Welcome!

Welcome to The Jerk Journal. Over the years of doing couples/family counseling, I have encountered many clients who simply did not know they were intimating with unhealthy people. This is why I wrote, How to Depolarize Your Jerk Magnet and why The Jerk Journal blog has come to fruition. Our relationship skills are based in part on witnessing the way our parents interacted; sometimes we unwittingly follow in their footsteps. Learning to live differently takes thoughtful awareness and new information to give the opportunity to change the future. In The Jerk Journal, I will attempt to explain human behavior as presented from the submitters’ vantage point. The Jerk Journal is not a site simply to complain....that’s the role your friends can handle. This blog is for those genuinely looking for answers that encourage growth and happiness. But while reading the stories here, know that everyone has their own truth and I can only provide solutions based on the opinions and prospectives presented by my readers’regarding their situations.  Therefore, I would ask you to do your best to relay the whole truth and nothing but the truth so the information provided will be accurate and effective.

I will also make the disclaimer that jerks are different from abusive people. If you find you are in an abusive and unsafe relationship first get help and then take the necessary steps to change your circumstances. To discern between jerk and abusive behavior know this: anytime you can call someone a jerk it means you haven’t yet owned responsibility for his or her bad behavior—you still maintain some individuality and regard for yourself—meaning you put the ownership of the behavior on the person who it belongs to. It’s not your issue…YET! Abusive people, however, are very dangerous both physically and emotionally. Usually those on the receiving end of assaults have started to take blame for the abuse and have lost their voice.  This blog is not intended to be therapy, but rather a fun place to vent and find solutions to questions you may doubt about yourself—a sanity check of sorts.  If you or a friend needs relationship advice, this is the ideal platform to get the necessary support. Anyone interested in submitting a story can either post directly to this blog or email me at info@chanceinc.org. I look forward to spending time pondering your predicaments and providing some direction for you. I hope to hear from you soon!