Does the abuse stop once you leave a controlling relationship?
Most people believe that leaving an abusive relationship is the ultimate step in ending coercive control and will put a stop to the abuse. Sadly, the reality is that the abuse doesn’t necessarily end when you walk away. In fact,…
The Common Indicators of Emotional Abuse You Need to Know
Emotional abuse can have a profound impact on a partner and leave deep scars that last a lifetime. While it is often considered less serious than physical abuse, it can be just as damaging to mental health and well-being. Emotional…
Recognise Excessive Closeness and Move Towards Healthy Independence
Enmeshment describes family relationships, particularly between parents and children, that are intertwined in unhealthy ways. Enmeshed families may appear very loving from the outside, but that love is often based on a sense of guilt and obligation. Generally, we can…
Understand the Impact of Unmet Core Emotional Needs
While not an official diagnosis, Childhood Emotional Neglect (CEN) is becoming a more common term within the psychological sphere. It is different from childhood abuse in that there is no overt trauma, no physical involvement, no verbal abuse and name…
Develop Compassion Through Understanding-Acceptance-Forgiveness
Self-esteem is built on a sense of compassion towards ourselves. When you can understand and accept yourself, you can see yourself clearly and stop rejecting parts of yourself or repeatedly criticize yourself for perceived inadequacies. When you make a mistake,…
How to Recognise and Deal with Difficult Family Dynamics
Many people grow up in families with less than ideal parenting. While abusive parental behaviour is relatively easy to identify, often the emotional damage may come from less obvious behaviours such as parental neglect, unrealistic or developmentally inappropriate expectations put…
Learn to Differentiate Healthy Expectations from Shoulds and Perfectionism
Very often in therapy I find myself discussing with clients the disappointment and self-blame they experience when their personal expectations are not met. In addition, many people have a lot of difficulty discriminating what is and what isn’t a realistic…
A Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Boundaries
Saying No is one of the main ways through which we delineate and maintain our personal boundaries. The concept that we can refuse something is central to maintaining healthy relationships and to our understanding of what we are and aren’t…
Recognising and Breaking Out of Damaging Relationship Patterns
Often clients come to therapy to deal with relationship difficulties. Even though we cannot engage in relationship counselling with only one individual in the room, there is much to discuss about the nature of relationships, communication patterns and power dynamics…