Francesca ter Poorten 2026-10-26 Francesca ter Poorten 2026-10-26

Letter from an angry woman to a conflict-avoidant man:

There is a painful cycle that can develop in a relationship when one person avoids conflict through dishonesty. The dishonesty creates insecurity and mistrust. The hurt person becomes angry and asks questions, seeking reassurance and the truth. The anger then becomes the focus, while the original dishonesty fades into the background. The person who lied may feel justified in avoiding the next difficult conversation, and the person who was hurt becomes increasingly frustrated and distrustful.

Francesca ter Poorten 2025-04-25 Francesca ter Poorten 2025-04-25

The Fade: after a psychedelic experience

Francesca ter Poorten 2022-10-13 Francesca ter Poorten 2022-10-13

What to do if your teen runs away

Francesca ter Poorten 2022-09-16 Francesca ter Poorten 2022-09-16

The benefits of online counselling

Francesca ter Poorten 2022-09-16 Francesca ter Poorten 2022-09-16

Anxiety

Francesca ter Poorten 2022-09-15 Francesca ter Poorten 2022-09-15

Know your worth, no matter what

Francesca ter Poorten 2022-09-09 Francesca ter Poorten 2022-09-09

Stop avoiding difficult emotions

Negative emotions can be difficult, even painful at times. That's especially true if we were exposed to high levels of stress or criticism as children and learned to suppress or check out as a coping mechanism. Negative emotions are impossible to avoid, though.