I think my friend’s husband is emotionally abusing her. Should I talk to her about it?
Dear Annalisa, I am very worried about a friend of mine, who I believe is being emotionally (and perhaps financially) abused by her husband. I have…
My abusive parents won’t admit what they’ve done. How can I let go of the pain?
Dear Annalisa, I’m 43 and father to a wonderful daughter, whom I co-parent. I live abroad now but am British-born. My parents were abusive, and this left me…
My partner is cruel. Why can’t I find the courage to leave him?
Dear Annalisa, I have a relationship problem and I feel stuck. I met my partner two years ago via online dating. Since then he has rebuffed all my…
My abusive ex-husband is about to visit and I don’t feel safe
Dear Annalisa, Next month my ex-husband is coming over from abroad to meet our son’s new baby. The whole family is viewing the prospect with alarm.…
My dad, who was often drunk and angry, has messaged me after 20 years. Should I reply?
Dear Annalisa, My dad is in his 70s and has contacted me on Facebook. I have not yet replied. I last spoke to him almost 20 years ago,…
OCD has plagued me for most of my life – can I ever escape it?
Dear Annalisa, I am a 76-year-old married man and have had intense and ongoing obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) since the age of 13. My father was killed in the second world…
A childhood desire to wear women’s pants has returned. Is it perverted?
Dear Annalisa, As a child, I stole a pair of my mother’s high-waisted, pink and white nylonknickers and wore them under my short trousers to school. I…
My toxic mother wants contact with my child – how do I approach this?
Dear Annalisa, I am expecting a baby later this year. Despite living in a different country, my mother wants to be as involved as she can. I…
I’m worried that my elderly father is in an abusive marriage and is being isolated from me. The Guardian.
Dear Annalisa I am really concerned about my dad’s current relationship. After being widowed for some years, he met someone new and, within a short time,…
How do I explain to my children the rift with my mother, whose partner abused me? The Guardian.
Dear Annalisa I have been estranged from my mother since I was 18. When my brother and I were very young, my mother left my father…
Annalisa Barbieri 
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