including finding a way of accepting what is impossible to change.