The phrase "forgive and forget" implies that both forgiving and forgetting are simple, mechanical tasks. As though letting go of a painful memory is as easy as closing a book and placing it back on the shelf. But the human mind is not built that way. We are built not only to remember, but to retain emotionally significant events, especially when those events involve physical or psychological harm.

The term "mental illness" refers to a way of conceptualizing particular types of mental or psychological experiences and related behaviours that are considered problematic for the individual who is experiencing them or potentially problematic for other people. Problematic psychological experiences are generally considered mental illness when:

Many individuals come to therapy with relationship problems that would be better suited to couple and family therapy, and there are times when couple or family therapy may be more productive if some individual sessions happen first, or at the same time. Some challenges are more clearly suited to relational therapy, as they are created by or affect more than one person in a family or group. Some examples include conflict with a partner or child, children acting out, difficult family transitions, kids moving out, loss of a loved one, trauma that affects the couple or whole family, intimacy and sexual problems, and negotiating expectations in relationships.