On this page, we talk about healthy
Your relationship with someone is how you are connected to them.
Different types of relationships
People can have different types of relationships.
For example, relationships with:
- friends
- family
- a partner, like a boyfriend or girlfriend.
Relationships can be healthy or unhealthy.
A healthy relationship can make you feel:
- supported
- respected
- happy.
An unhealthy relationship can make you feel:
- sad
- unsafe
- bad about yourself.
How to have a healthy relationship
We explain how you can have a healthy relationship with other people below.
People in a healthy relationship trust each other.
That means that they:
- tell each other the truth
- do what they say they will do.
They also support each other.
And they help each other reach their goals.
People in a healthy relationship talk to each other about their:
- thoughts
- feelings.
They listen when the other person is talking.
And they can talk about any problems they have.
People in a healthy show the other person that they care about them.
A romantic relationship is a very close relationship you have with another person.
For example, by:
- holding their hand
- hugging them
- kissing them.
People in a healthy relationship treat each other:
- fairly
- equally.
They do not try to control each other.
And one person does not say they are more important than the other person.
Both people in the relationship work together to reach their goals.
People in a healthy relationship spend time together.
For example, they might have dinner so they can talk about what’s been happening in their lives.
But people in a healthy relationship also spend time apart.
This is important for people to:
- connect with their other relationships, like their family and friends
- explore other activities they are interested in.
People in a healthy relationship do not always agree.
But they know how to disagree with each other in the right way.
For example, when they disagree they do not:
- call each other names
- say hurtful things
- try to hurt or scare each other.
When people in a healthy relationship disagree, they will:
- listen to each other
- try to understand each other
- think about how they can fix the problem together.
What you can do if you think your relationship is unhealthy
If you think you have an unhealthy relationship with someone, you can go to
Counselling is when you work with someone to explore how you think and feel.
This can help you:
- reach goals
- feel safe
- learn skills
- understand what happened to you.
You can learn more on our page about counselling.
You might decide to end the relationship if the other person does not want to:
- change
- work to create a healthy relationship.
Example story
We wrote a story to show an example of what a healthy relationship is like.
The story we wrote is about a person called Ace.
The story and the people in it are not real.
We made them up to explain what a healthy relationship is like.
Ace’s story
Ace and Jan are close friends.
They spend a lot of time together.
They both like:
- reading books
- listening to music.
Ace really likes gardening.
But Jan does not care about gardening.
Jan still listens when Ace talks about gardening.
Because she cares about what Ace is interested in.
Ace and Jan are in a healthy relationship.
