How to Help a Friend in a Dangerous Relationship

You can see that something bad is happening to your friend. She tells you about the outbursts, the control, the fear, and then adds: "but he's not always like that." You want to help and don't know how: you can't push, staying silent is unbearable, and any words you say seem to vanish into thin air. This is a hard place to be, and there are quite specific things that genuinely help.

Why "just leave" doesn't work

The first thing you want to say is "leave." It's an honest impulse, but it almost never works the way you hope.