Relate

Really poor service. The counsellor assigned to us as a couple was biased to one of us. She also sounded like she didn’t wanna be there every session. If you want to stay together or resolve issues, Relate in Birmingham is the best place to AVOID. They will do nothing but drain your money. Spend it on a slightly more expensive counsellor who knows what they’re doing.

I made a consultation appointment with them that they cancelled 30 mins beforehand as the counsellor hadn't turned up. I made another appointment with them that they cancelled late the day before as apparently this slot doesn't exist. Shockingly poor booking service, would suggest visiting an independent.

Cancelled a booking and they didn't want to give me my money back even after speaking to a manager.

Fantastic charity offering counselling services for the local community.

Waited months for an appointment, then got a counsellor who seems very biased and talked for most of each appointment. Main issue was mental load, but apparently we're in the 50s and that's a woman's job as well as working full time.

Was referred here through NHS a few years ago. My counsellor was lovely and much better than some others I have worked with. Unfortunately the time span was too short and they wouldn't allow me to pay privately to continue with the same counsellor, which I found strange as it's unhelpful to bounce around between different professionals rather than establishing trust and a good therepeutic relationship with one person.

Requested new sessions with our former counselor Peter, who had provided useful, kind and compassionate advice, but was denied further sessions with him on the basis that Relate's policy states a restart with a different person. With the effort it took to find someone with whom both my partner and I clicked, it was disappointing and frankly inexplicable that the service was denied. Returning with a different counselor is tantamount to restarting the search, so we will be looking for alternative organisations who listen to the needs of their customers. I hope Relate review their policy, and consider that a repeat counselor already knows the character and circumstances of their patients and can provide more value, especially when this is explicitly requested by the patients.

Awful service!This will be followed up by a formal complaint. For someone who is seeking help in their relationship it is highly unethical to advise them to breakup! These people have no credentials whatsoever, and when questioned if it is wise to push partners into these decisions, they were completely clueless insisting ‘that’s what they would do.’ I’m disgusted that such a place exists and masquerades itself as help as it has left my partner feeling suicidal and low. DO NOT GO TO THESE PEOPLE!!!