Domestic Violence

Sometimes counseling or therapy can help a family solve problems that have led or threaten to lead to abuse. More often, though, abuse has begun when a person seeks counseling for domestic violence.

If you are currently in an abusive relationship, or are wondering if you are, the first goal of our therapeutic alliance will be your safety. In this stage of therapy you will learn to name the problem, you will be helped to restore control of your own body, and you will be supported in establishing a safe environment. This may mean referral to additional resources that can offer support and professional guidance.

The second stage of therapy is the telling of the story of the physical and emotional violence you suffered and its effects on you. This process will be under your control and only when you are ready, but I will support and guide you through it. As they are talked about, the traumatic events become integrated into your life, rather than being experienced as flashbacks, isolated scenes, or consciously avoided fragments of your history. As you claim the events in this fashion, you will experience both sadness and comfort. As these experiences are then reprocessed by the memory, they will become less disruptive to your overall functioning. Your loss can then be properly mourned.

The third stage of recovery is when you reconcile that part of yourself that you knew before the traumatic events occurred with the self you would like to become. You reconnect with the community as well in this stage. Many times people discover a mission to help others in similar or equally unfortunate circumstances at this stage. This is a healthy outcome, and gives meaning to their lives. Please do not hesitate to seek help if you are experiencing any form of family violence. The problem does not go away on its own, but recovery is possible.