Between Us is an app designed to help people have a better relationship with their partner. It has been created by Tavistock Relationships, an organisation based in London, UK, which has been helping couples for more than 70 years.
The app provides individuals and couples with a range of exercises, tips, videos and information so that they can better understand what’s going wrong in their relationship and do something about it.
One of the ways in which the app works is by helping partners in a relationship to reflect together, and more constructively, on their difficulties. A number of the topics on the app ask the user a short series of questions, about themselves, and then also about their partner.
As you use the app, you will be asked if you would like to share your answers with a nominated other (i.e. your partner). This is optional and can be reversed at any time. If you would like to use the app in order to understand one another better we recommend that you use this option. The only data shared between you and your partner will be your answers to the particular topic questions in the app where you have allowed sharing to take place.
The content on the app is divided into ‘Topic bundles’. Each bundle contains a number of topics (or exercises).
So, for example, the Topic Bundle called “Looking at how you communicate as a couple” contains the Topics called “Improving communication between you” and “Looking at what’s stopping you communicating well”.
While the Topic Bundle called “Your past, present and future as a couple” contains the Topics called “Working out what’s really causing problems between you”, “It’s not all bad: focusing on the best things about your relationships” and “How to avoid slipping back into old relationship habits”.
Some of the topics are exercise-based, for example asking you questions about your experience, and that of your partner; or using a structured set of prompts in order to give you and your partner the opportunity to express yourselves clearly.
Other topics are video-based, where you can watch short videos designed to help you and your partner reflect on some of the underlying issues which might be driving conflict between you. And some of the topics are more skill-based, providing you with information about different techniques which you might want to try in order to improve communication and closeness between you and your partner.
The material in this app has been derived a model of couple therapy which has been used successfully for many years in the National Health Service in England to help people who are experiencing relationship difficulties.
The app is confidential and anything you and your partner write in the app is private and stays between you, should you choose to share your entries.
