Couples deserve to succeed, but there are certain types of relationships that are unlikely to be successful. These relationships involve: battering, active alcohol or drug addiction, or serial infidelity.

Unfortunately, physical aggressiveness does occur in relationships. For ninety percent of these couples, they escalate verbally and then cross the line into physical aggressiveness. This type of pattern can be addressed in couples counseling.

The other ten percent of physical aggressiveness involves battering, whereas an individual uses power and intimidation to manipulate their partner. This creates an unsafe and unhealthy environment for the person being battered. In these cases, the batterer needs individual or group treatment to address his or her physical abuse, and the person being battered initially needs a safe place or safety plan.