Couples Therapy in Newton Mearns & Online

Couples Therapy

Welcome to our specialist Couples Therapy in Newton Mearns, where we provide expert support for relationships across the Southside of Glasgow. With over 21 years of experience and confidential support, we help couples resolve conflict and deepen understanding either in-person at our dedicated G77 premises or UK-wide via secure video call

What is Couples Therapy?

Couples Therapy is available at our Newton Mearns practice and online. It is a safe and confidential process where you and your partner work with an experienced professional to address specific challenges within your relationship. Couples therapy is sometimes called couples counselling, relationship counselling, and pre-marital counselling or marriage counselling, although you certainly don’t need to be married. Regardless of the name, the focus is not on individual blame. Instead, we explore the communication patterns, conflict styles, and emotional dynamics that keep you both feeling stuck.

With over 21 years of specialist experience, we provide expert support to help you resolve conflict and deepen understanding of your own needs and those of your partner. We focus on evidence-based techniques to help you identify negative cycles, foster stronger emotional connection, and develop practical skills to navigate complex issues. Our professional service is available in-person at our Newton Mearns (G77) premises or via secure, UK-wide video call.

Our seasoned practitioners bring extensive experience to every session, ensuring your journey is supported by evidence-based techniques. We provide a safe, non-judgemental environment where you can explore your thoughts and feelings with complete confidentiality.

How can Couples Therapy help?

Couples therapy is beneficial for any two people who wish to improve a significant bond, whether they are romantic partners, adult siblings, parent and adult child, in-laws, or friends. You do not need to be in a crisis or even married to seek support.

Therapy is suitable for relationships experiencing:

Communication Breakdown: Constant arguing, cold silence, feeling unheard, or recurring fights about the same topics.
Trust and Infidelity Issues: Recovering from emotional or physical affairs, or struggling with feelings of betrayal and insecurity.
Major Life Transitions: Preparing for marriage (pre-marital counselling), adjusting to parenthood, navigating career changes, or blending families.
General Disconnection: Feeling more like housemates than partners, or a desire to move from stagnation to a richer, more fulfilling connection.
Fertility, Adoption and Bereavement: We specialise in supporting couples through the profound emotional impact of family building, the unique complexities of the adoption journey, and the shared experience of loss.

If you would prefer to explore your relationship without the other person present, please ask us about 1 to 1 therapy.

HOW IT WORKS

Our Process

Get in Touch

Begin by sending a brief enquiry about how you are hoping our support can help you, so we can ensure our specialist care is the right fit for your unique needs.

Finding a Time Together

We’ll email you with our current availability to determine whether we can establish a regular session time that works for everyone.

Free Consultation Call

This confidential call is a vital part of the assessment, providing a supportive space to explore your needs and decide, without any pressure, if our approach is right for you.

Where is Couples Counselling Available?

We offer four flexible ways to access support, ensuring you can find the format that best suits your lifestyle, availability, and comfort level:

• In-Person Sessions: We welcome you to our comfortable, private therapy room in Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire (G77). This location is conveniently situated for those across the Southside of Glasgow and surrounding areas.

• Online Video: For maximum flexibility, we provide secure video sessions UK-wide. This allows you to receive specialist support from the privacy of your own home or another convenient location.

• Phone Therapy: A great option for those who prefer a non-visual approach or are experiencing screen fatigue, also available UK-wide.

• Home Visits: If you find it difficult to travel, have childcare commitments, or simply feel more at ease in your own environment, we can often bring the therapy to you. Please note these are subject to availability and location; contact us for a personalised quote.

Choosing between these formats allows you to prioritise what works best for you, whether that is the physical presence of a therapy room or the convenience of fitting a session around a busy schedule.

Start your Couples Therapy Journey

Contact us today for a confidential, no-obligation discussion to explore your needs and determine if our specialist support is the right fit for your relationship.

FAQS

Common Couples Therapy FAQ's

What is the process for starting couples therapy?

Our process is designed to ensure our specialist support is the right fit for your unique needs before you commit to a full session:

Initial Enquiry: You begin by sending us an enquiry via email or our contact form, including a brief summary of how you are hoping couples therapy can help you.

Availability Check: We will email you with details of our current ongoing availability to determine if we can establish a mutually suitable, regular session time. We will also advise you if we believe our specialist service is not the right fit for your particular situation.

Free Consultation Call: If we confirm that we have a suitable ongoing slot and our service is a potential fit, we will then arrange separate, free, confidential consultation calls with each of you. This is a vital part of the assessment, allowing both partners to explore their needs individually, ask any questions, and help you decide, without any pressure or obligation, if our approach is suitable for your relationship.
First Appointment: If we mutually agree to proceed after the consultation, we then book your first paid appointment.

How often are the sessions?

Sessions are usually scheduled weekly or fortnightly to begin with, as consistent attendance is crucial for creating momentum and implementing changes. The frequency will reduce over time as you become more confident in managing your relationship challenges.

How long does couples therapy last?

The duration of therapy is highly individual and depends entirely on the complexity of the issues and your specific goals. While some couples gain significant clarity in a fixed, short-term block (e.g., 3-4 sessions), others require longer-term work to address deeper, long-standing patterns. We will regularly review your progress to ensure the pace feels right for both of you.

How much does each Couples Therapy session cost?

Our fees reflect our specialist level of training and extensive experience. Fees are payable either electronically two working days in advance of your session or in cash on the day of your session.

£110 per session with Alison who has over 21 years of experience in couples therapy. Alison Barr MSc PGDip BSc HONS MBACP is the Director of The Green Rooms and has been working full-time as a Psychotherapist and Counsellor since 2003.

Fees are payable either electronically two working days in advance of your session, or in cash on the day of your session.

Do both partners have to attend every session?

Yes. Couples therapy is focused on the relationship dynamic between the two of you, and the work relies on the participation of both partners.

What if my partner doesn't want to come?

For couples therapy to be effective, both partners must be willing participants. We can’t facilitate a joint session if one person isn’t ready or feels pressured to attend. If your partner isn’t ready to join you, we recommend the following:

1-1 Therapy: You may find it highly beneficial to attend 1-1 therapy sessions alone. This offers you a private space to explore your feelings, gain clarity on your relationship, and develop your own communication tools. Often, when one person in a relationship makes positive changes, it can shift the dynamic of the entire partnership.
The Transition to Couples Work: To maintain absolute neutrality and a fresh start for both of you, your individual therapist can’t later become your couples therapist. If you begin 1-1 therapy and later decide you’d like to pursue couples therapy together, we will refer you to a different therapist. This ensures that both you and your partner feel equally supported without any prior bias.

How do I know if I need 1-1 Therapy or Couples Therapy?

If the challenges you are facing are rooted in your relationship dynamic or involve deep-seated conflict, couples therapy is an effective option provided that both partners are interested and ready to attend. Working together allows for a collaborative focus on the relationship itself.

However, if one partner is not yet ready, or if you feel you need time to focus on your own experiences first, starting with 1 to 1 therapy is often the best step. This provides you with the space to gain personal clarity and work through things for yourself. You can then consider moving into couples therapy together in the future when you both feel the time is right.

Do you offer in-person or online couples therapy?

We offer 3 flexible options to ensure you can access high-quality support in the way that feels most comfortable for you:

In-Person: We welcome you to our private and calm therapy room in Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire (G77). This location is easily accessible for those across the Southside of Glasgow and the surrounding areas.
Online Video: We provide secure, confidential video sessions. This service is available UK-wide, allowing you to receive specialist Couples Therapy from the comfort and privacy of your own home or another convenient location.
Home Visit Appointments: We can often offer sessions in the comfort of your own home for those who find it difficult to travel, have childcare commitments, or simply feel more at ease in their own environment. Please note that home visits are subject to practitioner availability and are not guaranteed. Fees are based on the specific service and your location; please contact us for a personalised quote.

What if there is domestic abuse within the relationship?

If there is domestic abuse within your relationship, please seek out in-person couples therapy from an organisation that specialises in this area, as standard couples therapy is often inappropriate and unsafe in such circumstances.

In the meantime, it is really important that you have access to specialist organisations that can help with safety planning and legal advice. These services can support you:

Glasgow Women’s Aid: 0141 553 2022 (For domestic abuse support and safety)
Glasgow & Clyde Rape Crisis: 08088 00 00 14 (Specialist support for sexual violence)
Scotland’s Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0800 027 1234 (Confidential support available 24/7)
Scottish Women’s Rights Centre: www.scottishwomensrightscentre.org.uk (For legal info and your rights)

Immediate Safety:

If you are ever in immediate danger, please call 999. If you can’t speak out loud, you can use the “Silent Solution” – press 55 when the operator answers to let them know it’s a real emergency.

What if couples realise they want to separate?

Couples Therapy is here to support you in whatever healthy decision you ultimately make for your relationship. If you decide that separation is the right path, we can help you navigate this transition with less conflict and greater respect, helping you move forward as effectively as possible. This process is often referred to as Discernment Counselling or Separation Therapy.

Choosing to part ways is a deeply personal and frequently difficult journey. We can support your transition to 1-1 Therapy with a different specialist to ensure you both have a neutral, compassionate, and private space for your individual healing.

What is the difference between Couples Therapy and Relationship Coaching?

Relationship Coaching is designed for those wishing to build and maintain successful connections, whether romantic, professional, or personal. It focuses on understanding your individual needs and identifying what you contribute to a partnership. This process helps you to communicate clearly, make informed decisions, and negotiate the terms of your relationship effectively.

Through Coaching, you will explore how to collaborate successfully and address personality compatibility issues directly. Please note that this service is intended for people who are currently comfortable with one another and looking to optimise their bond. If you are experiencing fundamental relationship concerns, deep-seated conflict, or emotional distress, Couples Therapy or 1 to 1 Counselling may be more suitable for your needs.

How do you support ADHD and Autism within Couples Therapy?

We provide neuro-affirming Couples Therapy that moves away from ‘fixing’ and moves towards understanding. Whether one or both of you have a formal diagnosis or are self-identified, we adapt our communication and the environment to suit your sensory and cognitive needs.

This includes professional ADHD and Autism screenings (if you wish) and neuro-affirming sessions designed to help you both understand how neurodivergence influences your communication, your emotional connection, and your daily life together.

We focus on the particular ways ADHD or Autism might impact your relationship dynamic. We don’t believe in a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Instead, we focus on your specific cognitive strengths to help you build a partnership that meets both of your needs and respects how your brain actually works.

If you feel you would benefit from individual clarity on your neurodivergence, we offer professional screenings and 1-1 Therapy as separate, specialised services to support you before you begin joint work. These individual options allow you to explore your personal identity and cognitive strengths in a dedicated space before transitioning into Couples Therapy.

How do you support couples through family building and major transitions?

Significant life events, such as the journey towards adoption or the challenges of fertility, can place unique emotional demands on a relationship. We provide a specialist space where you can process these experiences together through Adoption Counselling or Fertility Counselling. Our focus is on strengthening your partnership so that you can navigate these life-changing journeys with greater resilience and mutual understanding. If you feel you would benefit from exploring these feelings individually, we also offer this support through our 1-1 Therapy.

How can we find a way forward together after experiencing a shared loss?

When a couple experiences a loss together, it can be difficult to find a way forward when each partner is grieving in their own way. Through our specialised Bereavement Counselling, we help you understand these differing grief styles and provide the tools to support one another through shared pain. This process ensures that your loss does not lead to isolation, but instead becomes a space for deeper connection and collective healing. If you feel you would benefit from exploring these feelings individually, we also offer this support through our 1-1 Therapy.

Do you offer Animal Assisted Therapy?

Yes. For in-person sessions in Newton Mearns, you may have the option of sharing the room with Coco, our small, hypo-allergenic and extremely friendly dog. Many clients find that the presence of an animal provides extra comfort during Couples Therapy sessions. Please let us know if this is something you would be interested in (subject to availability).

Is Couples Therapy Confidential?

Your privacy is our priority. Your sessions are strictly confidential, and information is only shared in extreme circumstances (as detailed in our client contract). Our practitioners are members of the BACP or BABCP and strictly adhere to their professional codes of ethics.