Month: May 2025

Relationships are the foundation of our emotional well-being, but even the best partnerships can face challenges. Every couple will experience difficulties, whether communication problems, trust issues, or day-to-day stress.

The good news is that help is more readily available than ever before. Online counselling provides an accessible, effective means of strengthening your relationship in the comfort and privacy of your own home.

This blog will explore how online counselling can help couples and how Focus Therapy can help you and your partner build a healthier, happier connection.

What Is Online Counselling for Couples?

Online counselling for couples, or online couples therapy, is professional guidance provided via secure video sessions, phone, or even messaging. Rather than seeing a counsellor in person, you and your partner meet with a trained therapist from anywhere you can access the internet.

Sessions are conducted by a qualified, accredited counsellor who leads you and your partner through discussions, activities, and techniques to work on your specific issues. The aim is to establish a secure, non-judgmental environment in which both partners feel heard, understood, and able to make positive changes.

Focus Therapy sessions are based on a person-centred approach. The therapist guides you both to explore your feelings, enhance communication, and discover solutions that suit you as a couple.

Why Consider Online Couples Therapy?

People are busy these days, so it is not always easy to make time for traditional face-to-face therapy. Online counselling eliminates several barriers that could otherwise keep couples away from help. Below are some reasons online couples therapy may be ideal for you:

Convenience and Flexibility

No need to commute or rearrange your schedule. Online sessions can fit around work, family commitments, and different time zones. You can join from home, the office, or wherever you feel most comfortable.

Comfort and Privacy

Some couples feel more at ease discussing sensitive topics in a familiar environment. Online therapy allows you to open up from the comfort of your own space, making sessions more productive and less intimidating.

Access to Qualified Therapists

If you live in a remote area or have limited local options, online counselling connects you with experienced, accredited professionals like Donna Tibby at Focus Therapy, regardless of location.

Continuity of Support

Travel, illness, or unexpected life events don’t have to interrupt your progress. Online sessions can continue wherever you are, ensuring consistent support.

Anonymity and Reduced Stigma

For some, the idea of seeking therapy can feel daunting or embarrassing. Online counselling offers privacy that can make it easier to take that first step.

Benefits of Online Counselling for Couples

Online couples counselling offers all the advantages of traditional therapy, plus some unique benefits:

Improved Communication

Many relationship issues stem from misunderstandings or poor communication. A skilled online counsellor helps you express your thoughts and feelings more clearly, listen actively, and break negative patterns.

Conflict Resolution

Every couple argues, but it’s how you resolve disagreements that matters. Online therapy provides tools and techniques to manage conflict constructively, so you can address issues without damaging your bond.

Rebuilding Trust

Trust can be rebuilt with guidance and commitment, whether due to infidelity, broken promises, or past hurts. A counsellor can help you understand the root causes, restore safety, and move forward together.

Deepening Intimacy

Emotional and physical intimacy are vital for a fulfilling relationship. Online counselling can help you reconnect, rediscover each other, and nurture closeness.

Personal Growth

Therapy isn’t just about fixing problems—it’s about growth. As you work through challenges, you will gain new insights, develop empathy, and become stronger as individuals and as a couple.

Coping with Life Transitions

Significant life changes such as becoming parents, moving, or dealing with loss can strain even the healthiest relationships. Online counselling offers support and strategies to navigate these transitions together.

How to Get Started with Online Couples Therapy?

Starting online couples counselling is straightforward, but preparation can help you get the most from your sessions:

Find the Right Therapist

Look for a licensed therapist with experience in couples counselling. Many online platforms allow you to browse profiles and specialities to find someone who matches your needs and values.

Prepare

Ensure you have a stable internet connection, a private space free from distractions, and a device with a camera and microphone. Test your setup before your first session to avoid technical issues.

Set Shared Goals

Before your first session, discuss what you both hope to achieve with your partner. Common goals include improving communication, rebuilding trust, or resolving specific conflicts.

Be Open and Invested

Successful therapy requires both partners to be committed to the process. Approach sessions with an open mind, a willingness to listen, and a readiness to work together.

Complete Necessary Paperwork

Most therapists will send electronic consent forms and questionnaires before your first session. These help your therapist understand your history and tailor their approach.

Engage Actively

During sessions, communicate honestly, listen without judgment, and be willing to try new strategies. Your therapist may assign exercises or worksheets to practise between sessions.

How I Can Help: Focus Therapy’s Approach?

I am Donna Tibby, a person-centred integrative counsellor with extensive experience supporting individuals and couples through life’s challenges. My approach is warm, non-judgmental, and tailored to your unique needs.

What to Expect

1. Safe, Confidential Space: Whether online or in-person, you will find a welcoming environment where both partners can speak openly and honestly.
2. Person-Centred Approach: You are the experts on your relationship. I listen with empathy and respect, helping you find answers and solutions.
3. Practical Tools: Together, we will explore communication techniques, conflict resolution strategies, and ways to nurture your connection.
4. Flexible Sessions: Online appointments make it easy to fit therapy into your busy lives, wherever you are.

Who Can Benefit?

• Couples facing communication breakdowns or frequent arguments
• Partners struggling with trust, intimacy, or emotional distance
• Those navigating major life changes or stressors
• Anyone wanting to strengthen and future-proof their relationship

Why Choose Focus Therapy?

1. Accredited and Experienced: As a member of BACP and NCPS, I uphold the highest standards of professionalism and ethics.
2. Inclusive and Supportive: All couples are welcome, regardless of background, orientation, or relationship stage.
3. Accessible: Online sessions mean you can access support wherever you are, with flexible scheduling to suit your needs.

Ready to strengthen your relationship? Contact me to learn more about online couples counselling and book your first session.

Bereavement counselling helps individuals dealing with the intricacies of grief. It provides personalised strategies for clients to cope with feelings, adopt new routines, and find meaning after loss. There are different techniques that can help individuals with grief. In this blog we will explore bereavement counselling, the techniques used, and how it can help you in your time of need.

What Is Bereavement Counselling?

Bereavement counselling is a type of therapy that deals with overcoming the emotional, psychological, and physical challenges related to the loss of a loved one. Losing someone close may trigger a variety of emotions, such as depression, anger, guilt, and physical symptoms like tiredness or headaches. It allows individuals to process these feelings, understand their grief, and acquire strategies for coping and going forward.

This therapy is not to “fix” but to help individuals to incorporate the loss into their lives in a balanced manner. Grief is a natural response to loss. It helps people maintain connections with their loved ones in new ways, and reconstruct their lives. Such counselling is not only for people grieving the loss of a loved one but also assist individuals coping with other significant losses, such as divorce or job loss.

Benefits of Grief Counseling

1. Understanding the Process of Grief: Counsellors assist people in understanding the process and complexities of grief so they can better cope with their emotions.
2. Validation of Emotions: Most individuals feel alone in grief. So, counselling assures them that their emotions are valid and helps the person to overcome their emotions.
3. Coping Mechanisms: Counsellors provide strategies to deal with overwhelming feelings like depression or anxiety, that usually come with grief.
4. Improved Mental Well-being: Grief counselling can help avoid prolonged or complicated grief from turning into more serious mental health issues like major depression.
5. Safe Space for Expression: It provides a nonjudgmental environment where individuals can openly share their thoughts and feelings.
6. Restoration of Routine: Counselling assists individuals in restoring routines and regaining a sense of normalcy in their lives.
7. Honouring the Deceased: It encourages individuals to preserve positive memories and find meaningful ways to honour their loved ones.

Bereavement Counseling Techniques

Bereavement counselling is a specialised form of therapy aimed at helping individuals cope with the emotional, psychological, and physical challenges associated with loss. Grief is a deeply personal experience, and counselling techniques are tailored to address the unique needs of each individual. Below are some of the most effective techniques used in bereavement counselling.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is one of the common methods in bereavement counselling that identifies and changes negative thought patterns that can hinder the healing process.

CBT assists people in recognising negative thinking and replacing those thoughts with useful ones. Strategies like cognitive restructuring and reframing are utilised to challenge illogical beliefs. For example, a counsellor can guide a client in reframing thinking such as “I could have done more” into “I did the best I could within the situation.” CBT also includes behavioural interventions that help motivate clients to act on things which bring meaning and pleasure to their lives.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is focused on accepting sorrow instead of avoiding it. ACT puts people to test by asking them to accept the painful emotions as natural responses towards loss and to commit to action that contributes to their values and objectives.

Key components of ACT are mindfulness activities, cognitive defusion (stepping back from intrusive thoughts), and creating an “observing self” to observe emotions. Through creating psychological flexibility, ACT assists the client to progress while maintaining space for their grief. ACT is especially useful for chronic or complex grief.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness exercises form a key part of many grief counselling methods, such as ACT. Mindfulness involves developing awareness in the present moment, without judgement, so that people can experience their emotions completely.

In bereavement counselling, mindfulness techniques such as meditation, deep breathing exercises, and journaling are used to help clients manage overwhelming emotions. These practices reduce stress and promote emotional regulation, enabling clients to navigate the ups and downs of grief more effectively.

Talk Therapy

Talk therapy offers a secure environment for individuals to express their ideas and emotions regarding their loss. The method can be conducted individually or in groups, depending on the client’s preference.

While participating in talk therapy sessions, counsellors will instruct clients to share memories about their late loved ones, discuss conflicting emotions, and explore ways to honour their loss while moving forward. Group therapy sessions provide further advantages by allowing people to connect with others having similar experiences and thereby decrease feelings of loneliness.

Complicated Grief Treatment

Complicated Grief Treatment (CGT) targets individuals who are suffering from prolonged and intense grief that interferes with daily life. CGT sessions focus on accepting the loss, coping with pain, reconnecting with others, and constructing future goals irrespective of the deceased. Storytelling about death and learning to live with reminders are key to CGT.

Traumatic Grief Therapy

Traumatic grief counselling deals with situations where grief is intensified by trauma. violent or sudden death. Traumatic grief therapy helps the client disentangle traumatic memories from grieving emotions.

Counsellors use exposure therapy to enable clients to face traumatic memories in a safe environment. They also concentrate on developing coping mechanisms and enhancing resilience through the gradual acceptance of the trauma and the loss.

Interpersonal Therapy

Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) focuses on enhancing interpersonal relationships and social support networks throughout the grieving process. Loss tends to interfere with interpersonal relationships, causing feelings of loneliness or conflict.

IPT sessions address how loss impacts relationships and help clients re-establish social relationships. Counsellors can help clients resolve conflict over the loss or establish relationships with supportive individuals. Through healthier relationships, IPT enhances emotional well-being and reduces loneliness.

Focus Therapy: Get Bereavement Support for Healing

As an integrative person-centred counsellor, I offer empathic care through bereavement. With extensive years of experience, I establish a safe, judgement-free space where you can feel at ease to progress, either virtually or in person.

As a member of BACP and NCPS, I maintain stringent ethical standards. If traditional counselling feels challenging, my workshops can offer interactive healing methods. We can navigate your feelings together, develop strength, and discover renewed meaning in life. My focus is on enabling you to find your own way towards healing and growth.

To learn more, reach out today or browse the website for further information.