Research and Statistics
Relationship Counselling
Our trained practitioners see 150,000 clients each year. The service is available to married, co-habiting, same-sex relationships, separated, divorced or single. Partners can attend counselling as a couple or individually. The effectiveness of counselling is widely recognised and a very recent study produced for the Department of Social and Family Affairs in Ireland (1) with ACCORD, the Catholic Marriage Care Service, states
"In general, cases which receive marital counselling tend to do better than those that do not receive marital counselling in about seven out of ten cases…about half the couples reliably move from marital distress to marital satisfaction by the end of the counselling"
Feedback from those coming to Relate counselling shows that 66% come to save their relationship with their partner, or improve it. Only 9% attend to come to terms with the ending of a relationship. Our experience in the counselling room tells us that the vast majority decide to work on with the relationship.
In our experience, if the couple decide to split up or separate they still benefit from our counselling service, building better relationships post separation for the benefit of themselves and their children.
A year after completing counselling 58% of our clients felt that their relationship was better than it had been before they went to Relate; 82% were glad that they had gone to counselling and 80% were satisfied with the service that they had received. (2)
Sex Therapy
As the largest provider of sex therapy in the UK, Relate therapists see 5,000 people each year with sexual problems such as impotence, and sexual arousal disorders.
93% of those who complete treatment report a significant improvement in their sexual relationship.
Relate for Young People
Relate offers individual counselling through schools and Connexions offices for young people aged 10-18 whose parents are separating or involved in family conflict. Relate also runs courses in schools, young offenders institutes and exclusion units for children, teachers and youth workers helping people deal with:
- self-esteem
- bullying
- sex
- first relationships
- sexuality
The effectiveness of these services for young people has proved to be very high. An evaluation of the young peoples' service carried out in nine Relate Centres showed:
- 94% of the young people who used the service felt the counsellor had helped them understand their situation
- 93% of young people who used the service would recommend it to a friend
- 90% felt able to cope with their situation better at the end of the sessions
(1) Unhappy Marriages: Does Counselling Help? McKeown and associates, December 2002
(2) Telling it as it is: The client experience of Relate Counselling, Newcastle centre for Family Studies, 1998
