Summer Mental Health Support for Survivors Summer can bring sunshine, but it also brings risk for many survivors. Dear Colleague, Summer Custody and Co-Parenting Conflicts Custody arrangements often change during the summer months. These transitions can open the door to manipulation, emotional threats, and increased contact with abusive ex-partners. Survivors may feel trapped in patterns […]
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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Narcissistic abuse doesn’t always leave bruises—but it leaves deep marks on your mind, heart, and sense of self. Dear Survivor, If you’ve ever walked away from a relationship feeling small, confused, or like you no longer recognized yourself, you are not alone. Many survivors struggle to understand what happened, especially when the abuse wasn’t loud
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Therapy is not about fixing what’s broken, it’s about reclaiming what was taken. Dear Survivor, If you’ve been hurt by someone who was supposed to love you, the idea of trusting a therapist might feel scary or even impossible. Many survivors ask, Is therapy for abuse survivors actually helpful? The truth is, therapy can be
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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Leaving isn’t about strength or weakness, it’s about safety, timing, and having the right support. Dear Survivor, If the words “I need help leaving an abusive relationship” have echoed in your mind or left your lips, please know this: your voice matters. Saying it, even silently, is a powerful act of truth-telling. You are not
Gaslighting doesn’t just distort your memory, it teaches you to mistrust yourself, and therapy can help you get that trust back. Dear Survivor, Gaslighting is one of the most insidious forms of emotional abuse. It doesn’t leave bruises, but it erodes your sense of reality, one subtle moment at a time. You may have been
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The most powerful healing begins when you stop trying to be who they wanted and start becoming who you are. Dear Survivor, If you’ve been in a relationship with a narcissistic partner, you know the damage goes far beyond words. You were likely blamed for everything, made to question your every memory, and convinced that
Healing begins when you feel seen, not when you have all the answers. Dear Survivor, Searching for a therapist for emotional abuse recovery can feel overwhelming. Maybe you’ve never shared your story before. Maybe you’re unsure if it “counts” as abuse. Or maybe you’ve tried therapy before and didn’t feel understood. The good news is
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