Domestic Abuse & Violence

Are you worried about your safety or someone close to you?
Does your partner constantly put you down?
Does your partner control your movements and finances?
Does your partner force you to have sex when you do not want to?
Does your partner play mind games with you?
Do you worry that you may make your partner angry?

How we can help…

Anyone can be a victim of domestic abuse, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, socio-economic status, sexuality or background. There are many different kinds of abuse, the most prevalent type of domestic abuse occurs in relationships. However, the definition of domestic abuse also covers abuse between family members, such as young person to parent violence and abuse and can span from emotional abuse, threats and intimidation to physical abuse

Long after a survivor has left an abusive relationship the associated trauma can cause an adverse ripple effect on their emotional and psychological state. Panic attacks, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, depression and anxiety are often ignited by domestic abuse and violence.

Trauma affects how you feel about yourself and how you relate to others. People who have gone through domestic abuse have a higher risk of developing a mental health condition, such as depression, anxiety, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and can display symptoms such as flashbacks, intrusive imagery, nightmares, anxiety, emotional numbing, insomnia, hyper-vigilance.

We provide specialist support for adults and young people who have experienced or witnessed domestic abuse and violence to heal the mental, and emotional scars this causes.

Domestic Violence – Adults

Domestic abuse and violence can take several different forms and it can happen to anyone regardless of their age, background, gender, religion, sexuality or ethnicity. Different types of domestic abuse include:

Physical Abuse

This includes hitting you, throwing objects, restraining you, pinching or shoving you.

Psychological/Emotional Abuse

This includes calling you names, threats, humiliation, blaming you for the abuse and gas-lighting you.

Sexual Abuse

This includes rape and sexual assault. It can also include the other person manipulating you or coercing you into doing things that you don’t want to.

Financial Abuse

This includes controlling your access to money. They may stop you from working, take control of your wages or put you in debt.

Coercive Control

This includes hitting you, throwing objects, restraining you, pinching or shoving you.

Technological Abuse

This may include abusive text messages, taking control over your devices, tracking you with spyware, or sharing images of you online.

If you have experienced any combination of the above this can have a huge impact on your mental health and well-being. It has been acknowledged that experiencing abuse is one of the major causes of depression, anxiety and PTSD. In addition to this, if you already have a mental health condition, your abuser may use this against you to further their control and abuse. Experiencing abuse can leave you feeling shamed and worthless and this can have a huge impact on your sense of self and future relationships with others.

Domestic Violence – Young People

Witnessing domestic abuse and violence between parents can have a devastating impact on young people. Research has shown that indirectly witnessing abuse has the same psychological impact as being the direct target of abuse. Furthermore, domestic abuse and violence is classified as an adverse childhood event and can contribute to heightened physical and mental illness in adulthood. This is because when young people witness abuse and violence it threatens their sense of stability and security and can lead them to believe that the world and others are a threat. Witnessing domestic abuse and violence can impact your child in different ways. See below:

Indicators

They may blame themselves and feel guilt and shame.
You may notice your child is very clingy or shows extreme shyness around others.
They may experience nightmares, loneliness or long periods of sadness.
They may withdraw socially and experience separation anxiety.
They may demonstrate a fear of strangers or a fear of others who are of the same gender as the abuser.
They may develop general fearfulness, anxiety or phobias.

Internally a child may feel out of control, they may experience intrusive thoughts, develop an insecure attachment to their parents. They may ‘bunk off’ school, run away, have arguments with their peers, commit crimes or start using drugs and alcohol. Abuse can cause developmental delay, bed wetting, stomach aches, headaches, self-harm, suicidal ideation, dissociation or a child may display inappropriate sexual behaviour.

A child may develop extremely low self-esteem and/or find it difficult to trust others. They may have angry or violent outbursts or they may become a victim or perpetrator of abuse themselves within relationships. Domestic abuse and violence may also occur between a child and parent with the child or young person being the one enacting the violence. It can also occur between siblings or between other family members.