Relationship Counselling in Oxford (Headington) and Online
Feeling disconnected in your relationship?
Relationships can be deeply rewarding, but they can also become difficult—especially when communication breaks down or something no longer feels right.
You may feel:
- Distant or disconnected from each other
- Stuck in the same arguments
- Unsure what the problem is, but aware something isn’t working
- Hurt, frustrated, or misunderstood
Talking about your relationship with someone you don’t yet know can feel uncomfortable. One or both of you may even feel unsure about being there. That’s completely normal.
How relationship counselling can help
I work using Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), a well-established approach that focuses on understanding emotional patterns and strengthening connection.
A key idea in this work is recognising the “pattern” or “dance”, or “cycle”, that develops between you.
When relationships feel under pressure, couples often fall into a repeated pattern of reacting to each other. This might look different for each couple, but over time it can create distance and misunderstanding.
The cycle becomes the problem—not each other.
Understanding your pattern
Together, we begin to explore:
- The patterns or “cycles” you get caught in
- How each of you responds when things feel difficult
- The balance between thoughts, emotions, and reactions
- How communication may be helping or hindering connection
- How vulnerability shows up (or feels difficult)
- The influence of past experiences and family dynamics
You may recognise dynamics such as one person withdrawing while the other pursues—both often trying, in different ways, to protect the relationship.
A body-aware approach
Alongside what is said, I also pay attention to how experiences show up physically—through tone, pace, posture, and energy.
Sometimes relationship difficulties are not just about what we think, but how we feel and respond at a deeper level.
By gently working with both emotional and physical awareness, we can help create a sense of understanding, resolution, and reconnection.
What to expect
In the first session, we can:
- Talk about what has brought you to counselling
- Explore your expectations
- Discuss how I work
- Go through practical details such as timing, cost, and frequency
We can also consider whether individual sessions alongside joint sessions may be helpful.
After a few sessions, we review how things are going and what feels useful.
A minimum of around six sessions is often helpful to begin to understand patterns more clearly and see meaningful change.
Who relationship counselling is for
Relationship counselling is not only for couples in crisis.
It can be helpful for:
- Couples experiencing difficulties
- Couples considering separation
- Couples wanting to improve communication
- New couples wanting to build a stronger foundation
- Family relationships (e.g. parent and adult child, siblings)
- Work relationships where communication has broken down
Contact me as a counsellor in Oxford
If you’d like to arrange an initial session or ask any questions, feel free to contact me:
guyturton@hotmail.com
07982 841 829
If I’m unavailable, please leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
Alternatively fill out this form
Thank you
Guy
