Relationship advice & insights.
I'm Mark Ryan, a BACP Accredited Psychotherapist and NCPS Accredited Relationship Therapist working with relationships, couples, individuals, and polycules across London. This is where I write about the things that come up most often in the therapy room; jealousy, coming out to a partner, separation, sex and intimacy, and the ordinary arguments that usually aren't about what they first appear to be about.
Some of what's here is written for couples working through something together. Some of it is for one person trying to make sense of their own experience before bringing a partner into it. All of it is grounded in research and real clinical practice, not generic advice dressed up as insight.
Browse the archive.
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- Attachment 10
- Communication and conflict 20
- Couples therapy London 111
- Emotional Abuse 4
- Individual therapy London 2
- Infidelity & Betrayal 7
- Jealousy 3
- LGBTQIA Therapy 20
- Labels 4
- Mental Health and Wellbeing 20
- Money and Relationships 3
- Neurodiversity and Relationships 6
- Non-Monogamy and Open Relationships 9
- Parenting 9
- Relationship therapy London 109
- Seasonal 5
- Separation and Divorce 14
- Sex and Intimacy 14
- Single Session Therapy 3
- Summer 4
- Trust and Repair 9
Should I Leave My Relationship? Questions to Ask Before the New Year
A London relationship therapist on what sits beneath "should I leave my relationship", how fear and regret shape the decision, and the questions to ask before the New Year.
Your First Christmas After Separating: How to Get Through It
A London relationship therapist on why the first Christmas after separating hurts, what helps with loneliness and lost traditions, and how to plan the days kindly.
How to End a Relationship Amicably
A London relationship therapist on how to end a relationship amicably, from planning the in between to telling people, no contact and shared events.
Should We Stay Together Until After Christmas?
A London relationship therapist on whether to wait until after Christmas to end a relationship, why people do, and how to decide without being rushed.
Christmas With the In Laws. How to Cope as a Couple
A London relationship therapist on why Christmas with the in laws strains couples, how to feel like a team again, and what to agree before you go.
Open Relationship Rules or Agreements? How to Create Yours Together
A London relationship therapist on open relationship rules versus agreements, how to explore the why, what to cover and how to agree a pause plan.
Money Stress at Christmas and How Couples Can Talk About It
A London relationship therapist on money stress at Christmas. Why couples clash over gifts and spending, the pressure on parents, and free help that works.
Christmas Depression and Your Relationship
A London relationship therapist on why Christmas can bring low mood into a relationship, how it looks from both sides, and what helps you both through it.
How to Suggest Couples Therapy to Your Partner Without a Fight
A London relationship therapist on how to suggest couples therapy to your partner, what to say, what to avoid and what to do if the answer is not yet yes.
How to Rebuild Trust in a Relationship After Broken Promises and Lies
A London relationship therapist on how to rebuild trust after broken promises and lies, why it happens, and what each partner can do to begin repair.
Resentment in Relationships and How to Let It Go
A London relationship therapist on resentment in relationships, why unspoken hurts build into contempt, and how both partners can begin to let it go.
How to Talk to Your Partner About Opening Up Your Relationship
A London relationship therapist on how to talk to your partner about opening up your relationship, and how one prepared session may help you decide.
Can a Relationship Survive an Affair?
A London relationship therapist on whether a relationship can survive an affair, what research shows about recovery, and how both partners can rebuild.
Why Do People Cheat? What Is Behind an Affair
A London relationship therapist on why people cheat, what research shows about affairs, and how to hold compassion and accountability together.
Living in a Sexless Relationship and What Helps
A London relationship therapist on living in a sexless relationship. Why sex stops, how each partner feels and how to start talking and rebuild intimacy.
Can You Change Your Attachment Style? What Research Shows
A London relationship therapist on whether you can change your attachment style, what research shows and how workbooks and therapy can help.
Should We Stay Together or Break Up? Getting Clarity as a Couple
A London relationship therapist on whether to stay together or break up. Why couples get stuck and how one prepared session may help.
I Don't Love My Partner Anymore and What to Do
What it means when you no longer feel love for your partner, why it happens and what you can do next.
Is One Therapy Session Enough? What Single Session Therapy Can and Cannot Do
A London relationship therapist on whether one therapy session is enough. What single session therapy involves, what the research says and who it may suit.
How to Rebuild Intimacy in a Relationship After Years of Distance
How to rebuild intimacy in a relationship after years of distance, why couples drift apart and what helps.