This is the final installment of my series on how to honor Domestic Violence Awareness Month. In this blog, I suggest you can honor DVAM by helping a current or former DV victim. Current domestic violence victims may seem hard to understand. They may come to you in a...
Breaking Free from Financial Abuse
Are you considering leaving your abuser? If so, one of the factors that might keep you stuck in the abuse is lack of finances. Abusers often try to keep their victims tied to them financially by the following means: They prevent you from getting a job, or bother you...
Discerning your Danger Level – An App
Note: I recently tried to re-access this app and could not find it. If you want to determine your danger level from domestic violence, please contact your local DV crisis center, and ask to speak to an advocate. How can you know whether your relationship is unhappy or...
When Emotional Abuse Turns Physical. How Can a Victim Prepare?
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Many will speak out this month against what UNICEF calls, "one of the most pervasive human rights violations in the world today." Let me add my voice. The more who speak up, the better. Many people do not understand the...
Domesticshelters.org is Here!
I am thrilled to announce a wonderful resource for victims of domestic violence. The first national online searchable domestic violence provider database in the United States went live this week. You can find it at www.domesticshelters.org. Why is this so exciting?...
Not Wallowing, Moving Forward
I ran into an old friend the other day. She told me she was proud of me for writing my book, A Journey through Emotional Abuse: from Bondage to Freedom. Then she said something that really startled me. She said, "Maybe now you can put it all behind you and move on...
When Churches Get it Wrong
Lately I’ve been posting comments and questions to my twitter and Facebook accounts about churches and how they help or hinder the abused. If you ask your church for help with domestic violence, and they tell you to submit, pray harder or be a better wife, they can't...
Abused Women Following the Shepherd
I work with many abused and formerly abused women. Their lives have been shattered by the evil actions of their husband or boyfriend. This is a person they love(d) and trust(ed) to take care of them. Instead of receiving love and protection however, their “loved one”...
Don’t Cover It Up
Many of you may have seen a video created by British make-up artist Lauren Luke called “How to Look Your Best the Morning After”. Here is the link. Note: the video is no longer available, but the article is still there. Ms. Luke made this video in partnership with the...
How About Some Good News?
Dealing with domestic violence often means hearing sad stories. Today I would like to share some good news. These stories are found on the PADV (Partnership Against Domestic Violence) website. PADV’s mission is to end the crime of intimate partner violence and empower...