Communication and conflict
Breaking the cycle of the same argument.
Online Relationship Counselling · Exeter
Online Relationship Counselling in Exeter
Online relationship counselling for Exeter, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Exeter, from the cathedral quarter and the quay to the streets around the university, with the same BACP-registered, confidential support as an in-person session, and no journey.
BACP registered member25+ years of experienceLived experience
ConfidentialA safe, private space
Person-centredThe therapy fits you
In and around Exeter
Relationship Counselling for Exeter, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Exeter: from the cathedral quarter and the quay to St Thomas, Heavitree and Pinhoe
- Known for
- The cathedral, the quay and the university
- Region
- South West (England)
- Local NHS / support route
- TALKWORKS, Devon's NHS Talking Therapies service
- Format
- Secure video, UK-wide. In-person also available on the Sussex coast.
Life in Exeter
Why do people in Exeter reach out?
Exeter runs on two timetables that do not match. The university term brings a surge of people, deadlines and late finishes, while the rest of the city keeps ordinary hours and wonders where its partner has got to. Somebody on a rota at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital comes in as the other is going out. Housing costs have climbed faster than the wages of a county city, so couples in Heavitree and Exwick stay in flats they have outgrown and argue in rooms with thin walls. There is also the quiet expectation of a cathedral city, where things are done decently and nobody advertises trouble at home. Distance grows easily in a place like that.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Exeter
St ThomasHeavitreePinhoeSt LeonardsExwickWhiptonAlphingtonWonfordTopsham
Wherever you are in Exeter, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Exeter
Official figures for Exeter, for context rather than as a description of you.
the rate of emergency hospital admissions for self-harm was 159 per 100,000 in 2023/24, above the England average of 117 per 100,000. Source: OHID Fingertips – Emergency Hospital Admissions for Intentional Self-Harm (2023/24).
recorded depression on GP registers stood at 13.9% of patients aged 18+ in 2024/25, below the England average of 14.3%. Source: OHID Fingertips – Depression: QOF prevalence (2024/25).
19.8% of adults reported a high anxiety score in 2022/23, below the England average of 23.8%. Source: OHID Fingertips – Self-reported wellbeing: high anxiety score (2022/23).
Reviewed June 2026.
What would we do together in relationship counselling?
Relationship counselling here, for couples or individuals, slows down the pattern you are caught in and builds healthier ways of hearing and being heard.
The approach does not change with the postcode, so rather than repeat it on every page you can read it in full, the methods and what each session covers, on relationship counselling in detail, alongside how I work and my credentials and registration.
How does meeting by video work in practice?
Sessions run over a secure, encrypted video link, held to the same BACP confidentiality as meeting in person. After a free fifteen-minute call, you join from any private space on a phone, tablet or laptop.
There is no room in Exeter. Bradley works from Hove, so relationship sessions run by secure video, and for two people with clashing shifts that solves more than it costs. You can share one screen at the kitchen table or log in from wherever each of you happens to be. A ninety-minute slot suits couples who need time to get past the first ten minutes. Attending alone is welcome.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
Which difficulties does relationship counselling address?
Trust and repair
Rebuilding safety after betrayal or addiction.
Distance
Finding your way back to closeness.
Long-distance couples
Sessions you can join from different places.
Anxiety and reassurance
Working with people-pleasing and the need for control.
Individual work
You do not need to come as a couple to change the dynamic.
Relationship Counselling in Exeter
Why people in Exeter come for relationship counselling
Most couples here are not in the middle of a crisis. They have simply stopped being curious about each other, and the days fill up so completely that neither of you notices until something forces it. Money is a frequent thread, since a mortgage in this city rarely matches what local work pays. Drinking sometimes sits in the middle of it, one person unwinding and the other counting. Low mood does its own quiet damage, turning a household watchful. Some 19.8% of adults reported a high anxiety score in 2022/23, below the England average of 23.8%, which is no consolation at all when the tension is in your own hallway. We work on how the two of you speak, what trust was made of and what repairing it would actually require. TALKWORKS, Devon's NHS Talking Therapies service, takes self-referrals, and Devon Mind is local.
A free, unhurried first step
Not sure if it is right for you? A free fifteen-minute call is a no-obligation way to talk it through.
Book a free 15-minute callFinding support in Exeter
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Exeter, you can refer yourself directly to TALKWORKS, Devon's NHS Talking Therapies service for free NHS talking therapy, with no GP referral needed.
Private sessions with me usually mean you can start sooner and stay with the same counsellor throughout; I am glad to work alongside any NHS or GP support you already have.
Other local and national support verified for this area includes:
If you need urgent help now
This is not a crisis service. If anyone is in immediate danger call 999. For urgent mental health support, call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option. The Samaritans are free, day or night, on 116 123, or text SHOUT to 85258.
Exeter questions
Online Relationship Counselling in Exeter: common questions
How soon can a couple in Exeter start?
Usually within a week or two of the free 15-minute call, which is a short conversation rather than an assessment. Nobody has to refer you and there is no waiting list to join. If term-time evenings or a hospital rota make certain days impossible, mention it during that first call.
Do we each pay, or is it one fee?
One fee for the appointment, whoever comes. The rate is £80 for sixty minutes, £100 for ninety and £120 for the full two hours. Couples often need the longer version, because two people take time to reach the real subject. The introductory 15-minute call is free and carries no expectation that you will book.
Is there an NHS service in Exeter for relationship difficulties?
TALKWORKS, Devon's NHS Talking Therapies service, accepts self-referrals in England without a GP appointment, though it is built around anxiety and depression rather than couples work. Waits vary. Devon Mind provides local support that people often use at the same time.
Our student house is full of people. Where would I take a session?
A parked car works, so does an empty seminar room or a quiet hour when housemates are out. Headphones matter more than the location does. Students in St Leonards and Pinhoe manage this regularly, and it is worth agreeing the practicalities before the first appointment rather than after.
We argue about how much time the job takes. Is that worth counselling?
Yes, and it is among the most frequent things couples bring here. Arguments about hours are rarely about hours; underneath there is usually a question about whether you still matter to each other. That question is answerable, and it responds well to a few sessions of proper attention.
Can my partner and I attend relationship counselling online in Exeter?
Yes. Secure video lets you both join from the same room at home, without travelling across the city or in from rural Devon. The counselling room is in Hove, so Exeter couples are seen online unless you can reach the Sussex coast.
How soon can couples in Exeter start online relationship counselling?
Most Exeter couples get going within a week or two, since there is no local waiting list. A free 15-minute call comes first, then we book a full session together. With the room in Hove, Exeter is served online by secure video wherever you both are.
What does couples counselling cost in Exeter, and is it available on the NHS?
Relationship work here is private rather than NHS funded. Sessions are £80 for 60 minutes, £100 for 90 minutes and £120 for two hours, with a free 15-minute consultation first. Exeter couples can also seek NHS Talking Therapies in Devon through a GP, though many prefer to start privately without a wait.
Can partners in Exeter join from different places, and are evening slots offered?
Yes. Because sessions are online, one partner can join from St Thomas and the other from work or away, which suits Exeter couples juggling staff at the Met Office and the university. Some evening appointments help those tied up in the day. The room is in Hove, so we meet by secure video wherever you both are.
Online Relationship Counselling in Exeter, whenever you are ready
A free fifteen-minute call is the simplest place to start, no obligation, just a chance to see if we are the right fit.
Also available online across South West: Plymouth, Torquay, Taunton. See all of South West.
If relationship counselling is not quite what you are looking for, counselling and therapy, trauma counselling and addiction counselling may fit better in Exeter.
You may also find it useful to read about the Imago dialogue for couples.
For anyone near the coast, the same relationship counselling runs in person in Brighton. Every area covered is listed separately.