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Online Couples Therapy

Online couples therapy for partners who keep having the same argument. Both of you, one secure video call, from the same sofa or different countries.

Accredited therapists Fully confidential Evening & weekend times
Everything is confidentialWhat you say in a session stays in the session.
Secure video, Ireland-wideFrom wherever you feel comfortable, on any device.
No GP referral neededBook online in a couple of minutes.
Evening and weekend timesSessions that fit around work and family.

Most couples don't arrive at therapy after one enormous row. It builds. The same argument comes back around in a slightly different shape, or you stop having it altogether and go quiet instead, and somewhere in there you start feeling less like partners and more like two people sharing a calendar.

That's a lonely place to be. It's also far more common than anyone lets on at the school gate.

Online couples therapy gives the two of you a private hour with a qualified therapist, by secure video, from wherever you are in Ireland. No drive across the county after work. No waiting room. Just the two of you, a quiet room, and someone whose job is to help the conversation go somewhere different this time.

How can online couples therapy help our relationship?

People come for all sorts of reasons. Rows that escalate in seconds and never actually resolve. Trust that got broken and never properly repaired. A slow drift where nothing is wrong exactly, but nothing feels close either. Or genuine uncertainty about whether you want to stay.

Some of the things couples bring:

  • the same argument on repeat, usually about something small that stands in for something bigger
  • an affair, or another breach of trust that has been half discussed and never worked through
  • sex and intimacy that has slowed right down, or stopped, and become hard to talk about
  • parenting disagreements, or finding your footing as a blended family
  • the strain of fertility treatment, pregnancy loss, or a bereavement that you're each grieving differently
  • money pressure, a job loss, a move, one of you working away during the week
  • a big decision looming that you can't seem to discuss without it turning into a fight

You don't have to be in crisis to come. Plenty of couples book because things are basically fine and they want to get better at listening, or to stop small disagreements turning into three-day silences. That's a reasonable use of therapy, the same way you'd see a physio before the back goes completely.

Worth being clear about what a therapist does and doesn't do. They help you both say what you actually mean, slow the conversation down when it speeds up, and point out the pattern you're caught in. They don't referee, pick a winner, or tell you whether to stay together. That decision stays yours.

How does online couples therapy work?

The practical side is simpler than most people expect. There's no software to install and no account to set up.

  1. You enquire or book online, which takes a couple of minutes. No GP letter is needed for counselling in Ireland, and you can refer yourselves.
  2. You choose a therapist from the profiles, or book with no preference and be matched with someone suitable.
  3. A private, encrypted video link arrives by email before your appointment.
  4. At the agreed time, the three of you join the call and the session runs as normal.

What you each need is a quiet space where you won't be overheard, a decent internet connection, and something to sit on. Headphones help. Some couples take the session from the kitchen table once the kids are gone; some take it from a parked car outside work. Nobody minds.

From there, the therapist gets a feel for how you two operate together. Who speaks first. Who goes quiet. What happens in the room when one of you raises the hard subject. Then you start practising something different, with the therapist there to steady it when it wobbles.

The professional side is no different from sitting in a room. Accredited therapists work to the same standards of confidentiality, record keeping and ethics whether the session is in person or by video, as set out by bodies such as the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.

Not sure if this is the right fit?

A first session is just a conversation.

What should we expect from the first session and the sessions that follow?

The first one is mostly about being heard. You'll each get time to say what brought you, a little about how the relationship has gone, and what you're each hoping for. Not a test. Nobody is being assessed.

Your therapist will set some ground rules early on, and they matter more than they sound. No interrupting. No using the session to score points. Both of you get airtime, including the one who talks less.

Stage What usually happens Typical timing
First session What brought you, some relationship history, each person's view of it, and what you'd like to be different 50 minutes
Early sessions The recurring pattern starts to become visible. Some therapists offer a short individual check-in with each partner around this point, and will explain in advance how anything shared there is handled Weekly or fortnightly
Ongoing work Practising different ways of talking and listening, sometimes with something small to try between sessions At the pace you set
Review Looking together at what has shifted, and deciding whether to keep going, pause, or finish Every few sessions

There's no fixed number of sessions. Some couples do six and feel steadier. Others work for months, especially where trust has to be rebuilt. You agree the rhythm with your therapist and you change it when it needs changing.

Is online couples therapy right for us?

This is for couples, whatever shape that takes. Married, engaged, living together, living apart, dating for a year or twenty. Separated couples working out how to co-parent. LGBTQ+ couples. Non-monogamous couples. You won't be asked to explain or justify your relationship before the work can start.

It's very normal for one of you to be keen and the other to be wary. Sceptical, even. Worried it'll be two against one. If that's your situation, an initial conversation is a fair way in. Nobody is signing up for a year of sessions by turning up once.

That said, couples work needs both people there by choice. If one partner is only attending to stop the other complaining, it tends to stall, and the therapist will usually name that rather than let it drift.

There are also times when joint sessions are the wrong option. Where there's ongoing domestic abuse, coercive control, or any situation where speaking honestly in front of your partner could put you at risk, couples therapy can make things more dangerous, not less. Individual support is the safer route. If that's your situation:

  1. In immediate danger, ring 999 or 112.
  2. Women's Aid runs a 24 hour National Freephone Helpline on 1800 341 900.
  3. Men's Aid Ireland supports men experiencing domestic abuse, with helpline details on their site.
  4. Your GP, or the HSE, if either of you is in acute mental health crisis.

Why should we choose your online couples therapy service?

Our therapists are accredited, trained in working with couples rather than only individuals, and keep up the supervision and continuing professional development their accreditation requires. You can read profiles and pick someone yourselves, or book without a preference and be matched.

If you're comparing options, here's what's worth checking about any couples therapist in Ireland:

  1. accreditation with a recognised body such as the IACP. Statutory registration for counsellors and psychotherapists is being introduced through CORU, so accreditation remains the clearest marker in the meantime
  2. specific training and experience in couples work, which is a different skill from one-to-one therapy
  3. a confidentiality policy you can actually read, including how any individual sessions are handled
  4. someone both of you feel reasonably comfortable with. Not just the partner who did the booking

The approach itself is plain enough. Impartial, so neither of you is being corrected in front of the other. Steady, so the hard subjects can be raised without the session falling apart. Practical, so you leave with something you can actually do differently, not just a diagnosis of what's wrong with you both. Evening and weekend appointments are available, which is usually the reason couples manage to attend at all.

Frequently asked questions

How much does online couples therapy cost in Ireland?

Current fees are shown on the booking page before you confirm anything, so there are no surprises. Some Irish health insurance policies contribute towards counselling, though cover for relationship and couples work varies more than it does for individual therapy, so it's worth ringing your insurer and asking specifically.

Is online couples therapy as effective as face-to-face counselling?

Based on the research available, therapy delivered by video generally produces outcomes comparable to meeting in a room for many common difficulties, and the working relationship between therapist and client seems to hold up well on screen. There is less published research on couples work by video specifically than on individual therapy, so that's stated with appropriate caution. What we'd say from practice is that couples often speak more openly from their own sitting room than they do in an unfamiliar office.

Are online sessions private, secure and confidential?

Yes. Sessions run on an encrypted video platform, and what you say is confidential in the same way it would be in person, with the usual legal limits around risk of serious harm.

  1. Sessions are never recorded.
  2. Your therapist works from a private space too.
  3. Notes are kept securely and in line with data protection law.
  4. The limits to confidentiality are explained in your first session, not buried somewhere.

Can we join the session from different locations?

You can. Plenty of couples do, especially where one of you works away, travels, or is living elsewhere during a separation. Each of you joins the same secure link from your own private space. Sitting side by side has its advantages, but it isn't a requirement, and it shouldn't be the thing that stops you starting.

How do we take the next step?

You can book a session directly, or send a short enquiry first if you'd rather ask something before committing. Either is fine, and a first enquiry doesn't oblige you to anything.

The enquiry form asks for your names, contact details, a brief line about what's going on, and when you're both generally free. You'll get a reply by email to arrange a time that suits the two of you, and you can ask for a short introductory conversation first if that would help the more hesitant partner feel steadier about it.

A few practical things before you book:

  1. Fees, payment and cancellation terms are set out on the booking page.
  2. Sessions are for people attending from within Ireland. If one of you is temporarily abroad, mention it when you enquire so it can be checked.
  3. Evening and weekend appointments are available, and you don't need a GP referral.

Most couples wait longer than they needed to before making the call. If you've read this far, you've probably already been thinking about it for a while. Whenever you both feel ready, book a session and we'll take it from there.

When you're ready, we're here.

Booking takes about two minutes, and you can reschedule any time up to 24 hours before.

Book a session Questions? Contact us →