Communication and conflict
Breaking the cycle of the same argument.
Online Relationship Counselling · Plymouth
Online Relationship Counselling in Plymouth
Online relationship counselling for Plymouth, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Plymouth, from the Barbican and the Hoe to the streets around the Sound, 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 Plymouth
Relationship Counselling for Plymouth, at a glance
- Areas covered online
- All of Plymouth: from the Barbican and the Hoe to Devonport, Stonehouse and Mutley
- Known for
- Plymouth Hoe, the Barbican and the Sound
- Region
- South West (England)
- Local NHS / support route
- NHS Talking Therapies Plymouth (Plymouth Options)
- Format
- Secure video, UK-wide. In-person also available on the Sussex coast.
Life in Plymouth
Why people in Plymouth get in touch
Plymouth relationships get interrupted for a living. HM Naval Base Devonport sends one of you away for months, and the other reorganises the entire household to cope, then has to unpick it again on the day you come back. Reunion is harder than anyone says. The person who left is not the person returning, and the home they walk into has learned to run without them. Shift work in the marine and dockyard sector does a smaller version of the same thing week after week. Around Stoke and St Budeaux there are couples who have spent years being competent apart and awkward together. Being this far west means the people who would understand are often several hours away.
Areas covered
Neighbourhoods in and around Plymouth
DevonportStonehouseMutleythe BarbicanPeverellMannameadPlymptonPlymstockSt BudeauxEffordStoke
Wherever you are in Plymouth, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.
The local picture
The local picture in Plymouth
Official figures for Plymouth, for context rather than as a description of you.
the rate of emergency hospital admissions for self-harm was 112 per 100,000 in 2023/24, below 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 16.7% of patients aged 18+ in 2024/25, above the England average of 14.3%. Source: OHID Fingertips – Depression: QOF prevalence (2024/25).
25.4% of adults reported a high anxiety score in 2022/23, above 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 the relationship counselling page, alongside how I work and qualifications, registration and ethics.
What happens in an online session?
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 Plymouth. Bradley works from Hove by secure video, and for couples separated by a posting that is the whole point rather than a compromise. A session can include one partner at home and one somewhere else entirely, which no consulting space could offer. Nobody drives across the city after a late shift at Derriford Hospital. And you are welcome to attend by yourself if that is where things are.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat I help with
What can relationship counselling in Plymouth help with?
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 Plymouth
Why people in Plymouth come for relationship counselling
Couples here come for reasons that are often practical before they are emotional. Somebody has been away and the routines no longer include them. Somebody has come home changed and cannot say so. Or the two of you have argued about the same small thing for a year and neither can remember what it was originally about. Drinking sometimes forms part of it, and the partner who watches for it suffers a particular kind of erosion. Low mood spreads through a household in the same quiet way. The area's high anxiety score covered 25.4% of adults in 2022/23, above the England average of 23.8%. Sessions work on how you speak, what got damaged and whether repair is what you both want. NHS Talking Therapies Plymouth, known as Plymouth Options, takes self-referrals, and Devon Mind supports people locally.
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 Plymouth
My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Plymouth, you can refer yourself directly to NHS Talking Therapies Plymouth (Plymouth Options) 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.
Plymouth questions
Online Relationship Counselling in Plymouth: common questions
My partner is away at sea for months at a time. Can we still do couples work?
Often yes, depending on their access to a private connection. Sessions can run with the two of you in different time zones, or you can work alone while they are away and bring them in on return. Both are legitimate ways to use the time.
How are fees worked out for two people?
By appointment, not by attendance. You pay £80 for an hour, £100 for an hour and a half, or £120 for two hours. Where one partner is dialling in from elsewhere, the longer slot usually earns its keep because connections and interruptions eat into the time. The first 15 minutes is free.
Is there NHS help in Plymouth for relationship problems?
NHS Talking Therapies Plymouth, also called Plymouth Options, accepts self-referrals in England without a GP appointment, though the service treats anxiety and depression rather than couples specifically. Devon Mind offers local support. A good many people use one for themselves and the other for the relationship.
Coming home after a deployment is the hardest part. Is that normal?
It is extremely common and rarely discussed. Two people have spent months adapting separately, and the reunion asks them to merge two different sets of habits overnight. Naming what each of you actually needs in the first fortnight home changes a surprising amount.
Can we do this without anyone at the base knowing?
Yes. This is private work with no connection to any employer, and nothing is reported anywhere. The usual confidentiality limits are explained at the first call. Being seen going into a building is not a risk here, since there is no building.
My partner is away on deployment. Can we still do relationship counselling from Plymouth?
Yes. Because sessions are held by secure video, they can carry on through postings and time apart, and nothing needs to go through the base. The counselling room is in Hove, so Plymouth couples are seen online wherever you are stationed.
How soon can couples in Plymouth start online relationship counselling?
Couples across Plymouth, from Devonport through to Mutley, can usually begin within a week or two. We start with a free 15-minute consultation to check the fit, then agree a regular slot. The room is in Hove, so Plymouth couples are seen online by secure video.
What does couples counselling cost in Plymouth, 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. Plymouth couples can also seek NHS Talking Therapies in Plymouth through a GP, though many prefer to start privately without a wait.
Can partners in Plymouth join from different places, and are evening slots offered?
Yes. Because sessions are online, one partner can join from Devonport and the other from work or away, which suits Plymouth couples juggling personnel tied to the Devonport naval base. 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 Plymouth, 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: Exeter, Torquay. 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 Plymouth.
If you would like to read more first, I have written 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.