Therapy for Relationship Problems

Online psychotherapy with Simona Hawkins, UKCP-registered psychotherapist — sessions available across the UK.

Two people sitting together under a tree at sunset

Relationships can be deeply rewarding, but they can also bring up some of our strongest emotions.

You may notice the same difficulties appearing repeatedly — arguments that seem to follow a familiar pattern, difficulty feeling understood, fear of rejection, problems with trust, emotional distance, or uncertainty about what you want from a relationship.

Sometimes it can feel as though you are reacting before you have had time to understand what is happening.

Psychotherapy can offer a space to slow this process down and look more closely at the patterns developing between you and the people who are important to you.

Making sense of what happens between people

I work with people to help them make sense of the patterns appearing in their thoughts, feelings and behaviour towards themselves and others.

Together, we can explore the emotional meaning of what happens in your relationships.

For example:

What do you experience when someone becomes distant?
What happens when you feel misunderstood?
How do you respond to conflict?
What do you expect from people who are important to you?
How do you communicate your needs?
What happens to your sense of yourself within a relationship?

Our responses to relationships are shaped by many influences, including previous experiences, expectations, beliefs, emotions and the way we have learned to understand ourselves.

Sometimes these patterns are so familiar that they can feel automatic and like part of who we are. Therapy can help make them more visible and easier to recognise and change.

Developing a different relationship with yourself

Relational difficulties are not only about what happens between two people. They can also be connected with the relationship you have with yourSelf.

You may find yourself questioning your worth “am I good enough?”, suppressing your needs, adapting constantly to other people or struggling to know what you genuinely want.

Exploring these experiences can help you develop a clearer sense of your own needs, boundaries, emotions and values in your own relationship with yourself.

As your understanding of yourself develops, you may find more freedom in how you respond to the people around you.

A collaborative therapeutic relationship

The relationship between therapist and client is also an important part of the work.

Therapy provides an opportunity to notice how you experience another person, how you respond to being understood or misunderstood, and what happens when difficult feelings emerge within a relationship.

We can explore these experiences together in a respectful and non-judgemental therapeutic environment.

Common questions

What relationship problems can psychotherapy help with?

Individual psychotherapy can be relevant to difficulties involving trust, intimacy, communication, conflict, insecurity, emotional distance or dependence, boundaries and repeated relational patterns.

What if I don’t know why my relationships are difficult?

That is often part of what brings people to therapy. You do not need to arrive with a clear explanation. We can begin by exploring what you are experiencing and gradually develop an understanding, together.

Can therapy help me understand my difficulties in relationships?

It is an opportunity to understand your own thoughts, feelings, reactions, and expectations as they are, while also becoming more curious about how you experience other people in relationship with you.