Relate Reviews 

We used a couple of toolkits and they helped us start repairing our relationship. We may still schedule some counselling but so far the toolkits have been a great start

Had an awful experience. Contacting the councillor (named Karen) was not possible directly which meant there was constant miscommunication. And for one of the sessions they were a no-show with no warning, and the communication was consistently lackluster. They were very inflexible and were not willing to meet with me one-on-one in a session before further family counselling, which I had asked for as I have autism, and struggle to enter new circumstances without meeting people beforehand. I also was not comfortable entering the session without explaining my family history to the councillor, as I would not feel comfortable doing so with my parent present. They only conceded after I missed the first call, as I simply couldn't join without those accommodations, as I had said before. Do not expect flexibility or accommodation from this service.

I felt incredibly not listened to and unsafe in the family therapy sessions. It was implied that we were both jointly at fault, which was not appropriate considering the long history of parental abuse, which I had shared with the councillor in the previous session. I should have seen the red flags in how unsympathetic the councillor was, and unresponsive to this information in that session. Throughout my time with them, they remained like a brick wall and impartial - which is a good thing up to a point, but I feel the amount of unresponsiveness crossed the line into seeming completely uncaring.

My abusive parent was enabled to gaslight and manipulate me, and I left every session crying and feeling as if I was crazy. The councillor would not stop making long monologues for five minutes or more at a time and couldn't get to the point, which wasted the frankly very expensive and short sessions. Fundamentally the councillor did not set up a foundation of trust for us all to work off of, and I was made to feel very unprotected and unsafe, and it was already hard enough to be in sessions with my abusive parent. It was completely inappropriate and it was consistently insinuated that we were both of equal responsibility for the situation, even though I had already discussed with the councillor the extent of the abuse I had experienced throughout my childhood. Absolutely unsafe behaviour, and when I voiced my concerns they were not adequately addressed.

These sessions could at a stretch be adequate for those who have families with very, very minor issues, I suppose, but anything more complicated such as parental abuse, these people are not to be trusted with. And I don't think I could recommend this service to anyone really - the fact that the councillor couldn't read the room to even know when to stop monologuing, or help us trust in their "expertise" gives me no faith that these people are safe to bring issues too. Incredibly disappointed and I found this service actively harmful.

Jane didn’t even bother to show up for our first session. I waited online for ten minutes then gave up, only for her to call me and leave a voicemail stating that she’d joined ten minutes late. No real apology. Very disappointing as I had to work up a lot of courage to attend and had already been feeling like there’s nobody who cares. Very irresponsible when people are already feeling alone and vulnerable. Obviously things happen but the complete lack of prior notice or empathy around the situation left me cold. I’ll find a private therapist elsewhere.

I was really disappointed with my experience with Relate. During my first session, I opened up about a very difficult and distressing situation, which took a lot of courage. I felt judged rather than supported and her facial expressions, tone and responses came across as condescending and dismissive. Despite being visibly upset, I felt a complete lack of empathy.

The counsellor subsequently decided we were unsuitable for couples counselling, but did not explain her reasoning clearly. I was also left feeling uncomfortable by the way safeguarding and social services were discussed and being threatened to me when I’m already in a very vulnerable situation.

I understand that counselling isn’t suitable for every situation, but I expected compassion, understanding and professionalism. Unfortunately, I left feeling worse than when I started and very let down by the experience.

Edut. Been asked for my phone number to prove my experience is genuine. Not a chance. It is but am not giving you anymore private details I went to Relate to try and work out how to navigate getting my life together with an abusive husband. The person I saw was about 75 years old and clearly her whole life purpose was to cow tow to men. She made it clear she thought I was the problem and that is why my husband abused me. That we had "too many children" as if he'd had nothing to do with their conception and basically told me to suck it up and give him more attention. ( poor baby). I left never to return. We got divorced, my kids never saw him again. He carried on to abuse other women who must have asked for it too.

I am working on it using the tools and ideas

My wife and I required some help with our communication styles so we set up an initial consult: it should have been a red flag that relate charges the full cost of a session for an initial call to begin with.

The “counselor” said she thought we should wait….
When people ask for help from a therapist, it is because they need help in that moment.

We tried to schedule another session with an available counselor, and have received no response after several follow ups.

It seems this company enjoys taking your money for initial intakes that go nowhere and leaving you on read.

Avoid if your goal is to actually receive any helpful mediation.

You should be ashamed of yourselves for even venturing into couples therapy. The point of couples therapy is to make a positive difference for relationships. Not to take the money from corporate funding, to then give some silly excuse that until arguments cease you are unable to work with a couple for safe-guarding reasons. Is not the very point that each couple seeks therapy due to the existence of possible arguments?

I don't think I could recommend more strongly against this service. Jane at Relationship Works, formerly Relate Avon (relationship-works. co . uk) was judgemental from the outset. She made me feel bad, judged and had a complete lack of empathy. I went into the counselling hoping for lifeline for my marriage and in the end the process accelerated my wife deciding to separate and divorce. In each session I was made to feel like everything was my fault and was offered little in the way of support or things to do during a time of intense emotional turmoil. I was talked at as though I was a child and instead of discussing and working through the things that I was struggling with, I was made to feel small and pathetic. I felt isolated, alone and like it was all my fault. I acknowledged that there were issues with my marriage and I was turning up to do the work and get things to a better place. Instead I was made into the monster and punished for having understandably emotional reactions to the most difficult period in my adult life. It was at this time I needed support and all I got was a biased and unsympathetic “counsellor”.
I can't express how much this process was neither constructive nor supportive and would tell anyone to steer well clear of the service and Jane in particular in the Bristol area.

If this was my first experience of counselling then I would never do it again.
Terrible service, made the situation worse by their lower quality counselling than previous counseling I have had and poor communication from the counsellor.
Would not recommend, try find a local counsellor instead

Good support. Quick in-person response to question & enquiry.
Well thought out toolkits.

Great topics bringing clarity and changing my outlook on this subject. I am thankful for the availability, very useful information!

I ordered a relate toolkit and put my bank details in. It came up as 'something went wrong' and nothing was sent, but they took the money out of my account anyway. There isn't a phone number to ring and chase this so I have emailed I have not heard back, yet anyway.

Money taken twice and then numerous phone calls, thankfully refunded.

First Relate Counsellor was appalling. Offered zero techniques how to improve communication or resolve conflict. Offered a different person.

Second was better, but by then we had resolved most matters ourselves, so it was easy.

Had further sessions a year later with second counsellor privately. I was also having independent private specialist therapy alongside, to help cope with partner's poor MH. This time, the Relate counsellor was highly unprofessional, slated private therapist on more than one occasion and brought up extremely personal information to prove his point from his own personal life, to try to discredit the private specialist therapist. Too detailed to put on here. Suffice to say further sessions were cancelled. Overall, extemely poor.

I thought the product was a little sparse on detail. I thought there would be more information in the pack that I bought

We reached out to Relate for support with our failing relationship. An initial assessment costing £145 was cut short due to the counsellor not feeling well. We were advised that this would be taken into account on our next session. The next session was a different counsellor who basically went through everything we had discussed initially. Another £145. We booked a third session at £145 only to be contacted on the day to say the counsellor was unavailable and we could reschedule for the following week or chat to yet another, different counsellor at our allocated time. Basically we are 5 weeks down the line and absolutely no further forward in trying to save our relationship. Feeling very let down and disappointed by this organisation. We are now seeking help closer to home at a dramatically reduced cost.
Would absolutely NOT recommend Relate to anyone needing help. I'm actually more stressed and upset than I was before we started 🙃

I bought the self guide kit of being cheated on and it was £10 amd came straight through by email.
I haven’t gone through much of it as it is still quite traumatic. But over time I can
Look through to help me.

After a few disastrous sessions with Relate's couples counseling I was recommended some solo counselling sessions.This was also held at the same therapy centre in Baddow Road, Chelmsford. After around 8 visits at £70 at time I decided enough was enough. It was with a guy called Stuart. I started from my childhood and worked up to here and now. It got to the point that I'd run out of things to say and was repeating myself to the point where I was just talking about my recent holiday. I'd lossed my parents, 3 of my dogs, I'd been taken advantage of and treated badly,to mention a few issues. All I got from Stuart was "and how does that make you feel". I needed advice on how to stop being a soft touch and to stop looking bad at the negative things in my past. Apparently he doesn't give advice or guidance but he had empathy for me lol. I'd have been better off just by talking to friends. Honestly it was pathetic but I kept going thinking it would get better but it never did. I asked him "how would you feel" because anyone that had these experiences would feel pretty bad. I also asked him "what difference does it make with your need to know how I feel if your not going to offer any advice". I told him I'd got nothing from the sessions and I was going down the self help route by reading some good books. He emailed me back to say the books wouldn't help me. Well he wouldn't have qualified if it wasn't for books and that could be said if many professions. What a stupid thing to say. I've just started reading "The Let Them Theory"by Mel Robbins, it's brilliant. I gained more insight on how to stop other people affecting me adversely just by reading the introduction to my new book than I gained from 2 months of therapy. They're good listeners but nothing more. I'd suggest a good book or two to reset
yourself. Failing that I'll ask you how things made you feel for half the price lol. Seriously, don't waste your time or money. At the end of the day it's down to us, no one else fix our issues. Even by been pointed in the right direction would help but as Stuart said "it's not how they work". It's not work at all it's just listening and not being judgemental.

None of any of the workbook related to anything were struggling with.
At all.
And I paid money for worthless tat thats not fot for the waste paper bin.

Bought two products. Only received one. Have emailed and contacted Relate on social media, asking for the missing item to be sent or to be refunded and have been ignored. Would not recommend.