Components of a Healthy Relationship and How to Build Them: Part 4 of 5
In life, we cultivate a variety of relationships, including with family, romantic partners, friends, colleagues, neighbors, and acquaintances. Healthy, functioning relationships often include common elements that can be worked on as a team with the other person in the relationship.
*However, unhealthy relationships are different, and if you are concerned that you or someone you love is experiencing domestic violence or abuse, please reach out for help. Locally to the Help Center at 406.586.3333 or the National Domestic Violence Abuse hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE or text 88788 *
Building and Maintaining Trust
Each person in a relationship should have confidence in one another. If you are questioning whether to trust someone, it may be important to communicate your feelings to them. Consider what makes you not trust someone. Is it something they did, or is it something you’ve experienced in other relationships? Determining where the lack of trust exists and why, whether it’s current behavior by your partner or some experience from your past, for example, can shift where the work to establish trust lies.
To build and maintain trust, it is important to share feelings, thoughts, and needs openly. Be transparent about important issues and avoid withholding information that may lead to miscommunication. While it can feel hard to be direct and clear, it allows us to create a pattern of openness that fosters growth and connection. Additionally, when we are listening to our partner, we can show our care for their feelings and experiences and create deeper connection and understanding.
To be a trusting and trustworthy partner we must align our actions with our values and take responsibility for our mistakes. If we find ourselves needing to apologize, we can offer a genuine message of care and a commitment to handling things differently in the future.
Another important dynamic in healthy relationships is consent. Consent is the uncoerced permission to interact with another person’s body, emotions, or life. It’s not just about saying “yes” or “no”it’s about mutual respect, communication, and choice.
Coercion can look like:
Pressuring someone to do something they’re unsure about
Using guilt, manipulation, or emotional bargaining
Applying physical force or intimidation
Taking advantage of power, status, or dependency to get what you want
Healthy consent looks like:
Asking about boundaries and preferences directly
Actively listening and honoring the response — even when it’s “no”
Checking in regularly, especially as relationships evolve
Respecting that consent can be withdrawn at any time
Consent isn’t a one-time conversation, it’s an ongoing practice of respect and care in every relationship.
In addition to these skills, it is helpful to remember that your partner likely has good intentions in mind and deserves the benefit of the doubt. This can increase our chances of providing a non-judgmental presence. Building and maintaining trust in a relationship requires both parties to participate in healthy practices including communication, boundary setting, resolving conflict, and aligning our messaging with our actions.
If you or someone you know could use support in building and maintaining healthy relationships, a mental health therapist can help. Please don’t hesitate to reach out and find support today!
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