The Lifeworks Group, Inc.

By: Megan Brewer, LMHC   Did you grow up in a home with psychological abuse? For as long as Jane could remember, she struggled with depression and anxiety. After carrying her struggles on her own for years, she decided to seek the help of a counselor. As Jane began to explore her feelings and the stories attached to them, she and her counselor started talking about the kind of home she remembered growing up in. “My home life was OK,” she said. “We were never physically abused or anything like that, and my parents provided for what we needed.” But as Jane continued to explore and unpack the relational dynamics of her childhood home, a different story began to emerge. While her father was involved in different areas of her life, she remembered being afraid of him most of the time. She remembered fragments of memories about how her dad used to treat her mom, and it never seemed right. It often felt confusing to think about. No one outside of the family seemed to really know abou...

By: Brian Murray LMHC, NCC   An abusive person is someone who has issues with power and control in a relationship. The abuse can come in many forms such as emotional, physical, sexual, and financial just to name a few. Knowing what to look for with abusive behaviors can help you build better relationships. The early warning signs can serve as red flags that the person you are involved with is not healthy. This goes beyond the occasional conflict that most couples encounter and reasonably resolve. This is about behavioral clues that indicate someone is abusive, manipulating, and possibly dangerous. We all get angry at times, however if you are married or involved with someone who frequently manipulates to the point where you’re belittled, criticized, called names, physically harmed, and begin to feel concern for your safety and well-being that should be enough to signal it’s time to end the relationship and get out. Listed below are 15 points to help you build awareness and ...