The holiday season carries an emotional charge that few other times of year can match. Even in strong relationships, December has a way of amplifying underlying tensions. Expectations increase, schedules tighten, family dynamics resurface and the pressure to perform togetherness often becomes heavier than the connection itself. For couples, the difficulty isn’t usually love or commitment - it’s the way external stressors strain emotional availability and communication. What i

Every December carries a particular emotional texture. There’s a quiet intensification to it - lights in the dark, familiar music, the repetition of rituals, and for many people, especially those who are single, that atmosphere can magnify feelings that sit just beneath the surface the rest of the year. Christmas often becomes difficult not because you are alone, but because of what “aloneness” is framed to mean. Our culture quietly equates the festive season with romantic pa

When The Economist  recently described a “relationship recession”, it struck a chord with many of us who work with singles and couples every day. Around the world, people are dating less, marrying later, and spending more of their lives single than ever before. It’s not a passing trend. It’s a social shift reshaping everything from housing to happiness. In some ways, this rise in singlehood is a triumph. Millions of people are free to choose relationships from desire rather t

By Sarah Louise Ryan , Psychotherapist & Relationship Counsellor. Porn addiction or excessive porn use is more than just a personal struggle -it’s a relational one. For many individuals and couples, pornography becomes a silent wedge that distances partners emotionally, physically, and energetically. The pleasure of porn for one, can be the relational pain for another. Ultimately, any behaviour that doesn't serve the relationship and energetically let's air out of the tyre as

As a therapist specialising in couples relationship therapy and relationship counselling, one of the most common things I hear from couples is, “We should have come sooner.” 

When you’re in a relationship that’s heading toward marriage, it’s easy to get swept up in the excitement of wedding planning and...

Criticism is a common issue in many relationships. It can be a destructive force. Here's how to navigate it in a romantic relationship...

Starting a new relationship is a thrilling and transformative experience that can be both exciting and nerve-wracking. Often we can get...