Life, people and relationships change
Relationships often change when pivotal moments in life occur (ie. moving house, becoming parents, new jobs, children leaving home, retirement etc). When we're able to successfully navigate and negotiate life together, our relationships will also naturally evolve.
But sometimes it can feel as though there's a lack of change, or changes that feel devastating and unpredictable (betrayal of any kind, illness, bereavement and so on).
Whatever might have caused the issues, when we feel our needs aren't being taken into account and communication has broken down, solving problems together feels impossible.
Misunderstandings, distance, feeling let down - or worse still, hostility, leads to relationships becoming distressed and this ends up impacting many aspects of our lives, altering our landscape and making even the simple problems harder to manage.
Although friends and family can offer us invaluable support, if they aren't able to see or hear both perspectives they can't always offer us the best advice. This is where a relationship counsellor offers something unique - being trained to take account of the relationship, as well as the individuals within it, means there's a greater likelihood of finding effective strategies moving forwards.
According to Relationship and Marriage expert Dr John Gottman, "couples wait an average of six years of being unhappy before getting help".
Whether you're in a couple, friends, or members of the same family, it's never too late to improve communication - particularly when children are involved.
If things are feeling stuck, repetitive, depressing or that you can't seem to get anything right, I'd love to share my experience with you and help steer you forwards. Working together we can often find a way through that you simply can’t imagine today.
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When relationship counselling doesn't seem to be the best way forward, I'll always signpost to other resources that will better serve your relationship.