To-do list before friend’s ex gets out of jail

My friend’s ex is halfway through his sentence for assaulting her. I’ve pushed the idea that this is the space she needed to really break free and I’m cautiously optimistic.

The thing is, this guy has zero charisma. He shuffles around a permanent hunch, dirty clothes, and constant stink face. He’s mean, dumb, and unemployed.

She’s smart, funny, and professionally employed. In our many talks, she doesn’t seem to even like him. So I end up overconfident that she’s done with him, because there is no comprehensible reason she would take him back. And then she does.

Everything I read about talks about breaking cycles of abuse that involve periods of love bombing or a significant power disparity in income or access to friends and family. None of that applies here. He sucks all the time. I know low self esteem plays a huge role and we are working on that by working out together and celebrating her many professional successes. She’s on a waitlist for a therapist who accepts her insurance.

We’ve got 60 days left in his jail sentence. This seems like such a powerful window and I want to take advantage of it to its fullest. What should we focus on to help her stay no contact when he gets out?