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Social Isolation 

You may have noticed that you struggle to develop and maintain close relationships with others. This may be happening with family, friends or romantic partners.  This lack of closeness may be causing you to feel lonely and isolated, and may be impacting your mood in a negative way.

In IPT we can explore repeating patterns within your relationships, and find ways of changing these patterns so you can feel more connected with those around you.

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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  • Difficulties making friends - this may be recent or since childhood

  • Frequent “fall outs” with the people around you — this can be with family, friends, colleagues or partners.

  • You feel like no one understands you - you feel different from the people around you and this makes you feel low and disconnected.

  • You find it hard to trust people - you’re often second guessing people’s intentions, and this makes it hard to let people in

  • You wonder if you have difficulties with attachment - this may be from a difficult childhood or difficult past experiences.

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

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How I help with relationship difficulties

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I work one-to-one, focusing on helping you find ways to build connections with others. Together we can:


Identify patterns in relationships

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We can map out significant relationships in your life and explore possible unhelpful patterns that may keep repeating themselves.

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Explore your attachment style


This may involve talking through some of your early experiences and relationships.


Build confidence and social skills


We can work on breaking unhelpful patterns by exploring and practicing various communication skills that can help increase your confidence.

 

Explore ways of widening your social circle


Together we can explore opportunities within your life to meet and connect with people and start building close relationships with others.

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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