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Tavistock Relationships says therapy can support a good divorce
Published in Press Releases by Tavistock Relationships on January 5th 2023
Tavistock Relationships, the charity helping individuals and couples to have better relationships, always sees a rise in couples and individuals seeking relationship support in January.
This aligns with the surge in enquiries received by divorce lawyers after Christmas, and the first working Monday after the New Year being named ‘Divorce Day’ (9 January 2023).
Couples contact Tavistock Relationships seeking support to help reduce conflict and to improve their relationship quality, and in some cases for help to manage their divorce and separation.
Andrew Balfour, CEO of Tavistock Relationships, says:
“Previous research had indicated that divorce is inevitably bad for the couple and their children, but we now know that the situation is more nuanced than that. If a couple feel they have no alternative but to separate, therapy and other interventions can also help people avoid a difficult divorce.
“Divorcing couples feel a range of powerful emotions, including a sense of failure, shame, anger, hurt, guilt and loss. It’s hard to function as an adult when you feel like a hurt child. Couple therapy helps people make sense of their situation and manage their feelings of anger and hurt. Professional support can help couples who are locked together in conflict to separate in the least destructive way possible and to move on with their lives.
“A ‘good enough divorce’ with constructive outcomes for the children, as well as the adults themselves, is not a myth. I have witnessed this many times in my clinical work. However, sadly, all too often the opposite is the case: and the divorce is simply a legal punctuation point in an ongoing, destructive and acrimonious battle in which the adult partners, and their children, remain trapped for years.
“No fault divorce, which came into law in April, has provided a unique opportunity to reframe our approach to divorce with a more collaborative mind set from the get go. Traditional divorce relies on the attribution of fault of a party, amplifying the conflict which is already there and putting it at the heart of the process. This increases the negative mental health impact on the couple and any children they have, and makes it difficult for them to act in a thoughtful way.”
Throughout its long history, Tavistock Relationships has looked to form partnerships to reach more couples who might benefit from professional support. The charity is currently working with digital development company Axis12, to create e-learning materials for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service. These resources are designed to help separated parents resolve their disagreements and agree on a parenting plan, without the need to go to court.
To find out more about couple therapy at Tavistock Relationships, go to www.tavistockrelationships.org or call 020 7380 1960.
[ENDS]
For more press information contact:
- Debbie Walker, PR Consultant T: 077486 40577 E:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Paula Scott, PR Consultant T: 07932 740221 E:
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Notes to Editors
Tavistock Relationships provides relationship support services for couples and families, including:
- The Between Us relationship support app, offering videos, tips and advice on issues around stress and how these can impact on our relationships
Between Us - Relationship Counselling App - Relationships Help (tavistockrelationships.org) - Funded by the NHS, a free programme of support for health and social care staff in London (currently only North West London and North Central London Hubs) who are concerned about stress on their relationships, and other anxieties such as health, money, loneliness, feeling low or being overwhelmed
https://tavistockrelationships.org/counselling-psychotherapy/couples-therapy/nhs-staff-counselling - Supported by the City of London Corporation, the City Wellbeing Centre offers City workers and residents counselling and therapy, including low fee and no fee services for people whose household income is less than £30,000
City Wellbeing Centre - Counselling and Psychotherapy Services - Tavistock (tavistockrelationships.org); and - A Parenting Consultation Service offering help with parenting and relationships for parents, whether living together or separated, who are having difficulties parenting their children co-operatively and are in conflict over parenting issues
Family Life & Parenting Help - Mental Health - Counselling & Psychotherapy (tavistockrelationships.org).
Get in touch.
© 2023 Tavistock Relationships. All Rights Reserved.
10 New Street, London, UK, EC2M 4TP - Tel: 020 7380 1975
Registered Charity Number: 211058. Tavistock Institute of Medical Psychology.
Company number: 241618.
© 2023 Tavistock Relationships. All Rights Reserved.
10 New Street, London EC2M 4TP
Tel: 020 7380 1975
Registered Charity Number: 211058. Tavistock Institute of Medical Psychology. Company number: 241618.