My latest blog is up here: https://www.thegrouphug.com/2020/10/29/controlling/ Going to court with a controlling ex is never easy and sometimes you can feel as though you are being rail-roaded into it. It can cost you a fortune (money that ideally could be spent on creating a happier future for you and Read more…
Caz came to see me after struggling to maintain boundaries with her husband who she had separated from a few months earlier. They saw each other regularly when he came to see the children and he had moved on to another relationship, but for Caz it was almost as if Read more…
Gaslighting is a really powerful tactic of abuse and has been around forever, but it has only been discussed more openly in the past few years. It is one of the most powerful brainwashing techniques that abusers use – it may be subtle but what it does is make you Read more…
The months, and perhaps even years, of stress and overwhelm can take it’s toll on your confidence and self-esteem. When you are in an unhappy relationship you can have little energy, time or inspiration for yourself . If you are in a controlling relationship you might not be ‘allowed’ to Read more…
Julie came to see me as she wanted to divorce her husband and had been wanting this for many years, but for some reason, there was always something stopping her from taking that first step. Julie was clear that her marriage was over but needed someone to support her and Read more…
Leaving any relationship is difficult – being the one to make the final decision, having to have ‘that’ conversation with your partner, there is no getting away from it, choosing to leave someone who has effectively controlled most if not all of your life for some time is scary. Here Read more…
I am delighted to introduce Cheryl Lee-White a local parenting blogger who has kindly written this blog all about self-care, which is sooo important! Time Out for You Taking time out for you and implementing a self-care routine is probably one of the best things you can do as a Read more…
Rachel found me after reaching out to her local domestic abuse organisation for advice. Unfortunately due to the way they are funded they were unable to help as she wasn’t local to them but they referred her to a similar service in her local area for support. However, after speaking Read more…
Yesterday I was watching Lorraine on GMTV https://www.itv.com/lorraine talking about domestic abuse and she mentioned a phrase that a previous survivor of domestic abuse had described: ‘I wasn’t bruised on the outside, but I was black and blue on the inside’. This phrase literally blew me away. It was the Read more…
How are you adjusting? Are you adjusting to the lockdown measures? In our house we all seem to have transitioned quite well -though we are only just about at the end of week 1, it might not feel like that by week 3! It seems there might be increased restrictions Read more…