Our relationships affect every aspect of our lives. When we get on well together and feel mutually supported then we are usually able to cope better with life’s ups and downs. However, all relationships are a work in progress and life has a habit of throwing things our way that we may not feel we know how to handle.


Relationship difficulties and disagreements are very common and can cause great distress to those who are experiencing them, particularly when children are involved. Problems can happen for all sorts of reasons, including:

  • Personal relationship difficulties
  • The result of external pressures such as extended family
  • Work pressures and loss of employment
  • Worries about money or housing or other impacts on the family
  • Physical or mental health concerns
  • Parenting worries or conflict between different parenting styles

If you are experiencing anxiety and distress around any of these concerns, there is help available so don’t suffer in silence. The Family Information Service provides help, advice and support through the Children and Families pages or contact us direct.

The organisations listed below and on the following pages offer information, advice and support to help you keep your relationships strong, learn different ways to resolve arguments and help you communicate better as a couple and a family.

Understanding your relationships

This free online training course is for anyone in a relationship. Relationships include couples, friendships, work relationships, families and neighbours. Enter the free access code BEAR when prompted.

Understanding Your Relationships

Click Parenting Together

Click covers all aspects of relationship and parenting together. Learn how to make yours work better, create a free account and share questions and stories with others in the parenting community.

Marriage Care

Marriage Care helps couples prepare for a long-term relationship together, as well as support for when things go wrong. They offer relationship counselling and more. Their aim is to help couples build and sustain strong, fulfilling, healthy relationships and to provide support in times of relationship difficulty. This is because it is proven that better relationships make for better lives, more stable families and a stronger society. You do not need to be married to access their support.

More information on Marriage Care

Contact - Looking after your relationship

Contact is the charity working for families with disabled children. Here, they offer support on looking after your relationship from the perspective of the added pressures bringing up a child with additional needs can bring.

Looking after your relationship

Small Things Often - a podcast from The Gottman Institute 

Successful long-term relationships are created through small words, small gestures, and small acts. Small Things Often is a podcast from the Gottman Institute that aims to help us improve our relationships through research-based tips and advice. Think small: it could make a big difference:

Small Things Often

Tavistock Relationships

Tavistock Relationships offer couple relationship therapy face-to-face and online. Evidence shows that couple relationships matter for everyone: they affect our well-being, our children’s mental health and development and how we engage with others in our community.

Find out more about Tavistock Relationships

Relate Help with Relationships

Relate help all sorts of people in all sorts of situations. They can help stop small disagreements from turning into bigger problems, as well as with arguing, conflict resolution and relationship counselling. They provide support if you are in a new relationship, a long-term relationship or not in a relationship at all. They also offer sex therapy, children and young people’s services, family mediation and domestic abuse services.

New Hope Counselling

New Hope Counselling offers free counselling (donation requested, according to circumstances) for anyone living in Leamington Spa, Kenilworth, Warwick or Stratford:

Find out more about New Hope Counselling

North Warwickshire Counselling Service

North Warwickshire Counselling Service offers a free counselling (donation requested, according to circumstances) for people living in North Warwickshire:

Find out more about North Warwickshire Counselling Service

Sycamore Counselling

Sycamore Counselling offer a low cost counselling service for adults, children and young people from throughout Warwickshire, but especially to those in the Nuneaton, Bedworth and surrounding areas:

More information for Sycamore Counselling

Staying Safe

If you feel unsafe in your relationship due to partner abuse, we have more advice and support on keeping you and your children safe. In an emergency, ring 999 immediately. Otherwise, see the following information, advice and support:

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