If you feel you need help then it’s available. It is much better to come before the problem gets too serious.

You may come on your own, although if it is a specific problem within a relationship it is sometimes better to see both parties.

Ring 01483 602998. You will speak to an appointments secretary who will tell you about our service. You will be given an initial assessment appointment, usually within two weeks.

You will see the same counsellor for all your on-going sessions (although it is unlikely that you will see the counsellor you saw at the first assessment interview). The sessions will be the same time each week, and will last 50 minutes to an hour for as many weeks as you and your counsellor consider helpful.

Relate West Surrey is a registered charity. We do not aim to make a profit on our services. However, we do need to cover our costs. For more information about our charges, click here.

Your counsellor will help you to make your own decision whether or not to stay in your relationship or separate.

The counsellor will give you an opportunity to talk about your difficulties, asking questions to establish whether counselling may be helpful to you. A history of your relationship will be taken, and other information obtained, such as age, number of children, GP details etc. The counsellor will explain what happens if you decide to opt for counselling.

Your counsellor makes a very brief note from session to session. These are intended to act as an aide memoire. They are not verbatim and we do not release them to clients or third parties. Neither does Relate produce reports or letters about what has happened during counselling for clients or third parties. We are legally obliged to retain any notes for seven years, after which they are destroyed.

Counselling is a private and confidential form of help. We will not give your name or any other information about you to anyone outside Relate unless someone’s personal safety is at risk.

If you are not happy with the progress of your counselling, you should first try and sort things out with your counsellor. But if you are still not happy, call our client administration team on 01483 602998.

You can find details of our complaints procedure here: Relate West Surrey Complaint Procedure