For Paddy Millard, a volunteer relationship counsellor, the most fulfilling part of her job is being able to help couples improve their lives and enabling them to steer their relationship back on track.

Paddy works as a counsellor for Relate and at the Croydon branch of the organisation Marriage Care, which was founded in 1946.

She says: "I became a counsellor because I wanted to give a bit back and try to help those in need.

"I can't wave a magic wand but any improvement is a positive thing. What we do is to help them to find a way of managing their relationship and improving their lives."

Paddy, whose background is in psychology, became a counsellor four years ago and says it is a job which requires patience, good listening skills and the ability to be able to put yourself in somebody else's shoes.

She believes the mistake many people make is thinking that seeing a marriage counsellor is a sign of failure. This can mean that for some couples help comes far too late.

"Seeing a counsellor doesn't mean that you are failure, if something isn't right then it needs fixing," she says.

"It's very sad when you see a couple who have left it too late and really can't be helped."

In her role, Paddy, from Redhill, makes it clear she is not there to give advice but rather to help couples find the answers for themselves.

"All we do is help them to explore all the possibilities for change. We empower people to explore what is going on for themselves."

Marriage Care also runs pre-marriage courses with engaged couples exploring issues such as commitment, communication and conflict management.

National marriage week runs until Friday. To find out more about Croydon's Marriage Care branch call 020 7371 1341.