Blog
Achieving Work-Life Balance: Finding Fulfillment in Success and Relationships
Struggling with work-life balance? Discover how to prioritize your values, navigate personal relationships, and find fulfillment in both success and love. Assess what truly drives you, reassess your values, and make positive changes for a more balanced life. Contact us today.
Premarital Therapy: Why It’s Essential Before Tying the Knot
Premarital therapy, also known as premarital counseling, is gaining significant attention in the media as couples increasingly seek support before taking their vows. This emerging trend in the counseling world aims to equip couples with the tools and insights needed to navigate the complexities of married life. In this article, we explore why premarital therapy is worth considering and how it can help address crucial aspects of your relationship before saying “I do.”
Effective Strategies for Discussing Sexual Issues in Relationships
Sexual issues are a common concern among couples seeking relationship counseling. Talking about physical intimacy can be challenging without support. Delaying these discussions can exacerbate the problems. Discover effective ways to approach the topic with your partner.
8 Compelling Reasons to Consider Relationship or Sexual Therapy
Discover eight common reasons why seeking relationship or sexual therapy can be beneficial. From communication challenges to rebuilding trust, find out how counseling can help improve your relationship’s well-being.
Can A Marriage Survive an Affair?
When a couple comes to see me in the weeks after an affair has been discovered, there is usually one question sitting underneath everything else: “Can we recover from this?” The truthful answer is that there isn't one answer that fits every couple. Every affair is...
How Can We Communicate Better?
Communication is one of those things that most of us assume we should already be good at. After all, we talk every day. And yet, when emotions run high or relationships feel strained, communication is often the first thing to break down. In my work as a relationship...
When Caring Starts to Cost Too Much
Most family lawyers enter their profession because they care deeply about helping people at some of the hardest times in their lives. You sit with distress, conflict and confusion every day. You listen, you guide, and you hold steady when others cannot. But over time,...
How to Communicate Positively with your Ex
Divorce or separation is a challenging time for any family, but the wellbeing of the children must remain a top priority. One of the key components to ensuring their stability and happiness is maintaining effective, assertive, and positive communication with your...
How to Maintain and Improve your Relationship after Kids
The arrival of children is often a joyous and transformative experience for any couple. Yet, it is also a period fraught with challenges that can put a strain on even the strongest of relationships. The demands of parenting can leave couples feeling overwhelmed,...
When is the Best Time to Seek Relationship Therapy?
Navigating the complexities of a romantic relationship can be both rewarding and challenging. While every relationship experiences ups and downs, knowing when to seek therapy can make a significant difference in maintaining a healthy and fulfilling partnership. This...
What’s Going On Beneath the Surface? 3 Key Psychological Insights for Family Lawyers Supporting Clients Through Divorce
When family lawyers sit across the table from clients in crisis, they often see a surface-level mix of distress, anger, panic or indecision. But beneath that is something much deeper - a storm of psychological processes that many clients aren't even aware of...
Why Mental Health Support Matters When You’re Going Through a Divorce
Divorce is one of the most emotionally challenging life transitions we can face. Even in cases where the decision feels right or mutually agreed, the psychological impact of untangling a shared life—especially when children are involved—can be profound. At a time when...
Collaborative Law and Conscious Uncoupling: How a Family Consultant Can Support a Kinder Divorce
Divorce doesn’t have to be a battlefield. For couples who are separating but want to preserve mutual respect and prioritise their children’s wellbeing, collaborative law offers a more constructive alternative to traditional litigation. And when paired with the support...
5 Proven Couples Therapy Exercises That Actually Work in 2025
By Elinor Harvey Couples therapy has come a long way in recent years, and 2025 is no exception. With increasing access to neuroscience-informed approaches, emotionally focused frameworks, and trauma-aware strategies, the tools we recommend to couples today are more...
The Power of Listening: How to Improve Communication in Your Relationship
What makes an amazing, satisfying & healthy relationship? No, it's not the things we think about initially: great holidays together, staring into each other's eyes, amazing sex, a magical connection. It's much simpler than that, and boils down to just one word:...
5 Signs Your Relationship Could Benefit from Therapy
It’s a common misconception that therapy is only for couples in crisis and for when you are absolutely tearing your hair out at each other and can’t be be in the same room. However these very dramatic depictions of couples therapy doesn’t help people who still love...
The Role of a Therapist in Divorce Mediation: Working Together for a Healthier Split
As I sit in my office on this drizzly September morning, I can't help but reflect on the clients I've guided through the turbulent waters of divorce. I'm Elinor Harvey, a Relationship Therapist with over 15 years of experience, and today, I want to share with you my...
Is Online Couples Therapy as Good as Face to Face Sessions?
In today’s fast-paced world, maintaining a strong and healthy relationship can be a delightful yet challenging endeavour. We are all just so busy and our relationship falls to the bottom of the list time and time again. So when it comes to seeking help for...
Will divorce screw up my kids? A Therapist’s guide to supporting children’s emotional wellbeing.
Divorce is undoubtedly a challenging journey, not just for the adults involved but also for the children caught in the crossfire of emotional upheaval. As a seasoned relationship therapist, I understand the importance of providing children with the necessary support...
Navigating Separation and Divorce: A Therapist’s Guide for Parents
As a Relationship Therapist, one of the most delicate aspects of my work is guiding parents through the process of separation. While it's undoubtedly a challenging time, it's possible to navigate it with grace and compassion, particularly when children are involved....
Rekindling the Flame: Reignite Passion and Rediscover Love in Your Relationship
Discover practical strategies and tips to reignite the flame in your relationship. Rediscover love, passion, and connection with your partner. Rekindle the spark and create a stronger, more fulfilling bond.
Reigniting Your Passion: Overcoming Low Sex Drive for Women
Discover empowering strategies and expert advice to overcome low sex drive and revitalize your passion. This blog post provides valuable insights and practical tips to help women enhance their sexual desire and create a fulfilling intimate life.
Sex after birth: how long should you wait?
Our resident relationship expert and pelvic health expert, covers how to safely return to having sex after pregnancy and the delivery of your little one.
Post Natal Depression Symptoms
Just like after any big life event, there is a natural knock on effect onto our emotions. Elinor, relationship therapist, shares the common signs and symptoms of Post Natal Depression.
Coping with a lack of sleep
Whether you’re a working parent, at home, or a bit of both, completing normal day to day activities can feel impossible with a lack of sleep. Our relationship expert shares her top tips on how to prevent the toll of tiredness effecting you and your partner’s relationship.
Coping with Body Changes after Pregnancy
If you can’t fit into your old clothes, your belly is still rounded and soft and your stretch marks make you want to cry. It’s normal that your body looks like you’ve just had a baby- because you have! However there are lots of ways that you can help yourself if you’re struggling with your body image.
Adjusting to Parenthood
It can feel like everyone else is living some perfect Instagram life without the #babyvomit, but the truth is that this newborn stage is worrying and challenging for nearly everyone.
The expectations of breastfeeding and the impact it can have on maternal mental health
When it comes to our expectations of breastfeeding, we often set the bar high too; getting started with breastfeeding isn’t always easy. In reality there are lots of points where breastfeeding doesn’t go as planned, and this can be stressful for parents to overcome.
How to stay bonded with your partner during pregnancy
This article was originally written for HiPP Organic, in my role as their UK Relationships Expert. Read this article and other expert articles on their website here Pregnancy can be one of the most exciting but tiring times, as you prepare for the arrival of your...
Nurturing Appreciation and Overcoming Resentment in Relationships
Discover effective strategies to address resentment and build appreciation in your relationship. Overcoming communication barriers and fostering teamwork can create a healthier and happier partnership. Reach out to discuss working with a qualified couple therapist.
Becoming curious again
Do you remember what it was like when you first got to know each other? How open minded you were, and how curious you found yourself, wanting to know more about them and their lives? Where did they grow up? What places have they travelled to? What are their parents...
Holding your Boundaries in Relationships
It can be hard to know how to hold and keep appropriate boundaries in relationships. Let me tell you 2 stories...(not based on any specific individuals but accumulated from my experience of clinical work) Susan is 35 years old. She comes with her partner Craig for...
5 Top Ways to Communicate Better in your Relationships
Why can't I talk to my boyfriend? We can't stop arguing. He doesn't seem to understand what it's like for me. How can I understand what my girlfriend is thinking? How can I make my wife happy? How do I improve our Sex Life? These are the statements I hear my couple...
What is an Initial Assessment Session? 6 Things to Expect when Meeting a Relationship Counsellor for the first time
It can be daunting to book and attend your first session with a Counsellor. It can feel particularly anxious when meeting a Relationship Therapist as there often seems to be an air of mystery about this specialist area of psychotherapy. Read below to find out a little...
The Top 5 Ways COVID has affected Relationships
WOW! Well lets just say it's been a busy year. Last January, I don't think we could have predicted how the following 12 months would be for us all, and taking time to reflect on our experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic is an important part of processing things....
Is a post Lockdown “Relationship Reckoning” coming?
I’ve been reading and hearing a lot about how many couples are struggling in their relationships during lockdown. As I mentioned in my last blog, we aren’t meant to exist like this; it’s a highly unusual situation for us to be so isolated, with only our partner and...
Love in Lockdown- how to have difficult conversations with your partner
So here we are, nearly 2 months into lockdown. Somehow things feel a little easier, as we have got used to the strict rules and regulations around our lives, but also we are struggling more than ever with being apart from our friends, families, workplaces, social...
Giving your partner some space – surviving lockdown with your relationship intact
Lockdown isn’t easy for anyone. And it can quickly take its toll even on healthy relationships. Elinor uses her 30 mins of exercise to discuss one way of how to look after your relationship when your usual couple activities and ways of coping are reduced.
Do we have to be grateful, all the time?
On my 30 minutes allocated activity time today, I walked my dog on one of the beautiful routes that exist in this part of Hampshire. The sun was shining, there were flowers and colour everywhere, even the dog was behaving for once! And I felt so grateful. So grateful...
When Two becomes Three: Your Relationship After Baby
I was recently asked to be a Guest Editor for the Night Feed App (https://thenightfeed.uk) and write an article for them about maintaining and improving your relationship after your first baby arrives. If you don’t have the Night Feed App already, they provide a...
Looking for sunshine through all the storm clouds: how to tackle Confirmation Bias in your relationship
Storm Ciara, Storm Dennis, and apparently now Storm Jorge. It feels like it hasn’t stopped raining recently round here. It’s easy to feel like Spring sunshine is never going to arrive, and that our roads will be waterlogged and we’ll be sporting our raincoats forever....
Is It Ever Too Late for Relationship Counselling? When to Seek Help and What to Expect.
Wondering if it’s too late for relationship counselling? Discover when to seek help, debunk common fears, and understand the benefits of therapy. Contact me today to discuss your situation further.
Proud to be Part of Overton Business Association!
Offering a local counselling service, for local clients has always been a big part of my motivation to start Hampshire Relationship Counselling. I started this by offering counselling sessions in the heart of Overton village at Wessex Business Services (...
New year, new who? 5 things to try when your relationship has got the January Blues.
Happy New Year! Or was it? There is a big spike in couples seeking relationship therapy after the festive period is finished. The combination of financial pressures, visiting inlaws, being trapped indoors and eating and drinking too much can lead to a significant...
How to reduce the “mental load”. 5 things to try.
At this time of year especially, the juggle and pressure of all the things on a “To Do” list can feel unbearable. I first heard the term “Mental Load” In this rather amazing cartoon which you can read here . However I don’t think that this is solely women or parents...
How Do I Stop Arguing With my Partner? 5 Ideas to Try
Arguments can be upsetting and exhausting for everyone. However there are a few ways that you can try and resolve difficulties before they turn into argument. Have a safe word. If you notice that your discussion is becoming heated, agree to have a safe word that you...
What is an Initial Assessment? 6 things to Expect when Meeting with a Relationship Counsellor for the First Time.
It can be daunting to book and attend your first session with a Counsellor. It can feel particularly anxious when meeting a Relationship Therapist as there often seems to be an air of mystery about this specialist area of psychotherapy. Read below to find out a little...
Relationship Counselling: Beyond Couples – 5 Benefits for Singles
Relationship counselling isn’t limited to couples. Discover the reasons why even if you’re single, relationship therapy can support you through a breakup, help you understand your partner choices, boost confidence in dating, address sexual concerns, and explore non-romantic relationships.