Healthy relationships

Earlier in this Session, we looked at an example where Harry was working towards his goal of getting a job. In this example, we saw that Harry needed support from his family in order to help him reach his goal.

Depending on the goals that you set for yourself, you will find that you need support from others to help you achieve your goals, or to develop the skills you need to achieve your goals.

When we need support from others – such as family, friends, teachers or employers – it is important to keep these key relationships healthy. This is because, in healthy relationships, people are happy to help and support each other – they want the other person to succeed and achieve their goals.

Think first

Think about some of the key things you can do in order to maintain healthy relationships with others. Type a list of your ideas in the box below.

Many different factors can contribute to a healthy relationship – click through the slide panel below to explore some examples.

  • Trust

    Trust is one of the most important features of a healthy relationship. When trust exists in a relationship, both people know that the other person will not let them down. They can tell each other their thoughts and feelings, knowing that they won’t be shared with anyone else. They can rely on each other for help and support, whenever it is needed. They keep their promises and are always honest with each other.

  • Mutual respect

    Mutual respect means having respect for yourself and the other person in the relationship. In a healthy relationship, both people respect each other’s feelings, views, values, opinions and interests – even if they don’t necessarily agree with them. They would never make fun of the other person because of their beliefs.

    It is important that we have respect in all of our relationships – for example, with family members, friends and teachers.

  • Responsibility

    Taking responsibility means owning up to something you have said or done, and being willing to face the consequences. If you have behaved badly, take responsibility and apologise for your behaviour.

    This involves a great deal of honesty, and can take courage at times – but your honesty will help to build trust and respect in the relationship, which will make it stronger and healthier.

  • Communication

    In a healthy relationship, both people feel that they are able to speak openly and honestly. This makes communication very clear and avoids any mixed messages or miscommunication. You can speak honestly with each other, saying what you think and feel, without worrying about how the other person will react. Good listening is also a feature of communication in a healthy relationship.

    Even though communication is open and honest, it must still be sensitive and respectful – it isn’t an excuse to be rude and hurt someone else’s feelings!

  • Compromise

    In a relationship, each person doesn’t always get their own way – sometimes there will be different opinions or preferences. In a healthy relationship, these differences are recognised and a compromise can be reached. For example, if two people in a relationship have different views on a weekend activity (one wants to go to the cinema, while the other wants to go go-karting), they might reach a compromise to go to the cinema on Saturday, and go-karting on Sunday…or, do one activity this weekend, and the other activity next weekend.