It’s often said that “clarifying the issues” is key to resolving healthy conflict. If mature, communication is critical to a good relationship, then constantly confusing conversations without resolve is the catalyst to an unhealthy one. When a person regularly uses stonewalling to avoid authentic communication, it often causes confusion and obstructs meaningful communication and connection.…
Choosing to seek couple’s counseling once the abuser has thoroughly worked through their issues is one of the most challenging and courageous things you can do for your relationship while you consider reconciling. Couple’s counseling with an expert therapist that confronts abuse and its dynamics and the occasional setbacks and successes can be extremely beneficial…
For couples experiencing relationship issues that they can’t seem to solve on their own, seeking marital counseling is often the expected next step to take. However, while couple’s counseling has been proven to do great, transformative work among many, it is not the solution to every relational problem. Here’s what you need to consider when…
Last week on the blog, we described ways in which some individuals spiritually abuse their partners. But spiritual abuse is not simply an issue between couples— institutional spiritual abuse can occur within any faith-based or religious organization. It can happen at the hands of leaders of organizations or within their congregation between members of community…
Religious and spiritual leaders when well trained can offer valuable support to victims. Spiritual leaders and authority figures can also inadvertently or intentionally wield spiritual abuse. We are going to talk about institutional spiritual abuse in our next blog. This week however we will address how spiritual abuse can also occur in relationships as a…
We are all first responders at some point in our lives. We are mothers, fathers, siblings, professionals, and friends. As a first responder to abuse, at some point, you will likely face the opportunity to confront a person about their abusive personality and behavior. Whether the abuser is a client, co-worker, family member, or friend,…
We hear a lot about female victims of abuse, but not as much talk about male victims. But at least 1 in 7 men are victims of intimate partner violence and need quality resources to help them heal from these destructive relationships. Many misjudge how challenging it is for men to leave their abusers, just…
Every marriage has its own unique joys and challenges, and it rarely aligns with our expectations. Comparisons we draw from entertainment and other relationships we witness between friends and family can set us up to believe that marriage should look a specific way. While there are certain things that should be constant within a relationship…
One thing abusers have in common is that they will try to make their bad behavior seem good somehow, either internally to themselves or outwardly to their victim and to the world. Through this endeavor, abusers may do things like justifying, covering-up, scapegoating, blaming, and much more. Today, we want to highlight a Covert Emotional…
In light of this week being National Women’s Health Week and Mental Health Awareness Month, we want to take this opportunity to highlight the importance of mental health in women and its relationship to abuse. Cultivating strong mental health is critical for personal growth and maintaining physical well-being. It is also important to prioritize your…