Mandy Hopkins

Most couples find that from time to time they get stuck. The poetic notion that love is blind is borne out in scientific terms, for in the hormonal bliss of falling in love we are blind to the small differences that will inevitably emerge between two individuals. Many people will identify with the idea that their relationship is then characterised by a drifting into ‘parallel lives’ where, over time, each member of the couple has little idea of how to reach the other and bridge the gap.

When I am working with people in therapy, what I seek to provide is the chance for repair and renewal, to find one another again and, in the process, to find and reveal oneself.

Obstacles will inevitably show up in all significant relationships: between parents and children, between siblings, and in close friendships or partnerships of all kinds. This is rarely what people want and most often, if not always, the disconnection brings pain and loneliness. The retreat into separation or exiting the relationship in various ways tends to be a default position, where one ends up as a result of having absolutely no idea how to bridge the gap. I have many years experience in helping individuals, couples and families to find ways of doing so.