Trauma happens in response to a terrible event. Whether it be abuse, assault, having or witnessing an accident, a disaster and other attacks on the person be they physical or on the psyche. Find out more about Trauma, its affects and how to get help in this blog. 

You may have seen Relate's recent campaign 'Let's Talk The Joy of Later Life Sex' in which we teamed up with renowned British photographer Rankin to shine a light on sex in the mature years. Five older couples bared all; and captured was some of the most beautiful, bold images of older bodies and touching moments of intimacy we've ever seen. The aim was to tackle the stigma around a somewhat unspoken subject of later life sex. This inspired one of our own counsellors turned trustee Barbara, to write about the topic. A qualified sex therapist and counsellor, which is immediately apparent from her writing - read on to see what she had to say.  

The metaphor 'coming out' describes the self-disclosure of sexual orientation or gender identity to other people. For some, and often historically this is major and sometimes difficult life experience. It is often a gradual process of both self discovery and acceptance, and thats before the reactions and feelings of friends and family come into play. Guest blogger Stuart speaks of his personal experience of 'coming out' to both himself and those around him.  

As part of our pride month activity, we approached David from the Notts LGBT+ Network for his thoughts on what is the arguably the biggest event in the queer diary. As always, he offered interesting insight calling upon his first-hand experiences of pride celebrations over the years. 

We look at some of the common questions surrounding mental health, understanding your own mental wellbeing and how to get help.  

There are often similarities and common symptoms for particular mental states including stress and anxiety. We take you through them as well as ways to cope. 

The study of psychology has long been dominated by the male mind. Although there were equal or perhaps more female minds to match, they were often overlooked in both textbooks and historical timelines. Many women made critical contributions that helped to shape the development of the psychology field. 

February is LGBTQ+ History Month. First celebrated in 2005, following the abolition of Section 28 in 2003, it is intended to raise awareness of the LGBTQ+ community and combat prejudice. Now ran by LGBT+ History Month and recognised across the UK, this occasion sparked our exploration of Relate Charity and how we have changed to reflect society over the last 20 years. Read on to find out more. 

We discuss this years unique Valentine's Day situation and it's affect on ourselves and our relationships. 

Hi everyone, I am Andrea Bullock, and I am a qualified Counsellor and Psychotherapist working in private practice in Nottingham. I work with both individuals and couples in my private work, and it was the work that I do with couples that sparked my interest to embark on further training in Psychosexual Therapy (PST).