Domestic Violence is a pattern of assaultive and coercive behaviors that adults or adolescents use against their current or former intimate partners. The relationship may be one of marriage, cohabitation, or dating. An estimated twelve million people are abused in the United States alone every year. One in four women in the United States will be abused in her lifetime. These are not small numbers. This is more than seven times as many people as die of heart disease, cancer, car accidents, and firearms COMBINED.  Did you also know...young women are more likely to be in an abusive relationship than they are to get their college degree? 

There are several different aspects of domestic violence that include: physical, sexual, psychological, verbal, emotional, and economical.  Victims try to hide the abuse--either because of fear, shame, denial, to protect the abuser, or many other reasons.  Domestic violence is not genetic--it is not a disease or something we have to wait to find a cure for.  We can cure it NOW!  Domestic violence is caused by people...to people.  It is a choice made by the abuser--NOT the victim--to cause harm to another person by taking power and control over the other person.

We would like to make it clear that abusive relationships do not usually begin as abusive.  The majority of abusive relationships begin with all of the love, romance, charm, and respect that anyone would wish to have.  Once the relationship has been established for some time the abuse will begin--remember, abuse isn't just physical.  Abusive relationships, also, aren't necessarily abusive all the time.  In times when abuse is not present in the relationship, the victim will see the person they fell in love with and her/his hope will be renewed that--just maybe--the abuse will stop.  Victims do not necessarily want to leave their abuser or the relationship either--they want the abuse to stop.


If you or someone you love is in an abusive relationship and does not plan on leaving soon, please contact us to create a safety plan.