Overview

A therapeutic guide to recognizing, releasing, and recovering from relationships that harm your mental and emotional health. Relationships are meant to nourish us—but what happens when they cause harm instead? In Mend or Move On, licensed professional counselor and board-certified art therapist Kate King offers a bold, compassionate guide to breaking free from toxic dynamics and reclaiming a life rooted in self-respect and happiness. King challenges the long-held belief that family loyalty and social harmony should come at the expense of personal well-being. This book is not about saving every connection—it's about knowing which relationships are worth healing, and which ones demand an honest goodbye. With insight, clarity, and empathy, King outlines the seven most common traps that keep people stuck in painful friendships, partnerships, family bonds, and professional dynamics. These include internalized guilt, unhealed trauma, codependency, and more. She guides readers through the difficult process of deciding whether to stay or walk away by outlining practical, psychology-informed tools that support both paths. Whether repairing a struggling bond or finding the strength to sever it, readers will gain strategies to navigate complex emotional territory with integrity. Through cutting-edge research and powerful stories from her clients and her own life, King offers a safe space to explore questions of belonging, betrayal, boundaries, and healing. Her unique approach provides a holistic path forward that emphasizes creative expression, evidence-based concepts, and nervous system regulation. This guide invites readers to build relationships that are honest, kind, and respectful—and to walk away from those that are dysfunctional, abusive, and beyond repair.

Full Product Details

Author:   Kate King
Publisher:   Johns Hopkins University Press
Imprint:   Johns Hopkins University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.60cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.522kg
ISBN:  

9781421453477

ISBN 10:   1421453479
Pages:   304
Publication Date:   10 March 2026
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Not yet available  
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Table of Contents

Table of Contents Definitions Introduction: Life is Too Short for Harmful Relationships 1. Relationships are Like Oil Paintings 2. The Skull and Crossbones of Toxic Relationships 3. The 7 Traps of Toxic Relationships 4. The Rainbow of Relationships 5. The Bittersweet Truth 6. A Chapter About Triggering Words 7. Aligned Relationships: A Puzzle Piece Theory 8. Parts Psychology: How Your Parts Feel About Their Parts 9. Trauma & Trust: From Friendship to Family to the Shamans of Africa 10. Commitment: When to Keep it, When to Break it 11. When Relationships Go South 12. When It's More Than the Two of You 13. Six Relationships Tools You Won't Want to Leave Home Without Epilogue: I Hope You Choose You Acknowledgments: Just So Grateful About the Author

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Author Information

Kate King, MA, LPC, is a licensed professional counselor, board-certified art therapist, and the award-winning author of The Radiant Life Project.

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