Living Well 2020Cultivating Healthy Relationships

Cultivating Healthy Relationships and How to Help a FriendIt can be difficult to know how to support a friend who is in an unhealthy or abusive relationship. You may want them to leave their partner, yet they may choose to stay in the relationship for reasons not yet understood by you. Here are some ways we can cultivate healthy relationships and support friends who may be experiencing an unhealthy or abusive relationship.How to Grow Healthy Relationships

Treat others the way they want to be treated. If you are unsure what this looks like for someone, ask them.

Communicate your boundaries and let others know how you would like to be treated.

Hold yourself accountable for your actions and make intentions to improve in the future.

Don’t ignore problems that may arise, talk about them.

Listen to the other person’s perspectives and share your own perspectives.

How to Help Someone in an Unhealthy or Abusive Relationship

Be a good friend and practice active listening skills.

Be respectful and supportive; do not give your friend an ultimatum requiring they leave the relationship.

Listen patiently and openly; don’t try to place blame on your friend or fix the relationship.

Say that you are concerned for your friend’s safety and want to help.

Help your friend understand that the abuse is not normal and is not their fault.

You don’t have to have all the answers, ask them what you can do to help.

Connect your friend to resources for assistance and guidance.

Encourage your friend to work with a professional to develop a safety plan.

Avoid confrontations with the abuser. This could be dangerous for you and your friend.

Is your Friend an Abuser? Are you concerned that a friend is hurting others? What can you do?

Learn the warning signs of abuse.

Help your friend recognize their unhealthy and abusive behaviors.

Do not support your friend’s attempts to blame the victim for the abuse.

Do not minimize the severity of the behavior.

Connect your friend to resources for counseling and assistance with changing learned behaviors.

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