Can relationship counselling help even if only one of us wants to come?

Yes. One-partner relationship counselling is a recognised format. When one person shifts their behaviour in a relationship system, the other person is responding to a different dynamic. Many couples who eventually attend joint sessions begin with one partner alone. It is not a lesser option — it is often the entry point.

How long does relationship counselling take?

Most structured programmes run twelve to twenty sessions over three to six months. Infidelity recovery typically takes longer — eighteen to thirty sessions across one to two years is common. The pace depends on the severity of the rupture, how long the patterns have been entrenched, and how consistently both partners engage between sessions.

What if we are not married — does counselling work for unmarried couples or live-in partners?

Relationship counselling applies to any two people in a committed partnership — married, engaged, in a long-term relationship, or navigating a separation. The legal status of the relationship does not change the tools or their effectiveness. Same-sex couples are equally welcome; the approaches used do not assume gender roles.

Is what we say in sessions confidential?

Yes. Everything discussed in sessions is confidential within the standard ethical limits — a counsellor will not share session content with family members, employers, or other professionals without consent. In couples sessions, the counsellor holds confidentiality symmetrically: what is shared by one partner in a joint session is not reported to the other outside of session.

How much does relationship counselling at Lilac Minds cost?

Each session is ₹1,500, whether attending as a couple or individually. There is no differential pricing. Lilac Minds does not currently bill through insurance; receipts are provided for personal records. The first session is an assessment; most couples attend weekly for the first two months, then fortnightly as progress consolidates.

What if our conflict involves domestic violence or controlling behaviour — is counselling enough?

Couples counselling is not the right first response when there is violence, coercive control, or ongoing abuse in the relationship. In those situations, the priority is safety — for the person being harmed and for any children present. A counsellor will be clear about this: therapy designed to improve communication between two people cannot operate safely when one person fears the other. If you are in that situation, please contact iCall India (9152987821), the National Commission for Women (7827170170), or your local women's support organisation before or instead of couples therapy.

Relationship Counselling: A Complete Guide to Couples Therapy in India

Relationship counselling is structured therapy that helps couples improve how they communicate, handle conflict, and rebuild trust. This guide covers when relationships need help, the main therapy approaches, what happens in a first session, the patterns that predict divorce, and the joint-family and arranged-marriage dynamics that shape couples therapy in India.

What is relationship counselling?

Individual therapy treats one person's internal world — their anxiety, self-worth, past trauma, or depression. Relationship counselling treats the space between two people: the communication patterns, the unspoken contracts, the cycles where each person's behaviour triggers the worst in the other.

How is relationship counselling different from individual therapy?

The four horsemen of the Gottman Method are criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling — communication patterns that, when dominant, predict relationship breakdown with striking accuracy. **Criticism** is attacking the person rather than the behaviour (\

When does a relationship need counselling?

Therapy can change what a couple does with conflict, how they repair, how they feel seen. Whether a marriage is \

Relationship Counselling: A Complete Guide to Couples Therapy in India

What is relationship counselling?

How is relationship counselling different from individual therapy?

When does a relationship need counselling?

What is pre-marital counselling — and is it useful in India?

What happens in the first session?

Does my partner have to come? What if they refuse?

What are the main modalities — Gottman, EFT, Imago, IBCT?

What are Gottman

Why do small arguments escalate — and what are repair attempts?

Can a relationship survive infidelity?

When should individual therapy run alongside couples therapy?

Can therapy save a marriage — or is separation sometimes the answer?

How do joint family and arranged marriage dynamics shape counselling in India?

What about sex, intimacy, and the taboo around talking about it?

How does Lilac Minds approach relationship counselling?