Therapy for Domestic Abuse Survivors
5 Benefits of Domestic Violence Counseling
There are five benefits of domestic violence counseling therapy for survivors here in Hawaii, none more important than the fact that it can be the single biggest factor in a domestic abuse survivor making the decision to exit the relationship. Below are just five ways domestic violence therapy can save lives.
1. Abuse Therapy Minimizes Negative Beliefs
One of the benefits of Hawaii based domestic violence counseling is that it minimizes the negative beliefs held by the survivor. This is an important first step in a survivor’s therapy because it allows them to mitigate the manipulation and gas lighting their partner has attempted in order to devolve their self-esteem and self-worth. Minimizing negative beliefs is also the first step in realizing the pattern of domestic abuse that has evolved over the relationship, enabling survivors to understand that having a positive view of themselves can lead them to a happier life without their partner.
2. Learning the Pattern of domestic Abuse in the Relationship
One of the five benefits of going through domestic violence counseling in Pearl City, Hawaii is also the understanding of the pattern of abuse in the relationship. Because domestic violence can take several forms, therapy can help a survivor learn which abuse patterns exist in the relationship and may even uncover how those abuse patterns serve to keep them in the relationship. By confronting the pattern with honesty, a survivor can learn how to break the pattern, either by leaving outright or getting a restraining order in order to leave the relationship safely.
3. Normalize the Domestic Violence Survivor’s Feelings
A domestic abuse survivor may have feelings of anger, resentment, fear, guilt, or even sadness over the state of their relationship. Whatever their feelings, group or individual domestic violence therapy will enable them to normalize their feelings as they process them. This is an important benefit of therapy as it provides survivors with a safe place to voice their feelings without the fear of being judged for it; because everyone processes abuse differently, reactions to learning that their relationship is abusive and they may have to leave will also differ. It also serves to validate their feelings and let them know they are not alone with their feelings.
4. Build a Network of Support
Group domestic violence counseling can be an enormous help to survivors, especially if the group is filled with survivors in different stages of their exit from their relationships. This benefits survivors because it not only shows them that leaving is possible, they will also have a network of support that includes people who are or who have been in their particular situation before. That network of support can also help survivors in planning their exit from the relationship, providing them with shelters to move into temporarily, act as witnesses if they witnessed any type of abuse, and act as moral and emotional support during the difficult process of leaving the relationship.
5. Development of a Safety Plan
Building on the network of support, the last and best benefit of domestic violence counseling is that survivors will be able to develop a safety plan for leaving the relationship. With the help of their counselor, they can make the decision to leave as well as plan for any legal action they may have to take as well as plans to protect themselves if they choose to stay in the area. Therapists can also contact law enforcement and shelters on the behalf of their client, making it easier for plans to be put into place without the survivor’s partner becoming aware of the plan to exit the relationship.
Domestic violence is a serious matter. For survivors who have made the decision to leave, domestic violence counseling cannot only be of help to their emotional and psychological needs, it can give them the strength to move on. Now that survivors know what the five benefits of domestic violence counseling are, they can make the choice to seek help from escaping their violent partner with the knowledge that Aspects of Life Counseling Services LLC clinicians are waiting to help.
