How do you know when you are ready to date again after leaving an abusive relationship?

It is common that folks find themselves in two camps:

• I will never date again as long as I live
• I jumped into a relationship too fast and found myself another abusive, narcissistic A-hole

But, for those of you in the middle, this question comes up often.  

There is no one right way to make this decision, however there are some commonalities in the things you need to see within yourself in order to best make this decision.  Because there is not one right way, I asked two friends and colleagues to join me in a conversation looking at all the things to think about when starting to dip your toe into the water of dating.

Maggie VanDenBerg is a Marriage and Family Therapist and Approved Clinical Supervisor. She specializes in working with trauma survivors who have been affected by emotional and narcissistic abuse. She also specializes in perinatal mental health, couples therapy, and working with parents of young children. She contracts with Arvada Therapy Solutions, Trade Winds Therapy, and has her own private practice, Magpie Therapy and Consultation. She is passionate about normalizing the complexities of abuse, relationships, and parenthood.

Joanna Baanana has been a guest on The Rising Beyond Podcast before (ep 68) where you can learn more about her experiences.

Joanna shares about herself: In March of 2019, after an incident involving police and the removal of guns from my marital home, I began a journey that no one expects to be on. I became a client at the local domestic violence shelter - Safe Futures in Southeastern Connecticut. I filed for the dissolution of my marriage and obtained a restraining order. I also became a plaintiff in the civil family court system.

While my civil family court exposure is ongoing, I have decided to be a part of the solution as opposed to simply complaining about the injustices I see. Because of this, I am a founding member of the VOICES Committee for The Center for Safe Futures. I am on the Advisory Board of the Connecticut Protective Moms Non-Profit. I have been certified as a DV Crisis Counselor. I am a Girl Scout leader. And I’ve written my first book, a memoir, which I hope to be published by 2025.

Books Mentioned:
Heart Talk by Cleo Wade
https://

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