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Relationship Difficulties

Relationships can be the place you most want to feel safe — and where pain shows up fastest. Whether you’re stuck in repeating arguments, feeling unheard, walking on eggshells, or facing the end of a relationship through separation or divorce, it can knock your confidence, disrupt daily life, and leave you stuck in loops of rumination or self-blame. Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) can help you make sense of what’s happened, process the loss, and rebuild your confidence.  Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) can help you make sense of what’s happening, improve communication and rebuild your confidence.  

I’m a qualified and accredited therapist with over 15 years’ clinical experience in NHS Talking Therapies services and private practice, specialising in high-intensity CBT and IPT for relationship difficulties, anxiety, depression and life changes.

Misunderstandings, jealousy, mismatched needs for closeness or intimacy, people-pleasing, or avoiding hard conversations can slowly chip away at connection.
With a warm, non-judgemental approach, I’ll work with you to spot the patterns that trap you – what gets triggered, how communication derails, and what helps you feel safer and more understood.

We’ll practise clearer ways to express needs and boundaries, reduce unhelpful cycles (like blame, mind-reading, defensiveness or withdrawal), and create small, steady changes that can rebuild trust, closeness and a sense of teamwork in your relationships.

Why you might be here

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You might recognise yourself in some of these:

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  • The same argument keeps looping, even when the subject changes.

  • You’re walking on eggshells — filtering yourself to avoid conflict or upsetting someone.

  • You feel unheard, invisible, or taken for granted in an important relationship.

  • Trust has been shaken (betrayal, rupture, jealousy, insecurity) and you don’t know what to believe anymore.

  • You shut down or avoid hard conversations until things boil over.

  • A major change or loss has knocked things off-balance — including a breakup, separation, or divorce.

  • You keep seeing the same pattern repeat across relationships, and you’re tired of it.

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You don’t have to be in a crisis — or trying to “save” a relationship — for this page to be for you. Sometimes it’s about quietly realising, “It can’t carry on like this.” Sometimes it’s about working out how to move forward after something has already ended.

How I help with relationship difficulties

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I work one-to-one, focusing on you and the relationships that matter most. Together we can:

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Understand what’s really happening

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We can map the patterns that show up in difficult moments — what triggers you, how you protect yourself, and what tends to happen next. Not to blame anyone, but to get clarity.

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Communicate more safely and clearly

 

We can explore ways of putting feelings and needs into words that don’t come out as attacking, shutting down, or hinting. We can plan specific conversations and practise what to say.

 

Break unhelpful cycles and build boundaries

 

We’ll take small, practical steps — pausing before reacting, asking directly, setting limits calmly, and protecting your self-respect in a way that fits your values.

 

Support you through change, separation or divorce

 

If a relationship has shifted or ended, we’ll make space for grief, anger and confusion — while helping you stay grounded day to day and rebuild support.

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What sessions can look like

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  • Free 30-minute consultation


A chance to outline what’s been happening, ask questions, and see if working together feels like a good fit.

 

  • Early sessions

 

We’ll get a clearer picture of your key relationships, the situations that are most painful, and what you’d like to be different. We’ll draw a simple “map” of the cycle you get stuck in and start identifying small, realistic changes.

 

  • Ongoing work

 

  • Practising new ways of communicating—both what you say and how you listen.

  • Exploring the beliefs you hold about yourself in relationships (for example, “I’m too much”, “I’ll be left”, “My needs don’t matter”) and gently testing out more balanced alternatives.

  • Planning and debriefing real-life conversations.

  • Supporting you to take care of yourself emotionally around difficult interactions.

 

  • Reviewing progress

 

We’ll regularly check what’s shifting and what still feels stuck, and adjust the focus so the work stays useful and relevant.

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​Ways your relationships can start to feel a little easier

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Over time, people often notice:

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  • Less walking on eggshells, and more honest, calmer conversations.

  • Clearer, kinder boundaries — saying what you mean without it turning into a row.

  • A stronger sense of who is genuinely in your corner, and how to lean on them.

  • More understanding of your reactions — and more choice in how you respond.

  • More confidence that you can look after yourself and reconnect with life and people again, even after a relationship ends (breakup, separation, divorce, bereavement).

 

Change is usually gradual rather than dramatic—but small, consistent shifts can make a real difference to how connected and supported you feel.

Ready to talk?​

 

If any of this sounds familiar, you’re welcome to get in touch.

You don’t have to have it all figured out before you start.

We can think it through together and decide on the next small steps that feel right for you.

Key details

Session length: 

50 minutes

Online platform:

Microsoft Teams

Frequency:

Weekly (flexible)

Fee:

£50 per session

Current availability:

Usually within a few days

Location:

Online across the UK

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