Face to Face and Online Counselling & Psychotherapy from Frodsham and Chester
Couples Therapy
Couples Therapy
Couples therapy helps people work through a wide range of issues they may be experiencing in their relationship. It can help people understand where issues originate and facilitate discussion and exploration to identify solutions in a safe, impartial, non-judgemental and confidential environment. It involves understanding where each partner is coming from, looking at different perspectives, values and behaviours and identifying ways that the needs of each can be met while considering both relationship and personal contentment.
I am trained to offer therapy to individuals, partners and couples in all relationship configurations and sexual orientations.
Why would we have couples therapy?
Many couples reach out when communication has broken down or such distance has grown that it feels as though they’ll never properly find eachother again. Many couples arrive in therapy carrying deep love for one another, but also frustration, hurt, longing or uncertainty about the future. Therapy can be a space to explore the deeper layers of misunderstanding and disconnection, and figure out ways to heal them either together or individually.
How I can help
I offer a space where we try to slow things down and look beneath. I observe and offer a third ear on what gets activated, open up the floor for what feels too risky to say, and invite you to share, when comfortable, what each of you is carrying that the other might not yet be able to see.
Some of the ways I support couples include:
Rebuilding connection after miscommunication or mistrust
Working with emotional shutdown in one or both partners
Navigating identity changes around gender, sexuality, neurodivergence, or anything else
Exploring emotional or physical intimacy struggles
Supporting one another through major life transitions (parenthood, loss, work change, relocation, estrangement)
Reconnecting when one partner feels unseen, unheard, or emotionally overloaded
Exploring whether and how the relationship can evolve, rather than defaulting to staying stuck or walking away
My style is relational, thoughtful, and challenging when needed. I won’t sit back and nod, I ask the kind of questions that help you get to the root of things and to help you both get clearer on how you’re relating, why certain patterns keep playing out, and what can shift. I don’t take sides - I work with the relationship as the client, helping both of you feel heard, understood, and more able to meet each other without losing yourselves.
N.B: I work affirmatively with LGBTQIA+ couples, as well as those in non-monogamous, open, or kink relationships, so we can explore what’s happening in your relationship without defaulting to heteronormative, monogamous, or vanilla frameworks.
What next?
Start by exploring the “You may be feeling…” lists on this page. If any of it resonates for one or both of you, there’s a good chance we can do meaningful work together. You’re welcome to get in touch with me to talk about what’s happening and see whether what I can offer feels right for you both.
You may be feeling …
This is not a generic list of relationship problems. I work with couples navigating deep emotional shifts, around identity, trust, neurodivergence, trauma, parenting, and intimacy. Often these are not issues you can fix with a quick strategy or better communication alone, they tend to be layered, personal, and often tied to long-held patterns or pain. You might recognise pieces of your relationship in some of the statements below, or they might give language to things you’ve both been feeling but haven’t been able to name. Take your time reading through and get in touch if you think I can help.
Communication & disconnection
...like you're speaking different languages, trying to connect but ending up misunderstood.
...stuck in the same painful patterns, arguments, or silences with no clear way forward
...hurt by resentments that go unspoken or unresolved, or issues that keep resurfacing
...worried to express your true feelings in case it leads to conflict or rejection
...like one of you is always reaching towards, while the other is always pulling away
...exhausted by trying to meet expectations that feel impossible or unclear or always changing
...deeply aware that something needs to change, but unsure where to begin
Loss of intimacy and emotional drift
...disconnected from the closeness you once shared and not knowing how to find your way back
...more like housemates or co-parents than partners or lovers
...like emotional intimacy is being replaced by survival-mode and logistics
...like you might be growing in a different direction from your partner but unsure what that means for your future
...wondering whether to stay and work things through, or whether it’s time to let go.
...longing for a relationship that feels safer, more supportive, and more alive
...afraid that change might mean loss.
...like you’re constantly questioning whether you’re “too much” or “not enough” for your partner.
Neurodivergence and identity
...like your relationship is being affected by a recent diagnosis
...like your parents’ voices still live in your head, shaping how you see yourself as an adult
...unsure whether estrangement or distance from family is going to hurt or heal
...trapped in unspoken expectations about who you “should” be
...angry or frustrated by how your experiences have been dismissed or misunderstood
...like you were never allowed to take up space or have your feelings, and you’re only just noticing how much that hurt.
...like no one ever saw the version of your parent that you lived with, the rage, the manipulation and emotional chaos
...resentful of how much energy you still spend trying to predict or manage other people’s emotion
...like you had to perform a role just to keep the peace the good child, quiet one, caretaker, peacemaker, scapegoat
...exhausted by the internal pressure to be likeable, impressive, or needed, because love hasn’t ever felt safe or secure
Gender and sexuality
...curious, conflicted, or overwhelmed as one or both of you begin to explore gender or sexual identity
...worried that being honest about who you are might change the dynamic between you
...like you’re finally discovering your authentic self, and wondering if your relationship can evolve with you
...afraid that embracing your identity might come at the cost of your relationship or family harmony
Sex & Intimacy
...like physical intimacy has become distant, tense disconnected
...unsure how to navigate mismatched desire or changing bodies
...afraid to talk about sex because it feels too vulnerable or likely to trigger shame
...curious about reimagining sex and intimacy in ways that feel more affirming and less performative
...unsure how to feel desire when trust or safety feel compromised
If one or more of these statements reflect where you are, I can support you to explore what’s happening in your relationship, so you can decide together what kind of relationship you want to create from here.
Get in touch
Reaching out can feel like a big step, especially if you’ve spent a long time managing on your own.
You’re welcome to contact me using the form here if you'd like to arrange a short consultation, or if you have any questions before deciding whether to begin.
If you’d prefer to leave a message or speak to me first, you’re also welcome to call me on:
Take your time.