Marriage Counsellors & Couples Therapists in Reading

Joint sessions are not always the right first appointment. A careful practitioner screens before agreeing to see you together. The usual reasons are moderate to severe aggression between partners, active alcohol or other substance misuse, a continuing affair, and psychotic symptoms ¹. Individual or specialist treatment comes first.

Couples sessions require safety. If one of you is afraid of the other, that is a safety question first. Going alone is a sensible beginning, not a sign you have given up on the relationship.

Where there is violence or fear at home, these routes come before counselling.

Each nation runs its own domestic abuse helpline, and a separate line covers the whole United Kingdom for men ⁵. The government page carries them, with live chat and email beside the telephone, and it publishes its guidance in several languages.

You can ask the police whether a partner has a record of abuse. That is the right to ask under the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme, and someone may ask on behalf of a friend or relative.

For protection through a court in England or Wales, you can apply for a non-molestation order or an occupation order online, by email or by post ⁶. In England, where a child is at risk, contact the children's social care team at the local council ⁷. In Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, report it to your local authority. A mediation meeting is not required before a court application where there has been domestic abuse ².