Relationship counselling in Barnsley

Couples and individual sessions

Couples attend together; individual sessions are available for those working through relationship issues on their own. Couples sessions are £90, for 50 minutes. Individual relationship sessions are £70 for 50 minutes.

After a separation or divorce

As well as working with couples, I also see people individually while they're going through a separation or divorce. If the two of you are separating and want to do that as well as you can, including working out co-parenting, that's something we can look at together too. This next part is for when you want to talk it through on your own.

A relationship ending is rarely only about the relationship. It can take the shared home with it, the friends who were really theirs, the routine of everyday life. It can change who you are at work, with family, with your children. Some people are doing fine at 2pm and can't speak by 8pm, and can't work out why. If what you feel seems out of proportion to what happened, or smaller than it, or later than it should be, that's common. There's no single way this is supposed to go.

Why it can hit harder than you expected

A few things make this harder to carry than people expect. It's often not talked about the way other losses are; when a relationship ends, people tend to expect you to be fine again within a month or two. Several changes often land at once: home, money, routine and identity can all shift within weeks of each other, which is a lot to carry together. If the person you'd usually turn to when things are hard was your partner, that support has gone at exactly the point you need it. And some endings are harder to make sense of than others, particularly ones you didn't choose or that came without an explanation.

A relationship ending is a loss too, and some of what helps with grief and loss applies here as well.

If you're not sure whether what you're feeling needs medical help, your GP is the best first step. You're welcome to mention it on the free 10-minute call too, but a GP is who can actually assess that.

If you need help now

Counselling isn't an emergency service, and I can't respond in a crisis.

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999 or go to A&E.

For urgent mental health support, call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option. It's free, open 24 hours, for all ages.

If you feel unsafe at home, or a partner or ex is controlling or frightening you, you can call:

If you need someone to talk to right now, Samaritans are on 116 123, free, day or night.

Your options, in full

Private counselling with me is one route among several. Here's the full picture for relationship support, so you can decide what's right for you.

NHS Talking Therapies. Free, and you can usually refer yourself without going through your GP first, if you're registered with a GP and aged 18 or over (16 in some areas). NHS Talking Therapies also offers couples therapy for depression in some areas, so it's worth asking about even if you're going through this together. Barnsley Talking Therapies takes self-referrals on 01226 644900.

Relate. A national relationship counselling charity, for couples and individuals, with a sliding fee scale in some services.

Family mediation. If you and your ex need to sort out arrangements for children, money or property, a family mediator can help you agree things without going to court. Most family court applications require a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting first, unless an exemption applies; check GOV.UK for the current rules.

Citizens Advice. Free, independent help with the practical and legal questions that come with separating: benefits, housing, debt, and where to find a solicitor.

Your GP. The right first step if what you're feeling might need medical help, as above.

None of this is either-or. Plenty of people use more than one of these alongside counselling. If you're not sure what's right, that's exactly what the free 10-minute call is for.