As well as using a Humanistic Couples and Relationships Therapy model I also offer the

Bader-Pearson Developmental Model of Couples Therapy - which lends itself to the Psychodynamic

The Bader-Pearson Developmental Model of Couples Therapy provides a framework for understanding and addressing the deep-seated emotional patterns and unconscious motivations that influence relationship dynamics. Developed by Ellyn Bader and Peter Pearson, this model is particularly effective in helping individuals and couples navigate the complexities of breakups and separation. Key elements of this methodology include:

Developmental Stages of Relationships

Bader and Pearson identify specific stages that relationships typically go through, from initial attraction to a mature partnership.

These stages include:

1. Symbiosis:

· Bonding and falling in love

· Emphasising similarities

· Establishing a boundary around the couple

2. Differentiation:

· Expressing individuality and asserting differences

· Developing the capacity to tolerate differences and conflict

· Establishing clear personal boundaries

3. Practicing:

· Rediscovering self as an individual

· Engaging in independent activities and relationships

· Consolidating self-esteem and personal power

4. Rapprochement:

· Balancing closeness and independence

· Enhancing intimacy and emotional sustenance

· Further resolving childhood issues that interfere with coupling

5. Synergy:

· Supporting mutual growth

· Maintaining a strong, healthy connection

· Embracing a mature partnership dynamic

Attachment Styles

Attachment theory plays a significant role in the Bader-Pearson model. Early childhood experiences with caregivers shape how individuals approach relationships. Recognising your attachment style (secure, anxious, avoidant, or disorganised) can provide insight into your reactions to separation and help you identify patterns that may be influencing your current emotional state.

Emotional Regulation

The model emphasises the importance of developing strategies for emotional regulation. This involves learning how to manage intense emotions, such as anger, sadness, and anxiety, which are often heightened during breakups. Techniques such as mindfulness, cognitive restructuring, and emotion-focused coping can be beneficial in this process.

Interpersonal Dynamics

The Bader-Pearson methodology examines the intricate dynamics between partners. It highlights how each partner's behaviors and emotional responses affect the other, creating a cycle of interaction. By understanding these dynamics, individuals can gain clarity on how certain patterns contributed to the relationship's end and how to avoid repeating these patterns in future relationships.

Self-Awareness and Growth

A core component of the Bader-Pearson model is fostering self-awareness and personal growth. Counselling encourages individuals to explore their emotional landscape, understand their relationship history, and identify the underlying factors that led to the breakup. This self-discovery process is crucial for personal growth and for building healthier relationships in the future.

Therapy for Breakups and Separation: A Path to Healing

The end of a relationship can feel like the ground beneath you has given way. Whether it’s a marriage, civil partnership, or significant partnership, breakups and separations often bring a storm of emotions that leave you feeling lost, hurt, and overwhelmed. This is where therapy steps in—not just to help you survive the storm, but to guide you toward rebuilding your life with purpose and hope.

Turning Pain into Growth

It’s natural to feel like nothing good can come from such heartache. But with support, you can use this moment as a turning point. Therapy can help you process what’s happened, make sense of your emotions, and take steps toward a brighter, more fulfilling future.

Why Breakups Are So Hard

The end of a relationship isn’t just about losing a partner—it’s about losing a piece of yourself and the dreams you shared.

The emotional fallout often includes:

• Trauma: The shock of separation can leave you feeling physically and emotionally raw;

with symptoms like sleeplessness, anxiety, or feeling disconnected.

• Grief: You may grieve not only the relationship but the life and identity you built around it.

This grief is valid, even if the relationship was unhealthy.

• Confusion: Separation can make you question everything—your choices, your feelings, and your future.
• Overwhelm: From legal battles to emotional conflicts, the demands of separation can feel crushing.
• Emotional Whiplash: Anger, sadness, relief, shame, joy—you may feel it all, sometimes within minutes.
• Feeling Powerless: The loss of control over the relationship’s outcome or your future can be deeply unsettling.

What Therapy Can Offer

Therapy is more than a listening ear. It’s a process of rediscovering yourself, your voice, and your strength.

Here’s how it can help:

• Create space to grieve without judgment
• Untangle the mess of emotions that come with separation
• Help you find clarity in the chaos
• Support you in rediscovering who you are outside the relationship
• Empower you to regain control of your narrative
• Help you process traumatic responses to the breakup

Moving Forward, One Step at a Time

Therapy isn’t about rushing you past the pain—it’s about walking with you through it.

It's a chance to ask important questions like:

• What do I want for my life moving forward?
• What really matters to me now?
• What changes do I need to make to feel whole again?

Through reflection and support, therapy helps you plant seeds for the life you deserve, one rooted in strength, self-awareness, and hope.

If you’re ready to start this journey, reach out today. You don’t have to navigate this alone.

Note: This is not mediation or reconciliation-focused therapy. It’s about you—healing, growing, and moving forward.

Therapy for Breakups and Separation: A Path to Healing

The end of a relationship can feel like the ground beneath you has given way. Whether it’s a marriage, civil partnership, or significant partnership, breakups and separations often bring a storm of emotions that leave you feeling lost, hurt, and overwhelmed. This is where therapy steps in—not just to help you survive the storm, but to guide you toward rebuilding your life with purpose and hope.

Turning Pain into Growth

It’s natural to feel like nothing good can come from such heartache. But with support, you can use this moment as a turning point. Therapy can help you process what’s happened, make sense of your emotions, and take steps toward a brighter, more fulfilling future.

Why Breakups Are So Hard

The end of a relationship isn’t just about losing a partner—it’s about losing a piece of yourself and the dreams you shared.

The emotional fallout often includes:

• Trauma: The shock of separation can leave you feeling physically and emotionally raw;

with symptoms like sleeplessness, anxiety, or feeling disconnected.

• Grief: You may grieve not only the relationship but the life and identity you built around it.

This grief is valid, even if the relationship was unhealthy.

• Confusion: Separation can make you question everything—your choices, your feelings, and your future.
• Overwhelm: From legal battles to emotional conflicts, the demands of separation can feel crushing.
• Emotional Whiplash: Anger, sadness, relief, shame, joy—you may feel it all, sometimes within minutes.
• Feeling Powerless: The loss of control over the relationship’s outcome or your future can be deeply unsettling.

What Therapy Can Offer

Therapy is more than a listening ear. It’s a process of rediscovering yourself, your voice, and your strength.

Here’s how it can help:

• Create space to grieve without judgment
• Untangle the mess of emotions that come with separation
• Help you find clarity in the chaos
• Support you in rediscovering who you are outside the relationship
• Empower you to regain control of your narrative
• Help you process traumatic responses to the breakup

Moving Forward, One Step at a Time

Therapy isn’t about rushing you past the pain—it’s about walking with you through it.

It's a chance to ask important questions like:

• What do I want for my life moving forward?
• What really matters to me now?
• What changes do I need to make to feel whole again?

Through reflection and support, therapy helps you plant seeds for the life you deserve, one rooted in strength, self-awareness, and hope.

If you’re ready to start this journey, reach out today. You don’t have to navigate this alone.

Note: This is not mediation or reconciliation-focused therapy. It’s about you—healing, growing, and moving forward.

Therapy for Breakups and Separation: A Path to Healing

The end of a relationship can feel like the ground beneath you has given way. Whether it’s a marriage, civil partnership, or significant partnership, breakups and separations often bring a storm of emotions that leave you feeling lost, hurt, and overwhelmed. This is where therapy steps in—not just to help you survive the storm, but to guide you toward rebuilding your life with purpose and hope.

Turning Pain into Growth

It’s natural to feel like nothing good can come from such heartache. But with support, you can use this moment as a turning point. Therapy can help you process what’s happened, make sense of your emotions, and take steps toward a brighter, more fulfilling future.

Why Breakups Are So Hard

The end of a relationship isn’t just about losing a partner—it’s about losing a piece of yourself and the dreams you shared.

The emotional fallout often includes:

• Trauma: The shock of separation can leave you feeling physically and emotionally raw;

with symptoms like sleeplessness, anxiety, or feeling disconnected.

• Grief: You may grieve not only the relationship but the life and identity you built around it.

This grief is valid, even if the relationship was unhealthy.

• Confusion: Separation can make you question everything—your choices, your feelings, and your future.
• Overwhelm: From legal battles to emotional conflicts, the demands of separation can feel crushing.
• Emotional Whiplash: Anger, sadness, relief, shame, joy—you may feel it all, sometimes within minutes.
• Feeling Powerless: The loss of control over the relationship’s outcome or your future can be deeply unsettling.

What Therapy Can Offer

Therapy is more than a listening ear. It’s a process of rediscovering yourself, your voice, and your strength.

Here’s how it can help:

• Create space to grieve without judgment
• Untangle the mess of emotions that come with separation
• Help you find clarity in the chaos
• Support you in rediscovering who you are outside the relationship
• Empower you to regain control of your narrative
• Help you process traumatic responses to the breakup

Moving Forward, One Step at a Time

Therapy isn’t about rushing you past the pain—it’s about walking with you through it.

It's a chance to ask important questions like:

• What do I want for my life moving forward?
• What really matters to me now?
• What changes do I need to make to feel whole again?

Through reflection and support, therapy helps you plant seeds for the life you deserve, one rooted in strength, self-awareness, and hope.

If you’re ready to start this journey, reach out today. You don’t have to navigate this alone.

Note: This is not mediation or reconciliation-focused therapy. It’s about you—healing, growing, and moving forward.