Explore Effective Self-Compassion Techniques Today Sometimes the hardest person to be gentle with is ourselves. Dear Survivor, You give so much to others. You show up with patience, with grace, with understanding. But when it’s your own pain, your own healing, you tighten up. The self compassion you deserve often gets buried under old stories […]
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from discernmentcounseling.org Discernment Counseling for Those Preparing to Leave—or Hoping to Stay People usually keep doubts about their marriage to themselves. Here we’re not talking about ordinary concerns about the relationship or even feeling in a stuck pattern—instead, we’re talking about worries about whether the marriage will survive. This is scary to think about. If
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It’s commonly believed that when people enter the legal divorce process, they have come to accept the reality that divorce is inevitable. Divorce Isn’t Always a Done Deal Even therapists and lawyers tend to assume that once divorce papers are filed, ambivalence about divorcing is over and the only task ahead is to help couples
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We’ve seen people in your shoes—a spouse announces a divorce—make a bunch of mistakes when it comes to talking with others. One mistake is to not tell anyone, often out of shame or to avoid recognizing the threat at real. The result is isolation and stewing in one’s juices. A second mistake is to tell
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Understanding Empathy Overload and Its Effects Caring deeply is not the problem. Carrying it all alone might be. Dear Colleague, You listen to trauma stories every day. You hold space for grief, fear, rage, and despair. You try to be present, steady, and safe. And some days, that gets harder. That heaviness you feel? It
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Finding Mental Health Support After a Breakup Leaving was not just about heartbreak. It was about survival. Dear Survivor, A woman once told me that after she left, people treated it like a typical breakup. They asked if she was dating again. They encouraged her to get over it. What they did not see were
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Understanding Sexual Coercion and Its Impact If it was not a choice, it was not consent. Dear Colleague, Sexual coercion does not always look like force. Sometimes it sounds like “If you really loved me…” or “Everyone else would do this for their partner.” Sometimes it is the cold shoulder until compliance. Or the fear
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Steps to Achieve Mental Health Recovery and Wellness Small routines can become acts of radical healing. Dear Survivor, One client used to dread the sound of her alarm. Mornings were once filled with anxiety, bracing for criticism, rushing to meet impossible demands, or waiting for the first blow of disapproval. Even after she left, her
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Understanding Gaslighting Recovery for Survivors The most radical thing we can do is believe them. Dear Colleague, Gaslighting is not just deception. It is distortion. It erodes a survivor’s trust in their own memory, emotions, and instincts. Over time, this tactic chips away at their ability to name harm, speak up, or even trust their
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Emotional Abuse Recovery: Healing from the Past Grieving the good moments does not mean you asked for the bad ones. Dear Survivor, One survivor said it best: “If he had been awful all the time, I would have left sooner.” She remembered the way he made her laugh, the quiet nights when he held her,
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