Healthy Relationships
Everyone deserves to feel safe and respected.
In relationships between people—romantic, professional or friendships—understanding rights and responsibilities is the basis for mutually beneficial and respectful relationships. This includes understanding the connection between boundaries and expectations, and how to communicate needs clearly and honestly.
Relationship Rights and Responsibilities:
You Have The Right To Be Respected and Have Autonomy in a Relationship.
You are empowered to:
• suggest or refuse to engage in activities
• express opinions and be heard by your partner
• expect that your privacy rights are respected - including private conversations, phone calls, text messages, emails etc.
• require respect and be treated as an equal
You Are Accountable For Your Decisions and Actions in a Relationship.
You are a great partner when you: uscsthealth.info/pems
• Respect the limits and personal values of your partner.
• Communicate clearly and honestly, and with consideration toward your partner.
• Respect the autonomy and independent decision-making of my partner, without pressure, coercion, or use of power or control your partner.
• Compromise when needed without giving up your own personal values.
Learn more in the Healthy Relationships Prevention Education Module
Healthy Relationship is a required workshop for Year 2 undergraduate students at USC. The workshop focuses on setting personal boundaries, expectations, and communicating in relationships. 120 minutes.
This is a second-year curricular module of three required live sessions for all USC Students. The years 2 and 3 modules may be taken at any point after the year 1 modules are completed.
Log into trojanlearn.usc.edu to sign up, beginning August 22.
Boundaries & Expectations
Boundaries show our personal comfort levels.
Boundaries serve as guidelines for our relationships, and help us understand how to act in order to make our partner feel most respected and supported.
We make assumptions about how a situation should go, how people should act, even adjust our behavior to fall in line with what we think others expect of us. Expectations are set based on our life experiences.
Expectations and Boundaries in relationships may be flexible and dependent on the type of the relationship and our personal values. If others are making us feel uncomfortable or crossing our boundaries, use the 3 R’s:
Remind Yourself of Your Rights
Remind yourself you have the right to set boundaries, based on your values, and make active decisions on how you want to be treated.
Restate Your Boundaries
Convey your boundaries in an honest, straightforward, and respectful way without threatening or guilt trapping others.
Reconsider The Relationship
If you feel like your boundaries are continuously being disrespected or ignored, you might reconsider the relationship. Healthy relationships support you, and don’t make you doubt your self-worth.
If you feel physically or emotionally unsafe , contact the confidential Advocates who can help you enhance your sense of safety and navigate different options.
Advocates are available on-call 24/7 (213) 740-9355 (WELL). Say “I’d like to speak with an Advocate,” or send a secure message in MySHR.
Additional Resources at USC:
USC Department of Public Safety:
24/7 phone number 213-740-4321
USC Student Health Confidential counseling and advocacy support for survivors of dating violence and/ or gender-based harm: 24/7 phone number 213-740-4321. Secure message an advocate through MySHR (https://usc.edu/myshr)
USC EEOTIX Office: The Office for Equity, Equal Opportunity, and Title IX (EEO-TIX) centralizes resources for civil rights education, reporting, and resolution procedures. Phone: 213-740-5086. https://eeotix.usc.edu/
USC Trojans Care for Trojans: Students, faculty and staff can take action when they are concerned about a fellow Trojan challenged with personal difficulties. This private and anonymous request form provides an opportunity for Trojans to help a member of our Trojan Family. https://bit.ly/tc4t
