domestic violence

What is Domestic and Family Violence?

Domestic and family violence is a pattern of abusive behaviour that involves one person seeking to control and dominate another person. It is not the same as conflict. In this article, we explore some definitions, common terms and statistics around this topic. »

Anger Management: De-escalating Anger

Would you know what to say or do in order to de-escalate from a client – or anyone – threatening to harm you if they don’t get what they want? Would you know – if all else fails – how to keep yourself safe in a violent situation? In this article, we share with you a set of responses for dealing with an angry person – safely – at each of seven levels of anger. »

Busting Common Myths About Anger

Because it is so multi-faceted, misperceptions about anger abound, and the question arises: how shall we regard anger? How do we advise the client to think about it? Folk wisdom often would say that the best thing to do is just let it all out, but is it? Clients complain that they cannot control it, that the tendency to be easily angered is inherited, but again, is there evidence for that? This ar... »

Myths of Intimate Partner Violence

Any activities, attitudes, or beliefs which perpetuate myths about domestic violence are dangerous. They encourage social acceptance of the problem, which engenders apathy, but even more insidiously, they lead women and the minority of men being abused to justify, minimise, or deny the violence which is occurring to them. When they do that, they are prevented from acknowledging that they are in a ... »

Challenges of Families Who Experience Domestic Violence

There is no way around it; all four functions of a family are put at risk in the sad situation of family violence, and to a large degree the risk factors are interrelated. Focusing first on Function One, family formation and membership, we can comprehend how the pervasiveness of family violence in Australia (which is a microcosm of the global picture) hugely distorts the capacity of the family to ... »

New Relationships

On leaving a domestic violent relationship, many victims find themselves in new relationships which are also abusive. This may be due to not giving themselves enough time to fully recover their self esteem and work through the various stages of grieving. Be cautious about new relationships, but remember not to let the experience of abuse get in the way of forming positive and trusting relationship... »

Looking After Yourself

Victims of domestic violence describe the experience as exhausting and emotionally draining. Many victims continue to blame themselves for the abuse long after they have left the relationship. For this reason, constructing a new life can take time and energy. The victim needs to gain confidence and get on top of things. »

The Cycle of Domestic Violence

There has been a great deal of research which indicates that there are patterns to violence in abusive relationships and is often referred to as “the cycle of violence”. It has been useful for many women in violent relationships to notice these patterns in order to predict attacks, however it is important to note that there are many situations where violence is not predictable. »

Why do Domestic Violence Victims Stay?

Fear is the main reason abused individuals do not seek help or tell anyone about the violence or abused in a relationship. Sometimes this fear is about coping alone if and when they leave and is heightened in cases where the person is either physically or financially dependent on their partner. People with disabilities there face additional challenges when trying to leave a violent relationship. »

Domestic Violence: Impact on Children

Estimates are that more than 3.3 million children are exposed to physical or verbal abuse each year. Children may directly observe domestic violence or they may be aware of it indirectly. They may be in another room when it takes place, be woken during the night and hear the violence, or see bruising or damaged property after the violence occurs. »

Myths About Domestic Violence

In this post we debunk common myths about domestic violence. 1. Domestic violence is rare »

Types of Domestic Violence

You do not have to be physically hurt to be abused, nor is it ever too late to seek assistance. This means that domestic violence can be categorised into several forms. Let’s take a look at the different types of domestic violence. »

Coping with Domestic Violence

Around the world at least one woman in every three has been beaten, abused or coerced into sex into her lifetime. Most often the abuser is a member of her own family. The prevalence of domestic violence is difficult to determine for several reasons: it often goes unreported, and there is some ambiguity about what should be included in the definition of domestic violence. »