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.
Search by keyword, or filter by topic, to find the article you're looking for or browse the newest articles blelow.
- Attachment 7
- Attachment and Patterns 2
- Communication 5
- Communication and conflict 9
- Consensual Non Monogamy 2
- Couples therapy London 96
- Emotional Abuse 4
- Ethical Non Monogamy 2
- Grief and Loss 1
- Infidelity & Betrayal 5
- Jealousy 3
- LGBT+ Therapy 19
- LGBTQ+ Couples 13
- Labels 4
- Mental Health and Wellbeing 20
- Money and Relationships 4
- Neurodiversity and Relationships 6
- Non-Monogamy and Open Relationships 5
- Online Therapy 1
- Parenting 8
- Polyamory 2
- Pre-Marital Therapy London 1
- Relationship Therapy London 2
- Relationship therapy London 92
- Separation and Divorce 10
- Sex and Intimacy 13
- Single Session Therapy 1
- Summer 4
- Trust and Repair 5
Trying to Conceive and Supporting Each Other Through Uncertainty
The monthly cycle of hope and disappointment before any diagnosis or treatment, what research shows about couples trying to conceive, and how to support each other through it.
IVF and Your Relationship: What Couples Wish They'd Known
How IVF strains a relationship, what research shows about blame, sex and coping, and what helps.
Fertility Struggles and Their Impact on a Relationship
Why trying to conceive can put more strain on a relationship than almost anything else, what the research shows, and what tends to help.
Postpartum Depression and Relationships: Why Partner Support Matters So Much
What the research shows about partner support and postpartum depression, and why the support new mothers receive so often falls short.
Why Couples Struggle When the Kids Go Back to School
Why September can feel harder on a relationship than the summer holidays were, and what the sudden quiet reveals.
Surviving the School Holidays as a Couple: Why Six Weeks Together Is Harder Than It Looks
Six weeks of school holidays is a stress test most couples don't expect. A London relationship therapist on why it strains things, and what helps.
Couples Therapy After a Baby: Why So Many Couples Struggle in the First Two Years
Two-thirds of couples experience significant relationship decline after having a baby. Mark Ryan, a London relationship therapist, explains why, and what helps.
Meeting the Inner Child.
Many of our adult struggles, like anxiety, low self-worth, or difficulty with relationships, can trace their roots back to unmet needs from childhood. The concept of the inner child helps us understand how early emotional wounds continue to shape our daily lives. In this article, a London therapist explains what it means to reconnect with your inner child, how it shows up in everyday patterns, and how therapy can offer healing, safety, and transformation.