Healthy Relationships
Section Summary
This section talks about the importance of relationships for our mental health. Learn more about topics such as:
- Types of healthy relationships and how to foster them
- Unhealthy relationships and their impact on mental health
Healthy Connections and Relationships
Healthy connections with others can promote a positive cycle in one’s life. Healthy connections can improve mental health, while better mental health can improve connections with others. Learn more about the different ways we can foster healthy connections in our lives!
Friendships, Family, & Connection
The following links talk more about how relationships impact our mental health:
- Learn what a positive relationship looks like, how relationships may impact our mental health, how family may impact our mental health, how friendships impact our mental health, and how to build more positive connections.
- Learn more about the health benefits of healthy connections, the impacts of loneliness, how to improve connections, and how to make new ones.
- Learn tips to support loved ones who may be experiencing challenges with mental health.
- Learn more about what abuse experienced by a child might look like, how it may affect their mental, physical, and behavioral health, risk factors, and how to get help.
School Dynamics
Many schools within Clackamas County's ten school districts provide on-site mental health counseling and other support. Check with the school counselor and find out what resources are available, possibly free.
Clackamas County School Districts
Youth ages 14 and over can, by law, access mental health services without their parents' consent. Oregon law protects the confidentiality of records associated with treatment but creates exceptions for disclosures to the minor’s parents and other third parties under specified circumstances.
Teachers and administrators may feel as if youth experiencing mental health struggles are increasing more rapidly than in history.
- Learn what educators should know, what to look for, what to do in the classroom and school, how to develop a more effective school mental health program, and more ways to support students and their families.
- Learn how life outside of school can affect behaviors in school, how the COVID/Pandemic affected students, statistics, and the possible barriers.
- Learn ways to support your mental health as an educator and how to support your peers.
Bullying has harmful effects all around. How bullying is done and how it affects youth may look a bit different than it used to.
- Learn more about the effects on mental health experienced by those who get bullied and those who bully.
- Learn how to recognize bullying, how to help youth experiencing it, the effects it may have, and how to support bullying prevention.
- Learn about cyberbullying, federal laws, how schools can help, and what kids can do.
Romantic Relationships
Determining why to, how to, when to, or not to talk about your experience, diagnosis, or needs regarding mental health can be challenging.
- Learn more about navigating this challenge and tips on addressing mental health with a current or potential partner and circumstances to consider.
- Learn tips on what to look out for and tips for our partners on how to be a better support.
Unhealthy Relationships
Being in an unhealthy relationship may promote the development of symptoms of mental health diagnosis, including, but not limited to, anxiety and depression. Additionally, being in an unhealthy relationship can promote existing challenges we may already be experiencing with mental health.
Being in a relationship, family, or friendship with someone experiencing narcissistic personality disorder or narcissistic tendencies can sneak up on us and potentially lead to long-term unhelpful challenges to our mental health.
Teens and tweens may experience abuse in a relationship.
- A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discovered approximately one out of 12 high schoolers in the US experienced physical violence, and one out of 12 experienced sexual violence.
- Learn the types of abuse/violence, how to recognize a healthy vs. unhealthy relationship, signs of abuse, effects of unhealthy relationships, increased vulnerability, and how to get out.
Recognizing that we are in an unhealthy relationship can be challenging. Figuring out how to navigate our exit can feel intimidating or even impossible. However, there are options, support, and hope.
Resources
Clackamas Women’s Services (CWS)
In partnership with A Safe Place, CWS provides a broad range of free services to all genders, sexual orientations, ages, and immigration statuses who are currently or previously experienced domestic violence, sexual violence, stalking, child abuse, elder abuse, sexual exploitation, and trafficking.
Call: (24 hour support line): 888-654-2288
Address: A Safe Place Family Justice Center, 256 Warner Milne Rd, Oregon City, OR 97045
A Safe Place provides free support in educating about abuse, how to get and stay safe, court process and legal issues, financial empowerment, access to counseling and support groups, and housing resources, filing for temporary order of protection, or police report.
Hours of operation: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm (Monday-Thursday) & 8:00 am - 1:00 PM (Friday)
Address: 256 Warner Milne Rd. Oregon City, OR 97045
Translation available on webpage bottom right. Support services in Spanish, Russian, Farsi, and Arabic