Empathetic, Expert treatment and Counselling for Abusive Relationships
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Why choose Psymplicity?
- We’ve treated thousands of clients with mental health disorders, helping prevent disruptions to their personal and social lives and being held back in their careers
- Clients love our warm, caring approach — and the transformative results that come from working with us
- We’re available from Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm
- You will get your own dedicated therapeutic care coordinator
- We’re regulated by the Care Quality Commission and members of the Royal College of Psychiatrists
How it works
The impact of an abusive relationship can be debilitating, causing individuals to lose their independence and struggle to trust others, but the symptoms are treatable, using our three-step process.
- Get the right diagnosis and a holistic treatment plan tailored to you
- Be prescribed the most effective treatment and receive ongoing support to overcome the lasting impact of surviving an abusive relationship
- Enjoy increased self-esteem and a newfound sense of confidence where you are no longer dependent on another person and can love yourself the way you deserve
- We don’t just work with you to treat the symptoms; our holistic approach means you’ll have all the tools you need to free yourself of the past.
Do you need support managing the symptoms dominating your life?
Not sure where to start?
Click the links below to jump directly to the section most relevant to you or read on to see some of the other services we offer.
What is an abusive relationship and what are the signs?
An abusive relationship can encompass a wide range of actions and behaviour, causing lasting symptoms that can severely impact your physical and mental health and overall quality of life. Here, we cover the different types of abuse and the signs.
How can abusive relationship counselling help survivors?
As there are many different forms of abuse, each situation requires a unique, personalised approach. Psymplicity’s bespoke treatment plans include therapy and counselling that prioritise your wellbeing, and we’ll only move at a pace that you are comfortable with.
How does an abusive relationship affect survivors over the long term?
Abuse can make you feel helpless, vulnerable and alone, even long after the relationship is over. Survivors face the challenge of adjusting to life without their abusive partner, which can be much harder than it seems on the surface. We look at the long-term impact of abuse and how the brave step to seek treatment can help individuals move forward and leave abuse firmly in the past.
Meet our counsellors
Our specialists have decades of combined experience supporting individuals with abusive relationship counselling and have practised in leading institutions in the UK and beyond. Experts in their field, they are dedicated to keeping up to date with all the latest developments in psychiatry to deliver the best care for you — because we know that the right treatment combination can be truly transformative.
Book an online appointment with our abusive relationship counsellors
Get an online appointment to discover how we can support you in recognising an abusive relationship, understand the impact and effect its having on you and help you move forward.
Prefer to pay in flexible instalments? We also offer payment plans
Call us today to find out if Psymplicity Healthcare is right for you.
About Psymplicity
25
Specialists in abusive relationship counselling
10000+
Clients who have trusted us with their treatment
15
Decades of combined experience
What is an abusive relationship and what are the signs?
The term “abuse” is used to describe a wide range of actions and behaviour, from physical harm to emotional manipulation. Individuals in abusive relationships, or who have been in abusive relationships, will be familiar with a cycle of behaviour.
Abusers will often counter the abusive behaviour with kindness or grand gestures, leaving their partner to forgive them and focus on the positive aspects of the relationship. In an emotionally abusive relationship, an abuser may gaslight their partner, making them question whether their feelings are valid and if they are overreacting. As such, individuals can endure abuse for years before seeking treatment or leaving the relationship.
Others may be in denial about their relationship, believing that it can just be volatile, which normalises the behaviour. This can have lasting effects on future relationships, as their previous abuse skews their perception of a healthy relationship.
Abuse can take different forms, and while there are four main types of abusive relationships, all of which we see at Psymplicity, the lines are not clear-cut. An emotionally abusive relationship might turn physical, and some survivors may be familiar with signs across all four types.
Physical abuse
Physical abuse can comprise violent actions such as punching, hitting, slapping, pushing, grabbing and choking. However, physical abuse might also include physical restraint to prevent you from leaving, as well as violence not directed at you but to objects around you (such as breaking furniture, throwing objects or punching windows, etc.).
Emotional abuse
Emotional abuse can be damaging because it’s often unseen. Behaviours such as belittling, degrading and humiliating an individual are common in emotionally abusive relationships. These chip away at a person’s self-worth and can make them dependent on their abuser.
Their abuser might constantly put them down and tell them they are nothing without them and that if they leave, they will be alone and never find another partner. Emotional abusers might also downplay their behaviours, claiming that it’s all in their partner’s head, and deflect blame. It’s not uncommon for abusers to accuse their partner of cheating, which can trigger further abuse. They are often experts at manipulating not just their partner but others too, influencing family and friends’ opinions while painting their partner in a negative light.
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse includes rape, sexual assault, hurting you during sex, pressuring you to have sex, inappropriate or unwanted touching, forcing you to take part in sexual acts you aren’t comfortable with and filming sex without your knowledge or consent.
Financial abuse
Financial abuse can be devastating, as it can prevent an individual from leaving an abusive relationship even if they’re ready to. Typical behaviours include controlling your bank accounts and spending, making you account for every expense, preventing you from purchasing items for yourself, spending all the money you earn or making all financial decisions for you.
At Psymplicity, we see both abusive relationships that are clearly visible from the outside, and also those that are carefully hidden. If you believe a loved one might be in an abusive relationship, it’s easy to get frustrated. You might wonder why they haven’t left their partner and why they’d stay in the relationship. In reality, leaving an abusive relationship is a process. They may know their relationship isn’t healthy and that they deserve better, but they love their partner, despite the abuse. That’s why encouraging a loved one to leave an abusive relationship can have the opposite effect and push them closer to their abuser. It’s vital to not pass judgement.
Victims of abuse have often been so worn down and genuinely fear being alone or unable to bear life without their partner. Although it can make you feel helpless, the best approach is to be sensitive and try to understand how they may be feeling. Reassure them that you are there and keep an eye out for signs of abuse without pushing them to leave until they’re ready. When they are ready to leave, you can also offer your support by formulating an exit plan.
It’s a long journey, and support after the relationship is vital to prevent the abuse from impacting future relationships and start rebuilding confidence and self-worth.
How does an abusive relationship affect survivors over the long term?
Leaving an abusive relationship is a big step, but sadly, it can go on to affect survivors months and even years later. If you have left an abusive relationship, you have done the hardest bit. It takes immense bravery and courage to walk away from a toxic, damaging relationship. It’s normal to feel conflicting emotions; you might feel relieved but also a profound sense of loss and confusion.
Do you:
- Feel lost and upset over the end of your relationship
- Feel a lack of self-worth and that the harsh words of your abuser were true
- Feel uncomfortable about starting a new relationship
- Experience flashbacks and nightmares of your abuse
- Struggle to sleep
- Blame yourself for the abuse
- Become withdrawn
Left untreated, the effects of an abusive relationship can affect your mental health and overall wellbeing. While Psymplicity most often helps people who are currently in abusive relationships, we also help people who have left abusive relationships, and are dealing with the emotional effects. For example, when you feel ready to start a new relationship, you might subconsciously adopt submissive behaviours or cower when a partner shouts or suddenly reacts.
Even loving acts, such as holding or hugging you, might cause you to flinch, which can be difficult for both you and your new partner to deal with. You might also fear that abuse will happen in your new relationship or struggle being intimate, trusting or opening up to them.
However, these feelings do not have to be permanent, and abusive relationship counselling can help you process your emotions, reduce panic attacks and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms and move forward with your life free from the lasting impact of abuse, whether you have recently left a relationship or have been suffering quietly for many years.
Book an appointment to see how we can help stop your abusive relationship from controlling the way you live your life. During your consultation, you’ll develop a better understanding of your relationship and receive a bespoke plan of treatment.
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The Psymplicity approach to abusive relationship therapy
At Psymplicity Healthcare, we adopt an integrated approach to abusive relationship counselling. Treatment starts with an assessment to delve into when the abuse occurred, the support you have in place and how it is impacting you. At this stage, you might not know what you want to get from therapy, and that’s completely normal. It can also be difficult reliving trauma, so our specialists will gently guide you through the process and move at a pace that suits you.
Each of our select practitioners has been trained to identify and treat different forms of abuse in a caring and sensitive way. Our role is not to tell you how to act or judge you but to provide a safe and secure place where you can explore your emotions.
Then, with our various treatments and specialists all under one roof, we’ll tailor your therapy plan to suit your needs. This might involve building self-esteem and confidence, individual psychotherapy to detach yourself from harmful and negative beliefs surrounding your abuse, group therapy or couples counselling with a new partner. It can be difficult for a new partner to know how to react or what might trigger panic or fear, and while it can be challenging to reflect on your abusive relationship, counselling often brings couples closer together and helps cement a strong, healthy bond.
Eye-Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy can also be effective for treating PTSD symptoms. It involves triggering rapid-eye movements while recalling emotionally charged memories and gradually shifting to positive thoughts, which can ease your distress and dampen the power of your trauma.
Your abusive relationship counselling plan
Following your in-depth abusive relationship assessment, you’ll benefit from a personalised and balanced treatment approach that prioritises managing your symptoms and reducing the impact of past abuse on your life.
Step One
To ensure a perfectly tailored treatment plan, we begin with an assessment of your mental wellbeing and how you will best benefit from counselling, other treatments and ongoing support.
Step Two
Our experts will evaluate your particular therapeutic needs and create a bespoke treatment plan that suits you, whether that’s couples counselling with a new partner or individual counselling to help you overcome trauma.
Step Three
Abusive relationship survivors need continued care and support, which is why we recommend follow-up appointments to review progress, discuss any concerns and adjust treatment as we help you move forward and leave your abuse firmly in the past.
Meet our abusive relationship counsellors
Our abusive relationship counsellors are among the best in their field, having successfully treated the lasting impact of abusive relationships for decades. We know that there is no one-size-fits-all approach and that to provide the transformation so many of our clients enjoy requires a bespoke, holistic plan — one we’re confident you won’t find anywhere else.
Discover more about the process of counselling for abusive relationships and some of the topics you might explore with your counsellor, find out how you can support your loved one if you think they are in an abusive relationship and lots more in the dedicated section of our blog.
Other conditions treated by our experts
Our psychiatric team specialises in the diagnosis and treatment of the following conditions and many others. Each patient is treated on a case-by-case basis, meaning that your treatment plan is unique to you. We have two clinics in London and online appointments available, so contact us today to book yours.
We specialise in the treatment of all forms of depression and are proud to offer an essential lifeline for those looking to regain control of their lives.
We specialise in the treatment of all forms of depression and are proud to offer an essential lifeline for those looking to regain control of their lives.
We specialise in the treatment of all forms of depression and are proud to offer an essential lifeline for those looking to regain control of their lives.
We specialise in the treatment of all forms of depression and are proud to offer an essential lifeline for those looking to regain control of their lives.
We specialise in the treatment of all forms of depression and are proud to offer an essential lifeline for those looking to regain control of their lives.
We specialise in the treatment of all forms of depression and are proud to offer an essential lifeline for those looking to regain control of their lives.
We specialise in the treatment of all forms of depression and are proud to offer an essential lifeline for those looking to regain control of their lives.
We specialise in the treatment of all forms of depression and are proud to offer an essential lifeline for those looking to regain control of their lives.
Let’s discuss your bespoke abusive relationship assessment and treatment plan
