Professional Counselling: Therapist Elly Prior Explains How Mental Health Issues Impact Relationships

The Short Version: On ProfessionalCounselling.com, Elly Prior writes authoritative relationship advice based on decades of counseling experience. She offers deep insights into how anxiety disorders, nervous breakdowns, depression, and other mental issues can impact your personal life. Her blog’s positive tone and proactive solutions give committed partners a path to overcoming mental troubles, from going through a breakup to dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder. Beyond the blog, Professional Counselling offers interactive and step-by-step guidance through online therapy courses that show singles and couples how to express emotions, get over a failed relationship, and find happiness in every stage of life.

After growing up in the Netherlands, Elly Prior moved to the UK and began working as an operating theater technician. In 1987, she honed her communication skills as volunteer telephone counselor. Her passion for talking people through their problems soon led to a fruitful career as a therapist. In 1991, Elly qualified as a couples counselor for RELATE, a respected therapy agency in the UK, where she was trained to deal with domestic violence, addictions, grief counseling, and youth counseling.

Retired therapist Elly Prior started an online resource for relationship health.

Over the years, Elly has challenged herself in many different work environments, including a doctor’s surgery, a playhouse theater, and a police station. She spent 12 years as a trauma specialist for the police and then 11 years as a school counselor for grammar schools.

In 1992, aiming to help couples with their relationships, Elly opened her own private counseling practice for clients facing a range of personal issues.

“I still love doing it,” she told us. “I still love counseling.”

Her experience as a relationship therapist gave her insight into how mental health can affect relationships. Elly felt she had a breadth of knowledge to share with committed partners everywhere, so she began publishing her advice online in 2001. She focused on the intersection of mental health and relationships, tackling hot topics like how to enter a relationship and how to make love last.

After 22 years, Elly retired from her private practice and now puts all her time and energy into her website, ProfessionalCounselling.com. She spends her days filling the blog with valuable tips on getting over a breakup, living with an alcoholic, apologizing to a partner, and other personal matters. From natural sleep remedies to self-hypnosis, Elly offers do-it-yourself solutions to lift your mood, improve your relationships, and better know yourself.

The seasoned therapist enjoys sharing her expertise with thousands of readers across the world. “When you retire, your knowledge is shelved, and I think that is such a waste,” she said. “It’s so rewarding to know I have a place to put all I learned over the years.”

Whether you’re looking for a pep talk or an informational resource, Elly’s counseling enlightens and encourages readers around the world.

Professional Counselling fills a need in the dating world. An objective expert can identify and correct self-defeating relationship behaviors, but not everyone feels comfortable going to therapy in person. Elly’s website provides a safe, confidential, and private place to learn about mental disorders and how they affect relationships.

Every day, more than 14,000 visitors come to ProfessionalCounselling.com seeking answers to very personal questions ranging from “Should I leave my partner?” to “How do I treat my depression?” To the best of her ability, Elly directs her audience to the information, support, and assistance they need to recover and thrive. Her in-depth assessments of emotional topics give readers a strong foundation to build on.

On the Your Relationship Matters Blog, Elly writes up thoughtful pieces full of relationship and life advice. She’s expanded on various subjects, including being bored with life and helping children through a divorce, to give her readers a frame of reference for all kinds of everyday issues. At the bottom of the page, you can rate her article with one to five stars to let her know how well she explained the subject and how helpful you found her recommendations.

“The star ratings are a great way for me know if I answered the searcher’s intent,” she said. “That feedback helps me to really deliver what people want and are looking for.”

“I am so happy to know that there are skilled, knowledgeable individuals like yourself helping all of those confused in relationships.” — Kate, a reader of ProfessionalCounselling.com

Helping Elly craft what she means to say is Caroline, her virtual assistant and editor. “She thinks alongside me,” Elly told us. “I’m not a native English speaker so she helps me hone my voice and perfect my language.”

Over the years, this two-person team has produced page after page of helpful information for singles and couples around the world. Whatever emotional challenges you encounter in your relationships, from infidelity to nervous breakdowns, Elly is there to support people building stable loving partnerships and a strong mental foundation.

“The joy is finding people who find the information on my site useful,” she said. “The information is available for anybody, but I’m really aiming to help people in committed relationships.”

As her website grew, Elly saw an opportunity to expand her online presence and create a comprehensive resource for anyone looking to improve their relationships. The trained therapist began offering online programs and courses with step-by-step assistance in matters of the heart.

Whether you’re hoping to get over a past love or communicate better with a current partner, Elly outlines many corrective measures and supportive advice for singles and couples. These engaging courses give her readers more in-depth and instructive guidance. Her Comprehensive Relationship Test, for example, provides a compatibility test and targeted feedback to help couples decide whether to stay in a relationship or move on to greener pastures.

Elly makes her relationship expertise available in online presentations, quizzes, and exercises.

You can sign up for a course on Professional Counselling and go at your own pace through clearly organized sections of fun, interesting, and informative content. From worksheets to develop your communication skills to downloadable Powerpoint presentations on emotions, Elly offers a structured path for singles and couples to follow and help themselves through simple online courses. It’s a great way to get effective and confidential counseling on your own time.

“My guide offers a most affordable way to get professional tips and advice at your fingertips,” Elly wrote about her Advanced Communication Kit for Couples. “You’ll acquire genuinely valuable relationship skills that will last a lifetime.”

On the site’s testimonials page, readers and clients heap praise on Elly for her consultative support, couples counseling, and other achievements throughout her career. From police sergeants to chartered physiotherapists, many have reason to feel grateful to Elly for her helping hand and steady support.

“The guidance I had from Elly Prior was fantastic,” wrote Sonny, a former client. “She not only helped me find myself but also put me back on the road to what I wanna aspire to.”

“I’m not looking for personal help or advice. I just wanted to say thank you. I’ve only read a few pages of your website, and I love it.” — Ange, a reader of ProfessionalCounselling.com

Elly’s caring and down-to-earth tone makes her audience that much more receptive to her astute advice. She approaches each sensitive topic with open-minded and solution-based counseling. By combining information with empathy, Professional Counselling fosters a safe space for anyone to learn, grow, and work through issues in the privacy of their own homes.

“I always thought speaking to a complete stranger about my problems would be incredibly difficult. I still do, but you seem gentle in your approach,” Ange said in a thank-you message to Elly. “I imagine your website to have helped many people, from your tone alone.”

Elly breaks down complex emotional issues with a personable approach and sound psychology. Packed with helpful information, Professional Counselling is a comprehensive and trustworthy place to learn the fundamentals of relationships and mental health issues.

After decades of experience working with a diverse set of people, Elly now applies her vast knowledge as a therapist to common relationship struggles and mental health troubles. In her retirement, she virtually assists committed partners through tough times with a positive attitude and holistic solutions. Her interactive courses and educational content bolster her mission to give singles and couples the tools they need to thrive in their relationships and in life.

“My work on the website is hugely rewarding,” Elly said. “Instead of helping just one or two people a day, I reach thousands every day, so I’m really pleased about that.”