When To Remove Yourself

Dear S.Q. My partner and I spend hours brainstorming her sister’s marital woes that she drags us into even though 99% of our advice is ignored. Her sis hates conflict, and the husband denies problems even when they turn into arguments and he asks to sleep on our couch. Their intrusions are impacting our relationship.

Dear Aware, Propping up their marriage would be labor intensive even for a professional. Skill deficits (not knowing fair fighting techniques) + denying problems exist are not easily fixed. You need to protect your own relationship and step-back from arm-chair therapy. Otherwise, your relationship may fail too from lack of a healthy balance. -SQ