What Relate Avon does

Relationship Works, formerly Relate Avon, is a UK-registered charity (number 1107679) and company limited by guarantee that delivers specialist relationship counselling, family counselling, and sex therapy (psychosexual therapy) to individuals, couples, and families. Founded as the Marriage Guidance Council in 1938, renamed Relate Avon in 1988, and rebranded as Relationship Works in late 2025, the organisation operates two physical centres in Bishopston (Bristol) and central Bath, and serves the wider South West including South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, and Bath and North-East Somerset (BANES), with online sessions available across the UK. The portfolio includes relationship counselling for couples and individuals, family counselling for all family forms, sex therapy, and a more recent evidence-based addition — Therapy for Couples Managing Depression (CTfD) — delivered by practitioners trained through the Relate/Tavistock pathway. A team of over 20 specialist counsellors, supported by a dedicated supervision team, delivers sessions face-to-face or via secure Zoom video, with all practitioners adhering to BACP, AFT, and COSRT ethical frameworks and completing a minimum of 30 hours per year of continuing professional development.

The underlying technology is intentionally lean and human-centric: secure Zoom for online sessions, Zanda practice management software for appointments and client records, a Squarespace-hosted marketing website, and password-protected, encrypted client data systems compliant with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. No proprietary software, AI, or data flywheel is described; the intellectual property lies in the clinical method, supervisory rigour, and the 80-year brand reputation that has supported over 100,000 people across Bristol and Bath.

The business model is a hybrid of fee-for-service and charitable fundraising. Clients pay per session on a sliding scale (£68 initial assessment; typically £75 for relationship counselling and £80 for family counselling and sex therapy), with reduced fees available to those who cannot afford full cost — funded through donations, Gift Aid reclamation from HMRC, and higher-fee paying clients. As a charity, fees cover costs rather than generate profit. Client acquisition is sales-led and largely organic: self-referral via phone, email, or online enquiry form, supported by SEO, blog content, community reputation, and word of mouth rather than paid advertising. On 16 December 2025, Relationship Works joined TLC: Talk Listen Change, a national relationships charity, securing broader access to expertise and resources while retaining local governance and the Relationship Works brand.

Name

Relate Avon

Legal name

Relationship Works

Website

https://relate-avon.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1938

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Relationship Works is a UK charity delivering specialist relationship counselling, family counselling, and sex therapy to individuals, couples, and families in Bristol, Bath, and online across the South West, with over 20 counsellors serving 5,870 sessions a year.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Relationship Counselling Services

NAICS

Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) (621330), Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Other Individual and Family Services (62419)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Couples & Family Therapy Teletherapy Platforms (HLALAEAG)

Keywords

• Relationship counselling
• Family counselling
• Sex therapy
• Couples therapy
• Psychosexual therapy

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Counselling session fees: Fees charged to clients for relationship counselling, family counselling, and sex therapy sessions. As a charity, fees cover costs rather than generate profit. Sliding-scale pricing and reduced fees are available for clients who cannot afford the full cost, funded through dedicated fundraising and clients who pay higher fees. The initial assessment is a fixed fee (£68), with ongoing counselling priced on a sliding scale (typically £75 for relationship counselling, £80 for family counselling and sex therapy).
2. Donations and fundraising: Relationship Works operates as a registered charity (number 1107679). It accepts donations and runs fundraising activities. Generous clients who pay higher fees also subsidise reduced-fee sessions.
3. Gift Aid on donations: The charity claims Gift Aid on eligible donations, providing additional income from HMRC.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Relationship Works (formerly Relate Avon) is a registered charity delivering specialist relationship counselling, family counselling, and sex therapy (psychosexual therapy) for individuals, couples, and families. Services are delivered face-to-face at centres in Bristol and Bath and online via secure video, by a team of over 20 trained counsellors, on a sliding-scale fee basis with no GP referral required.

Product overview

Relationship Works (formerly Relate Avon) is a counselling charity offering specialist relationship support services. The organization provides a unified portfolio of counselling services centred on relationship wellbeing: Relationship Counselling (for couples and individuals), Family Counselling, and Sex Therapy (psychosexual therapy). Online Counselling is available as a delivery channel across all service types, while Therapy for Couples Managing Depression represents a specialized evidence-based module for depression treatment. All services are delivered by a team of over 20 trained counsellors through face-to-face sessions in Bristol and Bath, or online via video platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Relationship Counselling Specialist relationship counselling for couples and individuals addressing communication issues, trust problems, conflict, and life transitions. Delivered face-to-face in Bristol and Bath, or online.
• Family Counselling Counselling for families navigating change, conflict, or communication difficulties, supporting families in all their forms, including blended families and children aged 11+.
• Sex Therapy Psychosexual therapy providing specialist support for individuals and couples to address sexual difficulties, intimacy concerns, desire mismatch, and trauma-related sexual issues.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,870 counselling sessions delivered to individuals, couples and families in one year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• TLC: Talk Listen ChangecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 December 2025Relationship Works (formerly Relate Avon) joined TLC: Talk Listen Change on 16 December 2025. TLC is a national relationships charity helping people across the country navigate crisis, abuse, and relationship breakdown. The union secures the long-term future of specialist face-to-face relationship counselling in Bristol and Bath, provides access to a wider range of support and expertise, and opens new opportunities for growth while maintaining the local Relationship Works brand identity. TLC's vision is a society where everyone is surrounded by safe, healthy, happy relationships.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Priory Group: UK private mental health provider operating wellbeing centres and outpatient therapy services. Overlaps with Relationship Works on relationship and family counselling in the South West, but is a commercial incumbent with a much broader service portfolio.
• Family Action: Large UK charity delivering family support, mental health, and relationship-related services; now the parent of the national Relate brand. Comparable as a broad incumbent in family and relationship support with a national footprint and significantly larger scale.
• BetterHelp: Large online therapy platform offering individual, couples, and family counselling via subscription. Direct overlap with Relationship Works' online counselling channel, but at a vastly different scale, business model, and geographic reach.
• Relate (Family Action / National Relate): National brand for relationship support, now part of Family Action following the federation merger. Operates the largest UK network of relationship counselling and overlaps entirely with Relationship Works' services, but at a much larger national scale and with broader family services.
• Mind: Major UK mental health charity providing information, support, and local Mind network services including counselling. Overlaps with Relationship Works on mental-health-adjacent support and competes for referrals in the same Bristol and Bath catchment.

Others

• OnePlusOne: UK charity focused on relationship support research, training, and digital self-help resources (e.g., the 'Relationship Moments' and 'Argue Better' programmes). Comparable as a sector peer in the UK relationship support ecosystem, even though it does not deliver face-to-face therapy.
• British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP): UK professional body that registers and accredits counsellors and psychotherapists, including those working at Relationship Works. Relevant as a sector/ecosystem participant that defines the regulatory and ethical framework under which the charity operates.

Direct peers

• Marriage Care: UK charity providing relationship counselling and psychosexual therapy for couples and individuals, with a national network of counsellors. Overlaps directly with Relationship Works' core services of relationship counselling and sex therapy, and competes for similar self-referred clients.
• Tavistock Relationships: Long-standing London-based charity delivering relationship counselling, sex therapy, and family therapy, with a parallel focus on training and research. Direct service-line overlap (couples, sex therapy, family work) and a similar charity model make it one of the closest direct peers.
• TLC: Talk Listen Change: National UK relationships charity that Relationship Works joined in December 2025; offers relationship counselling, support for domestic abuse, and family intervention services across the UK, making it the most direct comparability anchor for both service mix and operating model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Relate Avon