Domestic Violence

​​The Domestic Violence Counselling Program is for women who are currently or who have had past experiences of domestic violence. Often there will be some other significant co-occurring issues that can also be addressed in a holistic and integrated way during counselling. These issues may include mental health, addiction, a trauma history and many day-to-day challenges interacting with main- stream systems such as housing and the justice system. 

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The Centre’s domestic violence counselling program encompasses prevention, early intervention, crisis, and post crisis support to clients (and their families) as well as providing a safe space for those women with ongoing and past experiences to process the complex drivers and impacts of domestic violence in their lives and consider options for recovery pathways

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Help can be specifically tailored for women in current domestic violence situations that often involve police intervention and/or family law court.

This assistance involves, immediate, emotional support, safety planning

psycho education, stress management techniques symptom management, helps identify key therapy issues for ongoing counselling.

 

If a high level of practical/welfare, case work/management, advocacy & crisis intervention tasks are required, counsellors will work collaboratively with our caseworker and/or our domestic violence support partners to engage a range of services for the family including:

Refuge/emergency accommodation, housing, legal/court assistance, financial assistance, AVO’s & Safety plans, and family support services.

 

This provides the client with a network of service support that can be coordinated smoothly and often without her having to retell her story to future services in often traumatic or highly emotional situations.

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Women in the longer-term domestic violence counselling program usually are not in a crisis situation but may be experiencing embedded long term domestic violence patterns often involving physical, verbal, emotional, psychological, sexual and financial abuse. They may be struggling with ambivalent feelings and suffering from isolation and daily challenges coping with low income, unemployment, housing issues & family demands.

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Some women in this program have left abusive situations but continue to experience the significant and long lasting impacts of domestic violence. Longer term counselling provides them with time and safety in making sense of how complex underling issues have impacted on them and their families as well as working on any current presenting issues they may have and facilitate a journey to more productive patterns and a better state of psychological/mental and emotional wellness.

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Empowering women to improve the quality of their lives and fulfill their potential.