Therapy for Relationship Issues
Brighton & Hove, Lewes and Online
We are biologically programmed to be ‘social’ beings and therefore are dependent on our relationships for our well-being and very survival . In other words, we need other humans like we need food and water.
This also means that if those relationships become strained or painful, they can deeply affect our emotional health, self-esteem, and day-to-day functioning. Whether you’re struggling in a particular relationship or noticing the same patterns repeat across many of them, therapy offers a space to understand what’s happening and why. You don’t need to have it all worked out to begin.
Key Information
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What: One-to-one psychotherapy for relationship issues — conflict, disconnection, repeated patterns and relationship anxiety.
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Where: In person in Brighton & Hove and Lewes, or online counselling for relationship issues, wherever you’re based.
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Who: Individual adults — I work with one person, not couples.
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First step: A free 30-minute phone consultation, no commitment.
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Format: Weekly sessions, open-ended — not a fixed course.
How I can Help with Relationship Issues
I offer face-to-face therapy for relationship issues, working with individual adults rather than couples. That means the focus is on you — your experience of the relationship, the patterns you find yourself in, and what these difficulties may be connected to in your history and sense of self.
My approach is relational and integrative. Relationship problems rarely sit on the surface: they’re often tangled up with self-criticism, fear of conflict, difficulty trusting, or old ways of protecting yourself that once made sense but now get in the way. We can start with whatever is troubling you most.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you offer relationship therapy in Brighton, Hove or Lewes?
Yes. I see clients in person in Brighton & Hove and in Lewes – check the location pages for details of each therapy room.
Do you work with couples?
No — I work with individual adults. If you’re struggling in a relationship, we’d focus on your experience of it: the patterns you notice, how they affect you, and what they may be connected to. Many people find this individual work valuable whether or not their partner is also seeking support.
What is relationship therapy, exactly?
It’s a space to understand your relationships more deeply — not only a current difficulty, but the recurring patterns that show up across friendships, family, work and partnerships. Rather than only managing the immediate problem, we look at what keeps it going.
Can therapy help with relationship anxiety?
Yes. Anxiety often gathers around relationships — worrying about being left, being too much, or not being enough. This overlaps closely with relationship anxiety more broadly, which I also cover on my anxiety page.
Do you offer online relationship therapy?
Yes, I offer online therapy sessions for help with relationships if you’d prefer, or if in-person isn’t practical.
How Relationship Difficulties Show Up
Relationship issues take many forms. You might be dealing with a specific difficulty, or a more general sense that something in how you relate to others isn’t working. It can show up as:
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frequent conflict, or conflict you can’t seem to resolve
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feeling disconnected, lonely or unseen, even alongside other people
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difficulty trusting, or fear of being let down
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the same painful pattern repeating across different relationships
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finding it hard to say what you need, or to hear what others need
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anxiety about closeness, commitment, or being abandoned
Some people come with a clear situation they want help with — a relationship that’s ending or changing, a family rift, or difficulty at work. Others notice a pattern they keep falling into and want to understand it. Either way is a fine place to start
How Psychotherapy Can Help with Relationship Issues
Psychotherapy can help you understand your relationships, not just manage them.
Rather than only addressing a single argument or situation, therapy offers a space to become curious about your relational patterns — how you tend to respond when you feel hurt, criticised or unsure, and where those responses come from.
Relationship difficulties often make more sense when they’re understood in the context of your history and sense of self. They may be connected to earlier experiences, to how safe it felt to express need or anger, or to the ways you learned to stay close to — or protected from — other people.
The aim isn’t to become someone who never struggles in relationships. It’s to feel less caught in patterns that don’t serve you, to recognise them earlier, and to relate in ways that feel more free and more your own.
Starting Therapy for Relationship Issues
If you’re considering therapy for relationship issues, you don’t need to arrive with everything worked out. You may know exactly what you want help with, or only sense that something in how you relate isn’t right.
In a first session, we’ll talk about what’s brought you to therapy, how the difficulty is affecting you, and what you’re hoping for from the work — and think together about whether ongoing psychotherapy feels like the right fit.
I offer weekly psychotherapy for adults in Brighton & Hove, Lewes and online. If you’d like to explore beginning therapy for relationship issues, you’re welcome to contact me to arrange a free initial phone consultation.
Free phone consultation
The first step is for us to have a chat. I offer a 30 minute free phone consultation where we'll discuss what issues bring you to psychotherapy, I can answer any questions you may have and you'll get a sense if working with me feels right. We'll then discuss possible options moving forwards.