When it stops being you against me — and starts being us against the pattern.

Couples counselling is €100 for a 60-minute session — the same price whether we meet in Dublin, at the Gorey (Co. Wexford) practice, or securely online. There are no hidden fees; payment is at the end of each session. Full details are on the fees page.

Rosemary Chaney offers relationship and marriage counselling in Dublin, in addition to her Gorey (Co. Wexford) practice. Dublin sessions can be booked directly, and secure online couples sessions are available anywhere in Ireland if getting to a room together is difficult.

Yes. Couples come to the Gorey practice from Gorey, Enniscorthy, Wexford town, Ferns, Courtown, Arklow and across the south-east — an easy drive from most of Co. Wexford and north Wicklow. Evening appointments are usually available so both partners can attend after work.

For most couples, yes — but it depends on both partners being willing to look honestly at what's happening between them. The evidence base for structured couples therapy is strong, particularly for communication breakdown, recurring conflict, and rebuilding trust after an affair. What matters most is that you both show up; I'll hold the space so the work can happen.

A 60-minute session is a slower, calmer conversation than the ones you're probably having at home. I hear from each of you in turn, help you notice the pattern you're stuck in, and gently interrupt when things escalate. There are no lectures and no taking sides — the goal is that each of you leaves feeling more heard, not more defensive.

The first session is for the three of us to meet. You'll each get space to say what's brought you here, I'll ask a few gentle questions to understand the wider picture, and together we'll decide whether this is the right work at the right time. There is no pressure to commit beyond that first session.

You don't need to prepare anything in writing. It helps if you've each thought briefly about one thing you'd like to be different, and if you can agree beforehand to speak for yourself rather than about your partner. Come as you are — including on a difficult day; those often tell us the most.

Yes, ordinarily both partners attend together — the work happens between the two of you. Occasionally one partner has an individual session (for example if there is trauma or bereavement in the background), and we agree that openly beforehand so no one feels excluded.

You can start work on your side of the relationship on your own — many people do. It's not couples therapy in the strict sense, but individual counselling for relationship issues is genuinely useful, and partners sometimes join later once they see the change.

Rarely. Couples come to me at every stage — including when one or both have serious doubts, and after long periods of resentment or silence. Long-standing patterns take a little longer to shift, but the willingness to try is what matters most, not how long you've been stuck.

Every couple is different. Some come for six to eight sessions to work through a specific rupture such as an affair or a big decision; others attend longer term to rebuild trust and change deep-set patterns. We agree the pace together and you're free to pause or finish at any point.

No. My job is to hold a fair, respectful, non-judgemental space so each of you can be heard properly — often for the first time in a long time. If one of you feels I've missed something, I want to know; that's part of how the work stays balanced.

Yes — this is one of the most common reasons couples come. The work is slower and more careful: understanding what happened, rebuilding safety and honesty, and deciding together whether and how to move forward. There is no fixed script; it's paced to what each of you can bear.

Couples often tell me sex and intimacy have quietly disappeared long before they book. It's a normal topic in relationship counselling — we can talk about it as openly or as gently as suits you. Where a specialist psychosexual referral would be more appropriate, I'll say so early on.

Yes — secure video sessions work well for couples across Ireland, especially where one partner travels for work, you live rurally, or you're in different locations. All you need is a private space and a reliable connection.

Yes. Everything discussed is confidential, within the standard IACP ethical limits (risk of serious harm to yourself or others, or a legal requirement to disclose). In couples work I don't hold secrets between partners — the limits are explained fully in your first session.

Rosemary trained as an Accord Couple Counsellor (2003–2006) and works in private practice, IACP-accredited since 2005. She is not currently a Relationships Ireland counsellor; if you'd prefer that service, they can be contacted directly.

Use the Book a session button on this page, call 087 458 0150, or email info@rcpsychotherapy.ie. Rosemary replies personally, usually within one working day, and will help arrange a first session that suits both of you.