Caring for a loved one is rewarding, but it is also hard

Caring can strain even the strongest relationships

For example, being both a partner and a carer is a new dynamic for both the carer and person accepting care. Caring for a parent is not always straightforward if siblings have different views on how to provide care. It can be really tough.

But you don’t have to through it alone.

Call our team

Carers Network can help with these tricky relationships by listening, discussing, and offering suggestions – all of it confidential.

If you are an adult unpaid carer looking after someone over 18 who lives in the City of Westminster, The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea or The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham,  you can call Carers Network's Information, Advice and Guidance telephone helpline to discuss your situation.

The Information, Advice and Guidance telephone helpline is available Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm on 020 8960 3033. Or email carers@carers-network.org.uk.  

Family and relationship counselling

Sometimes it is best to get support as a couple or as a family group, especially before relationships become too strained or break down.

Two of the most well-known counselling organisations that offer support to couples are:

These organisations offer relationship counselling (both for couples and individuals), family counselling and psychosexual therapy.

Services are delivered online and in person by counsellors who have specialist qualifications to work with couples and families. Some of their counsellors will be trained to deliver couples therapy for depression.

Tavistock Relationships offers a course for couples Living Together with Dementia.

Both Relate and Tavistock Relationships are charities and they offer subsidised rates for clients on low incomes. 

Bereavement and loss

Coping with the loss of a partner close family member or friend is one of the hardest things any of us have to deal with in life.

You might find support through End of Life Carers offered by Carers Network.

Cruse Bereavement Support is a national charity that provides bereavement counselling. You can refer yourself through their website or by ringing 0808 808 1677.

Sue Ryder’s Online Bereavement Counselling Service provides free, confidential, and professional support over video chat. The service is available for UK residents over the age of 18 and anyone can book a video assessment slot online here. 

The Loss Foundation is the UK’s only charity to specialise solely in supporting those who lose a loved one to cancer. 

They offer.....

  • Connect - Matching together two individuals with a similar loss to share their experiences to form a mutually supportive, meaningful connection and friendship.
  • Therapy Groups - 12-week bereavement therapy led by Clinical Psychologists.
  • Grief Workshops - Focused sessions addressing common grief-related challenges.
  • Support Groups - Online bereavement groups for sharing stories and experiences.
  • Retreats- Weekend retreat combining therapy and peer support.
  • Walk and Talks - Their fastest growing service, Walk and Talks take places throughout the UK - providing space for people to take steps through grief together. 

Still need someone to talk to?

You can call Carers Network's Information, Advice and Guidance telephone helpline Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm on 020 8960 3033. Or email carers@carers-network.org.uk.