The Month of Love

February is often referred to as the month of love, not only in the sense of romantic relationships but also focusing on all healthy relationships, where respect, trust and being valued is at the core.

St Valentine’s Day, also known as the Feast of St Valentine celebration, is mainly recognised in the form of heterosexual romantic love. A lot of the history and culture of LGBTQ+ love has been rewritten or completely buried, yet it has belonged throughout the hands of time. All types of love are to be nurtured and celebrated in the form of family, friendships and unconditional love for others.

Here at Harbour, we ensure that our residents have access to information and the required support to understand the importance of diversity in all forms of life.

Research shows that many young people are experiencing coercive control in their early relationships by not recognising boundaries and unacceptable behaviour, which as we often experience, within our service, leads to further complexities as individuals become older.

These toxic traits of abuse may have been experienced from family members, friendships or relationships, by both men and women.

Self- Love

If we learn how to love ourselves first, then we are prepared to understand our worth. At Harbour, we understand that Self-love is a personal journey for everyone and the importance of incorporating into the lives of the people that we support, so that it becomes good practice, instead of an arduous process to think about.

By encouraging residents to consider their well-being and use of self-care techniques, it ensures that they are equipped for their journey to recovery.

We create safe spaces, workshops, and activities where the focus can be on their own self-care needs and emotions. Acknowledging their feelings by using services, such as our in-house counselling sessions, or tools, such as journalling, they can start to understand and learn how to manage areas in their lives where their emotions may become triggered.