Women’s experiences of counsellors
Over the years, we have heard stories from women of counsellors who offered advice that was hurtful and sometimes even dangerous.
For Helping Professionals
First do no harm
Research and frontline experiences have documented women’s narratives about how the dynamics of abuse are echoed in services and systems. The service landscape once viewed women with experiences of abuse as resilient survivors, and the systems in need of change. Now, individual women are more often framed as problematic and in need of treatment to…
Upcoming online training: Certified Training for Helping Professionals
Training for helping professionals to provide a proven framework and comprehensive guide to strengthen their practice and enrich the support they offer women who have experienced partner abuse.
When Love Hurts training is happening soon
To advance your skills in working with women with experiences of abuse attend the When Love Hurts training
Spring training event for therapists, transition house staff, advocates and other helping professionals
We are excited to open registration today for a special spring training event for therapists, transition house staff, advocates and other helping professionals.
We have some really big news!
The Best Practices Guide and Curriculum will give you a solid framework and a complete set of exercises and resources to effectively guide women through a journey of new awareness and healing. If you are experienced in this field, this guide will help consolidate many of the things you have already learned from women and perhaps bring some fresh perspectives, tools or insights to your work.
Abuse can happen to any woman
Jill and I have led groups in diverse neighbourhoods and with women from diverse social and cultural backgrounds for many years. There are a lot of stereotypes when it comes to abuse. People assume that abuse happens to certain types of women and not too other women. Nothing can be further from the truth. Abuse…
“Mental Illness” or Abuse – Helping a Woman Discern the Difference
Sometimes women will say they believe their partner behaves the way he does because he has mental health concerns. Men who are abusive are sometimes diagnosed as having a personality disorder or of being bipolar. Men who are abusive may blame their hurtful behaviour on being depressed. This is very confusing for women; if their…
Upcoming Workshop!
Join Karen and I for our upcoming ‘When Love Hurts’ workshop in June…
Connections between abuse, anxiety and depression
It is normal for a woman to experience some level of anxiety or depression if she is experiencing abuse from her partner. Often times women are seen to have some form of mental illness when they are actually just having a normal human reaction to oppression, hurt and crazy-making behaviour. One woman reported that she…
New study reports one-third of mothers experience violence from spouses
A new study out of the UK followed over 1,000 mothers for 10 years. Among the findings: More than one-third reported suffering violence from their spouses. Those who suffered abuse were twice as likely to develop depression as women who were not experiencing abuse. The study cited is: “Intimate partner violence and new-onset depression” by…
“All sorrows can be borne if put into a story”
In our support groups, stories are central. The group is a safe place for women to talk about what is happening or has happened in their lives. For many women, the group is the only place they can talk about these things. We see how, by getting to tell the stories of their lives, women…