Low-fee couple psychotherapy

Below is a list of the current vacancies available for low-fee psychotherapy. The list gets updated every few weeks.

To enquire about a vacancy, please email: clinicalservices@bpf-psychotherapy.org.uk

Current Vacancies

• Central London W1 area
• West London W11
• North London N19
• North West London NW11
• Winchmore Hill, N21 (Monday mornings)
• Canterbury, Kent
• Harpenden, Hertfordshire
• Wiltshire
• York

The first thing that happens is that you meet together for an initial consultation with one of our senior couple psychotherapists who will think with you both about the most helpful way forward. 

We find that two consultation meetings work best, as it allows time and space for you both to talk about what brings you to seeking help. It’s also a chance to think with the therapist about how couple therapy can help you and your relationship. The fee for both meetings is £175 which you pay directly to the therapist. 

Before booking you in for an initial consultation, we ask you both to fill out a questionnaire and send it back to us. There is an admin fee of £30 payable at this stage. 

What happens after the consultation:

Following the two consultations and if couple therapy is the right way forwards for you both, we will place you with one of our couple psychotherapists in training, trying to match location and your preferred times if we can.

If it looks like couple therapy isn’t going to be the right kind of help for you, then we will signpost you to other options.

What is couple therapy and how can it help?

Most couples experience difficulties in their relationship at some point, often to do with communication or life transitions. Problems might remain unspoken and may resolve spontaneously. But sometimes things may continue unaddressed and couples can get stuck, caught in cycles of recrimination and misunderstanding. This is when seeking therapy as a couple can be helpful. By ‘couple relationship’ we mean the diverse range of adult partnerships regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, living together or apart, with or without children, and throughout the life cycle

What kinds of difficulties might couple therapy help with?

Though not an exhaustive list, some of the issues which can be helped by couple therapy include the following: loss and bereavement, separation and divorce, the decision about whether to separate, the impact of affairs, problems with sex, sexuality and gender, illness and death, fertility and conception, parenting, extended family problems, adoption and kinship care. For many, it’s not just that there are difficulties in the relationship, but that it is difficult to talk about them.

What happens in the sessions?

Couple therapy provides a safe setting, where you can work with your therapist to get greater clarity and understanding about your situation. It will help you to identify the roots of the difficulties in the relationships and find new ways of thinking about your difficulties and resolving your problems, facilitating positive changes for both partners and the couple relationship. There is now a strong evidence base for the effectiveness of couple therapy for both individuals as well as the couple’s relationship, and couple therapy is recommended in the NICE guidelines particularly for depression.

Is it just about making people stay together?

Couple psychotherapy does not attempt to just keep a relationship going at all costs. Rather, couple therapy works to support the couple, as well as each individual partner in the relationship, to reach whatever decision is right for them, including considering whether either or both partners could benefit from additional support individually or whether separation is the best way forwards.