One woman’s description of navigating family court
One woman’s poetic description of navigating the horrors of Family Court.
Updates
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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
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When Love Hurts Certified Training for Helping Professionals
If you have seen the value of the When Love Hurts book in the lives of the women you support, you will want to take this opportunity to learn how you can apply the When Love Hurts model, framework and tools in your group or individual work with women who have experienced abuse from a partner.
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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.
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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.
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The Pandemic Trap
Hear Karen talk about the impacts of the COVID 19 on those living with abusive partners, strategies for coping, staying safe, accessing support, and how we can reach out and support each other. Audio Interview with author & trauma therapist, Karen McAndless-Davis, about the impacts of the COVID 19 pandemic on women living with abusive…
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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…
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“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…
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Survivors need to be given a choice not an ultimatum
Sometimes friends and family give women, who have experienced abuse, ultimatums. For example, “If you move back in with him, I won’t talk to you anymore.” Often when friends and family do this, they think that they are doing some version of “tough love”. Perhaps they are not doing a good job of managing their…
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Stockholm Syndrome in the context of abuse?
Stockholm Syndrome was coined 40 years ago at the end of a six-day bank siege in Stockholm, Sweden. Sometimes women who are experiencing abuse from their partner wonder if they are experiencing Stockholm Syndrome because they feel a certain alliance with their partner. They may also be worried about their partner and care about what…
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What should we be able to expect in our relationships?
Sometimes women impacted by abuse wonder if their expectations are too high. In our experience this is not true. Rather, it seems that over time, abuse lowers a woman’s expectations. For example, she starts out expecting that her partner will respect her feelings but over time he does not and so she gradually lets go…
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His goal in couples counselling was to gain more control over me
We had been married 15 years. Things had been very hard for a long time. I knew there was something really wrong but I did not know what it was. I did what I think most women would do, I sought out couple’s counselling for us. I went to couple’s counselling hoping it would make…
