When I was a new social worker, I spent my first few years working at a psychiatric hospital.  After several years, I ended up taking a job at an agency that worked to end domestic violence. Suddenly, I went from primarily focusing on mental health to being part of the world of domestic violence education and prevention.

I absolutely loved it. I've worked with offenders and I've worked with the victims and their families in different capacities for the past six years. A common theme I've seen as I work with victims and survivors of domestic violence is they didn't realize how unhealthy their partners were until things escalated to physical violence.

I felt led to write an article about the early warning signs of potential domestic violence to help educate others. Many of us understand that physical violence is not okay, but so many people (including professionals) don't always identify signs like excessive jealousy or playful aggression as red flags early on in the relationship.

So if you have a moment, feel free to check out my article on Family Share and help educate your friends, families and loved ones how to seek healthy relationships and avoid the unsafe ones!