What Are Relationship Difficulties?
Relationships, whether with partners, family, friends or colleagues are at the heart of our wellbeing. When these connections feel strained, conflictual or distant, it can affect our mood, confidence and sense of security.
Relationship difficulties can take many forms, including:
- Frequent arguments or communication breakdowns
- Patterns of criticism, withdrawal or avoidance
- Feelings of loneliness, rejection or disconnection
- Difficulties with trust, intimacy or boundaries
- Repeating unhealthy relationship patterns
- The impact of trauma, past relationships or family dynamics
- Struggles around separation, divorce or life transitions
Sometimes challenges arise within one specific relationship, other times they reflect long-standing patterns that show up across different areas of life.
How Can Therapy Help?
Therapy offers a safe, confidential space to explore what is happening in your relationships and why. Together, we can look at:
- Understanding patterns of relating and where they may come from
- Exploring the impact of past experiences on present relationships
- Building skills in communication, boundary-setting and conflict resolution
- Developing self-awareness and compassion in the way you connect with others
- Supporting you through changes such as separation, loss or rebuilding trust
Therapy does not take sides or assign blame. Instead, it focuses on helping you develop insight and practical tools so that relationships can become more supportive, fulfilling and balanced.
What Approaches Might Be Used?
Different therapeutic approaches can help with relationship difficulties depending on your needs:
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): helps you recognise unhelpful thought and behaviour patterns that may fuel conflict or disconnection, and build healthier alternatives
- Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT): supports you in developing self-compassion, reducing shame and cultivating more compassionate relationships with others
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): helps clarify what really matters in your relationships and supports you in taking steps toward those values
- Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR): can be helpful if past trauma is impacting how you connect, trust or feel safe in relationships
- Internal Family Systems (IFS): explores the different “parts” of you that may carry fears, protective strategies or unmet needs, and helps them work together in healthier ways
- Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT): focuses on recognising and shifting repeated relational patterns that may be keeping you stuck
Your therapist will work collaboratively with you to decide which approach, or combination of approaches, feels most relevant.
Is Therapy Right for You?
Therapy may be helpful if you are:
- Struggling with frequent conflict, disconnection or miscommunication in relationships
- Noticing repeated patterns across different relationships that leave you feeling stuck
- Affected by past trauma or loss that makes it difficult to trust or feel close to others
- Managing the impact of separation, divorce or other major life transitions
- Wanting to build healthier boundaries, communication skills or intimacy
- Curious to understand yourself and your relationships on a deeper level
At Seven Lion Yard, our aim is to offer support that is thoughtful, evidence-based and sensitive to your unique circumstances, helping you move toward relationships that feel more secure, connected and authentic.