Marriage Counseling for Verbally Abusive Relationships
Verbal abuse is harder to see than physical or sexual abuse because there no marks, but the effects are just as devastating. If you ever had your partner call you stupid, put you down or yell at you excessively, you have been in a verbally abusive relationship. You can choose to get help for yourself and for your relationship, but make sure you choose a therapist who is familiar with abuse.
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Separate Sessions
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According to Patricia Evans, it is important to the see the couple in individual sessions. It is often helpful for the abused client to begin treatment first because then the counselor will know some of the issues before her abuser joins them. The abused client tends to be more nervous and timid in front of her abuser, and this helps her relax and share freely.
Get Angry, not Denial
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It is imperative to get the abused client out of denial and feeling angry. If she feels angry, she knows there is a problem and that she something to work on.
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Survival Skills
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Because the abused client has been codependent on the abuser for so long, she lacks survival skills and doesn't know how to implement strategies on her own. The therapist must teach her how to be responsible so she and her children do not get harmed by her abuser.
Raising Self-Esteem
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The client's self-esteem has become so frayed that the counselor wants to build it back up by encouraging her and never pressuring her. The counselor will try to remind her that getting help is a great start.
Intensive Trauma Therapy
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The abuser often needs intensive trauma therapy to help recover the lost parts of himself that he is projecting onto his partner. He also may attend anger management sessions, which will help him see the effects of the abuse.
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