Currently all our appointments are held at our Centre, the Gables, in Hemel Hempstead. With your permission we will write to you confirming the day and time of your appointment and the first name of your counsellor. The main door at the Centre is in St Mary's Road and has a door entry system. You will need to buzz and announce to the receptionist your first name(s) and your counsellor’s name. It would be helpful if you arrived a few minutes before your scheduled appointment. You will be asked to wait in the waiting room from where the counsellor will personally come to guide you to one of our consulting rooms. The session will last for up to one hour.

Your first appointment (Initial Consultation)
This session is a chance for you to talk through your worries. You will meet a counsellor who is specially trained to support people with relationship problems and who can help you explore options and look at the way forward.
Come along with your partner, or come on your own depending on your situation.

During that time you’ll have the opportunity to explore those issues of most concern to you. The counsellor will assess with you the best way in which help can be found; this could lead to you undertaking a series of ongoing relationship counselling sessions or perhaps, you may wish to consider psychosexual therapy as more appropriate – the choice is yours. On the other hand you may be better helped by another source outside of Relate – the counsellor could possibly help in signposting you. Should both parties agree (counsellor and client(s)) that ongoing counselling with Relate is the best way then you’ll be placed on our waiting list. This may then take some weeks before a regular counselling slot becomes available. We will, though, keep in contact with you to offer an appointment and/or update you on the current situation (unless you expressly request a different method of communication).

When an appointment day and time is agreed with you that becomes your slot and your counsellor/therapist on a weekly basis. This will continue so long as both parties can see progress/benefits arising from the sessions.