Relationship Diversity Counselling
Online, GSRD-affirming therapy for people exploring relationships, intimacy, sexuality and connection
GSRD stands for Gender, Sexuality and Relationship Diversity.
Relationships can take many different forms, and there is no single way to experience love, intimacy, desire or connection.
Whether you're monogamous, polyamorous, exploring ethical non-monogamy, swinging, involved in kink or BDSM, or questioning what relationships mean to you, therapy can offer space to explore your experiences without judgement or assumptions.
You may be navigating changing agreements, differences in needs, feelings of jealousy or insecurity, challenges around boundaries and communication, or questions about what you want from your relationships.
Perhaps you feel comfortable with your relationship choices but find that others don't understand or accept them. Or perhaps you're exploring something new and aren't yet sure what feels right for you.
I offer online, relationship-diversity-affirming counselling where your experiences, identity and choices are respected.
Therapy that respects relationship diversity
Many of us grow up surrounded by expectations about how relationships should look, how love should be expressed and what commitment is supposed to mean.
These expectations can influence how we understand ourselves, our needs and our relationships.
For people whose relationships or sexual expression fall outside conventional expectations, there can be additional experiences of shame, judgement, secrecy or feeling misunderstood.
Without a therapist who understands gender, sexuality and relationship diversity, you may find yourself having to explain or defend your relationship structure, sexuality or consensual sexual practices, rather than having the space to explore what has brought you to therapy.
My approach is grounded in curiosity, respect and an understanding that different relationships can offer different forms of connection, meaning and fulfilment.
Therapy isn't about deciding which relationship structure is right. It's about exploring what feels right for you, how your relationships affect you and what you need within them.
What might bring you to counselling?
You might want support with:
Exploring polyamory, ethical non-monogamy, swinging or other relationship structures
Navigating jealousy, insecurity, comparison or fear of abandonment
Understanding attachment patterns and relationship experiences
Communicating needs, desires, expectations and boundaries
Negotiating relationship agreements or exploring the impact when agreements have been broken
Exploring kink, BDSM, power dynamics or sexual expression
Working with shame or internalised beliefs about sex and relationships
Navigating differences in desire, intimacy or relationship needs
Exploring identity, sexuality and changing relationship preferences
Processing relationship endings, grief or changes in connection
Finding ways to balance autonomy, intimacy and commitment
You don't need to be experiencing a crisis to come to therapy. You may simply want space to understand yourself and your relationships more deeply.
Polyamory and ethical non-monogamy
Polyamory and ethical non-monogamy can involve navigating experiences that aren't always well understood within conventional relationship frameworks.
You might be exploring whether non-monogamy is something you want, negotiating agreements with a partner or trying to understand feelings that arise within an existing relationship.
There may be questions around time, emotional availability, autonomy, commitment, jealousy, trust or differing expectations.
You may also be navigating a situation where one person wants non-monogamy and another doesn't.
My approach doesn't assume that opening a relationship is the solution, or that returning to monogamy is the answer.
We can explore your experiences, needs and boundaries, including whether the relationship agreements you're considering feel genuinely chosen and sustainable for you.
Kink, BDSM and sexual expression
Kink and BDSM can be meaningful aspects of sexuality, intimacy, identity and connection.
They are not inherently signs of trauma, dysfunction or something that needs to be changed.
However, you may have questions about your interests, experiences or the meanings they hold for you.
You might be exploring shame, consent, power dynamics, vulnerability, trust or how to communicate your desires within relationships.
Some people also want to understand how their experiences of trauma, attachment or earlier relationships intersect with their sexuality.
As a qualified somatic sexologist alongside my counselling practice, I bring specialist knowledge of sexuality, sexual expression and consent into the therapeutic space.
We can explore these experiences without assuming that your interests need explaining, fixing or changing.
Boundaries, consent and communication
Relationships involve ongoing conversations about needs, expectations, limits and the ways we connect with one another.
For some people, expressing boundaries can feel difficult, particularly when there is fear of disappointing someone, losing connection or being misunderstood.
You might notice patterns of people-pleasing, agreeing to things you're uncertain about or struggling to recognise what you want.
Alternatively, you may find it difficult to navigate differences between your needs and those of someone you care about.
My training in the Wheel of Consent® informs my understanding of boundaries, choice, giving, receiving and the complexities of relational dynamics.
In therapy, we can explore how you experience consent, how you recognise your needs and what it might mean to communicate them more openly.
When relationships change
Relationships can change over time, sometimes in ways we welcome and sometimes in ways that feel painful or unexpected.
You may be questioning whether a relationship still meets your needs, grieving a connection that has changed or navigating different desires for the future.
You might love someone deeply while recognising that you want different things.
There can be grief in letting go of a relationship, but also in letting go of an imagined future, a particular relationship structure or a version of yourself.
Therapy can offer space to explore these experiences without pressure to stay, leave or make decisions before you're ready.
My approach to relationship diversity counselling
I'm a BACP Registered therapist and qualified somatic sexologist, with experience supporting people exploring sexuality, identity, intimacy and diverse relationship experiences.
My approach is person-centred, relational, sex-positive and trauma-informed, with an awareness of how our experiences, beliefs and nervous system responses can influence relationships.
I work in a GSRD-affirming way, recognising the diversity of gender, sexuality and relationships without treating difference as a problem.
Rather than offering a set of rules for how relationships should work, I aim to create a collaborative space where you can explore what matters to you.
This might involve understanding recurring patterns, recognising your needs, exploring difficult feelings or considering how you want to experience connection and intimacy.
You don't need to justify your relationship choices or arrive with a particular outcome in mind.
Online counselling and appointments
I offer confidential, individual online counselling for adults across the UK.
Sessions: £75
Free initial consultation: 30 minutes
My counselling practice offers individual therapy rather than couples or multi-partner relationship therapy. You're welcome to explore experiences involving partners and other relationships within your individual sessions.
Whether you're exploring a new relationship structure, navigating challenges within an existing relationship or questioning what you want from intimacy and connection, you're welcome to get in touch.