Sometimes women will say they believe their partner behaves the way he does because he has mental health concerns. Men who are abusive are sometimes diagnosed as having a personality disorder or of being bipolar. Men who are abusive may blame their hurtful behaviour on being depressed. This is very confusing for women; if their …
“Mental Illness” or Abuse – Helping a Woman Discern the Difference Read More »
Sometimes friends and family give women, who have experienced abuse, ultimatums. For example, “If you move back in with him, I won’t talk to you anymore.” Often when friends and family do this, they think that they are doing some version of “tough love”. Perhaps they are not doing a good job of managing their …
Survivors need to be given a choice not an ultimatum Read More »
Stockholm Syndrome was coined 40 years ago at the end of a six-day bank siege in Stockholm, Sweden. Sometimes women who are experiencing abuse from their partner wonder if they are experiencing Stockholm Syndrome because they feel a certain alliance with their partner. They may also be worried about their partner and care about what …
Sometimes women impacted by abuse wonder if their expectations are too high. In our experience this is not true. Rather, it seems that over time, abuse lowers a woman’s expectations. For example, she starts out expecting that her partner will respect her feelings but over time he does not and so she gradually lets go …
What should we be able to expect in our relationships? Read More »
We had been married 15 years. Things had been very hard for a long time. I knew there was something really wrong but I did not know what it was. I did what I think most women would do, I sought out couple’s counselling for us. I went to couple’s counselling hoping it would make …
His goal in couples counselling was to gain more control over me Read More »
In 2016 Danielle Smith, with Newstalk 770 on the AM dial, interviewed us about our 3rd edition…
The When Love Hurts team was recently on What She Said and we had a great time with Kate Wheeler…
Our interview with Allison Dore and Arthur Simeon on Ward and Al…
We were so excited at the opportunity to be interviewed this morning on the national CTV morning show. The 3rd edition of When Love Hurts was launched last week…
Have you ever thought, “if I could just say the ‘right’ thing to my partner, then he would finally ‘get it’, understand and change?” Have you ever wondered if somehow you could make your relationship better if you just had the right combination of words… or tone of voice… or proper explanation? Abusive men often …
Struggling to find the “right” words so your partner will stop hurting you? Read More »
If asked, most counsellors will say that they have training in abuse but it is not part of the standard curriculum for most counselling programs. So, how can you figure out if your counsellor really does understand abuse or simply thinks they understand? Here are a few things you could look for: Do they hold …
4 signs your counsellor might have training in abuse Read More »
I just heard a great interview with Marie Corbett on CBC radio. She was a judge who felt powerless and so she retired in the hopes of bringing about change from outside the system. That is pretty remarkable – for a judge to feel powerless. Where does that leave one, individual woman, seeking justice in …
Retired judge, Marie Corbett, felt ‘powerless’ over crime. Read More »
