Our Services

Help with relationships

Relationship counseling can help you enhance your relationships, whether they are from the past, present, or future. Even if you're not currently in a relationship, Relate is here to support you.

Many people have a preconceived notion about relationship counseling, believing it's only necessary when things reach a breaking point. However, we're available whenever you need us, no matter the situation you're facing in your relationship. Even if your concerns seem minor, we can provide assistance.

We are often the first point of contact for individuals dealing with significant relationship crises, such as divorce, separation, infidelity, or major conflicts.

We also help you improve communication and address potential challenges by discussing common differences that arise in relationships, such as varying attitudes toward finances or parenting styles. These are fundamental aspects of relationships that people often overlook until problems arise.

But we're also here for the smaller, seemingly trivial worries. Even if everything seems perfect, we can help maintain that balance. We can guide you to the support that best suits your needs and fits seamlessly into your life.

Who is relationship counselling for?

Our counselling is open to everyone.

Whether you are married, living together, in a same-sex relationship, separated, divorced or single, our confidential service can help you deal with your relationship difficulties. This also includes relationships with friends, work colleagues

Some of the issues our clients bring include:

Communication and Conflict
Step-families
Affairs
Coping with major life changes
Health or money worries
Sexual relationships
Balancing work and home

Help with family life and parenting

The relationships you have with your family have a big impact on how happy you are.

If you’re having problems in your family life, there are lots of ways we can help you. You might be a parent who needs help with how a break-up might affect your family, or need help relating to your children or step-children. You might be a young person worried about your parents splitting up, or need a bit of help dealing with your parents. You might need help in your relationships with your brothers and sisters.

Every family is different and there are many reasons for wanting to improve your family relationships.

Families can be a source of support, encouragement and love but sometimes relationships within families are put under strain and family members feel isolated or overlooked.

Every family member can expect to have a voice and be heard within family counselling.

Our counsellors are experienced relationship experts who are specially trained to help everyone have a say in how they are feeling and then to work out their differences.

Who is family counselling for?

You can see a family counsellor individually, as a small group, or the whole family together. Though we can only work with children aged 11 years and up.

We don't take sides or tell you what to do. We will encourage each family member to have a voice and help you resolve your differences together.

For families who wish for children to attend the sessions, please be aware only the adult family members can attend the Initial Assessment. This will also be the case if you change counsellors between the Initial Assessment and the first ongoing appointment.

Together with your family counsellor, you will decide which family members will come to the sessions and how frequently you want to come. The choice will depend on what needs to be talked about and who it affects most.

Children and Young People

You might be experiencing problems at school, issues with your parents or generally not feeling like yourself. Counselling lets you talk about how you feel, separate from school and home life and can help you get back to enjoying life.

What is young people's counselling?

Young people's counselling is for any young person who's having problems. Whether it's depression and mental health concerns or issues with parents or people at school. Talking to a counsellor can help.

Our counsellors let you talk about how you feel and can support you

with problems like;

Feeling anxious and low
Confidence and low self esteem
Bullying
Problems with friends and Relationships
Worries at school
Separated parents

Individual counselling

We offer individual counselling for those who want support – whether that’s with their relationships or something else entirely. Typically people looking for individual counselling might be struggling with things like depression, anxiety, stress, bullying, grief, low-self esteem or a recent or past trauma. Others seek individual counselling as they reach a milestone or transition point in their life, such as changing careers or becoming a parent.

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All couples go through periods where they don't have the time or energy for regular sex. Or there may be physical problems affecting your ability to have sex. If this has become the norm and you would like to rediscover your sex life, then our sex therapy programme could be right for you.

Sex therapy

Sex is a very personal thing, and talking about it can be embarrassing. But talking is often the best thing you can do to improve your sex life. It's natural to want better sex and sometimes there are specific psychological or medical reasons for your difficulties.

Our sex therapists are difficult to shock, and are trained in highly effective ways of tackling many issues in a safe and friendly environment. They will help you explore the reasons behind the problem and look at ways of addressing it.

Our psychosexual therapy service is highly successful, with 93% of both men and women who completed treatment reporting a significant improvement in their sexual relationship

What kind of issues can Sex Therapy help with?

Sex Therapy can help with a wide range of issues. Some of the most common include:

- Having a different level of sex drive to your partner.
- Getting stuck in the same routine.
- Problems getting aroused.
- Feeling you’re not having enough sex.
- Issues with premature or delayed ejaculation.
- Difficulties with orgasm.
- Painful sex.
- Sexual addiction.
- A lack of enjoyment or interest for one or both partners.

Our therapists can help with a wide range of issues and discuss with you the best path forward

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Sex and porn addiction

Sex addiction is a term that describes any sexual behaviour that feels 'out of control'. It's not the behaviour itself that defines it as an addiction but rather the dependency on it to numb out negative emotions and difficult experiences.

As with all addictions, most people with sex addiction will have tried to stop or limit their behaviour on many occasions - but in spite of continuing harmful consequences to self and others, they can't reliably stay stopped.

For example

Compulsive masturbation
Compulsive use of pornography
Having multiple, ongoing affairs
Exhibitionism
Fetishes
Dangerous sexual practices
Prostitution
Anonymous sex
Voyeurism
Telephone sex
Chat room/online sex
Partner sex
Illegal sexual practices

What should you do if you think you or your partner has a problem?

First and foremost you need to talk to each other. Many people with addiction go through a period of denial before they feel able to accept that the problem really is an addiction that has got out of control. If you or your partner accepts that there is a problem then you need to find help for both of you.

Talk to us at Relate. Our experienced counsellors will undertake an initial assessment to see if you or your partner would benefit from specialist sex addiction help. For most people suffering from sex or porn addiction, this is the best course of action.

You can ask about getting help and support for yourself either through individual counselling or a group support programme. As well as your local Relate Centre, you can find specialist sex addiction help for addicts and partners through the Association for the Treatment of Sex Addiction & Compulsivity. If your partner doesn’t accept, or believe, that they have a problem then you can still reach out for help and support for yourself.

The problem may not be addiction, but if it’s something that’s affecting your happiness then you can still benefit from talking to a counsellor about how you can move forward.

How we can help

If you're worried about your sex life, there are various ways we can help. Talk to us about your concerns or questions on 0115 958 4278 or email us in confidence at info@relate-nottingham.org.uk.