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Self-Assessment --Do You Need Counseling, and/or to Make A Change?These warning signs have been adapted from various sources, including National CASA Association, the State of Idaho (Idaho Department of Health & Welfare, Family and Children's Services), and others. Instructions: Check the behaviors and attitudes that are familiar to you, and add any others. No one is completely free of them, but if you check several or all -- or if your situation makes you uncomfortable -- carefully reconsider your circumstances and/or consider obtaining counseling. Not all behaviors/attitudes need to be present for your situation to be unhealthy for you or your children. A detrimental situation doesn't have to involve physical or sexual abuse. Sometimes an inability to communicate effectively can irreparably damage family relationships. (See the Safer Child Communication page for more.) So listen to your gut: If you need help, please seek it immediately. It's OK to Get Counseling: It's not just OK to get counseling; sometimes it can drastically improve life for you and your family. Unresolved past or current issues have a knack for continually rearing their heads in confusing, frightening, unhelpful or even dangerous ways. Counseling can't make bad history disappear, but it might help you better understand and cope more effectively. Don't think you need to be wealthy to obtain quality counseling. Most communities have resources available to people of all income levels. Don't wait. For your sake, and for the sake of your children, seek help now. And if you know of someone who's in need of intervention, please either encourage that person to get help from a trained professional -- or if the person is a child, call the police or your state's protective services. You can do this anonymously (and you should know that, by U.S. law, anyone who suspects that a child is being abused must report it). Remember, it's hard for an abused person to leave, or sometimes to even recognize that help is needed. Please don't turn your back. Are you suffering from postpartum depression? If you've given birth within the last year and are suffering some of the symptoms below, consider taking a look at the Safer Child Postpartum Depression page. You might be suffering from an undiagnosed case.
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