What you need to know
You are eligible to get free access to relationship and family counselling.
The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity (RNRMC) works with Relate to offer Royal Navy and Royal Marines personnel (serving and former) and their families free access to seven adult Relationship Counselling, Family Counselling or Young People’s Counselling sessions, or 21 Sex Therapy sessions.
Relate is the UK’s leading relationships charity and their counselling services offer an opportunity to talk through any tensions and to find ways to stay connected as a couple or family during periods of separation.
RNRMC have also launched a free relationship counselling portal 'Building stronger families' for Royal Navy and Royal Marine personnel and their partners.
The Army Welfare Service’s personal support staff provide accessible, independent, confidential and professional specialist welfare services to Service Personnel and their families, including help with relationship difficulties. The AWS also has a contract with the counselling company Health Assured, who can provide appropriate therapeutic interventions if the AWS is unable to.
The RAF Benevolent Fund also works with Relate to support a similar programme for serving RAF personnel, their partners and their families. They offer six Relationship Counselling or Family Counselling sessions or 20 Sex Therapy sessions. All of these sessions can be conducted through face-to-face counselling, telephone, email, web or live chat. RAF personnel and their families also have access to the 'Building Stronger Families' online relationship support tool.
In addition the RAF Benevolent Fund provides a listening and counselling-service whilst the SSAFA RAF personal support & social work service offers an all-embracing personal support and social work service to the whole for the RAF community dealing with a range of welfare support issues including Family relationships/personal difficulties.
What you need to do
You can self-refer to Relate. However if you wish to speak with Royal Navy Family & People Support (FPS) prior to doing so, you can call the FPS Portal on 0800 145 6088 or email navypeople-psrnfpsportal@mod.gov.uk. RN FPS also offer Information support via the Royal Navy Forum and Information Officers via rnrm-wio@royalnavymail.mod.uk
In most areas you can access support via your Unit Welfare Officer. Alternatively you can speak to your HIVE Information Support Officer (more information can be found on the HIVE benefit page) or either email the AWS at RC-AWS-IAT-0Mailbox@mod.gov.uk or ring them on 01904 882053.
You should either ring Relate on 0845 077 5556 or visit their website. Alternatively you can speak to your HIVE Information Support Officer (more information can be found on the HIVE benefit page).
