Domestic Violence or Intimate Partner Violence

Violence takes many forms. Some adults have experienced violence in their childhood home, within romantic relationships, or have experienced some form of assault in their lives. My path into mental health began 20 years ago supporting survivors navigate the court system. As a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional I use a Trauma Informed approach with all of my clients, ensuring that I don't trigger or re-traumatize as we process the past and allow you to leave the pain behind.

I've worked extensively with survivors of intimate partner violence as a community based advocate, including working with individuals and educating community partners on violence within relationships. I recognize the impact of ALL forms of abuse, including psychological and emotional abuse, and know that healing from these relationships (whether from an intimate partner, parents, siblings, or friends), can take many years and specialized therapeutic approaches.

Survivors of intimate partner violence often experience deep, relational trauma. This can lead to significant anxiety and self doubt, making it hard to trust yourself and your gut/instincts. When this happens, attempts to protect ourselves can sometimes make us more vulnerable. I can help you understand your experiences, your responses, and learn to trust yourself again.

Many survivors find that, as time goes on, the impacts of specific traumatic events begin to affect them differently. As challenging as it may feel to share your story, it is so important to find a safe place to process and cope with trauma and abuse you have survived. I am able to provide a safe place for all survivors to process, share and navigate their story. Together we will work on rebuilding your sense of self and increasing your quality of life.

I am a qualified Domestic Violence Prevention group facilitator with eight months experience co-facilitating domestic violence prevention groups.

Finding your center after experiencing domestic abuse, whether emotional, physical, sexual, or financial can be a trying journey. It is my goal to help you rediscover who you are, what your needs are, and what you want in life.

I am a qualified domestic violence prevention group facilitator with eight months experience co-facilitating domestic violence prevention groups.

My entire life people that I love have been harmed by people who "love" them. From early high school to the present I come up against bullies that use the blunt and cowardly weapon of violence to preserve their personal world order or to expel their own hurt onto others. I have worked as a domestic violence advocate in confidential shelter, and with trafficked girls in jail. The meaning of helping someone find the call to freedom and joy from incarcerations of this kind is unspeakable.

Research shows that both men and women can be victims of domestic violence or family violence, and both can be perpetrators as well. I have developed and published a domestic violence documentation format which also serves as an interview guide to thoroughly identify all forms of domestic or family violence. I perform domestic violence evaluations in immigration cases, and I also prepare extreme hardship evaluations in immigration cases.

Throughout my education, I have focused on domestic violence and it's impact. I have dedicated a majority of my education researching and understanding the complexities of intimate partner abuse and its effects, as well as how to help victims become survivors. In order to help victims of abuse, it is important that we create a safe and nonjudgmental environment for them so they can feel comfortable in opening up about their situation.

I have worked at a domestic violence agency for over seven years providing advocacy-based counseling, safety planning and crisis intervention, facilitating support groups and therapy processing groups and providing individual therapy to adult survivors of intimate partner violence. I use a survivor-driven and DV-informed approach, and have trained other mental health providers on how to use this approach.

Survivors of intimate partner violence often experience deep, relational trauma. This can lead to significant anxiety and self doubt, making it hard to trust yourself and your gut/instincts. When this happens, attempts to protect ourselves can sometimes make us more vulnerable. I can help you understand your experiences, your responses, and learn to trust yourself again.

I have nearly two years of experience working with victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. I come from a place of empathy and understanding to assist clients in exploring options in a nonjudgmental, person-centered manner. Issues of IPV and sexual assault are not always easily navigated and I take care and caution to ensure trauma informed practice to avoid further pain and hurt.

Getting hurt by someone you’ve cared for is especially painful. While the physical traumas can be scary as hell, the emotional traumas can take a lot more work to heal. When I work with domestic violence survivors certain themes come up over and over again. Survivors often wonder if something’s wrong with them, why this person hurt them and why they might still care for them. These are complex questions worthy of exploration. Through a multi-modal approach that infuses relational, experiential and body-oriented approaches I help clients overcome trauma, create healthy boundaries, increase resilience, reclaim their sense of self and create the lives they wish to lead.

I began my work at Peace Over Violence, a non profit organization that offered free services including therapy, crisis intervention, legal services, and more to survivors of domestic and sexual abuse. My training there educated me on the legal aspects of both, and how to best emotionally support populations who are hoping to escape, have escaped, or have long been out of abusive dynamics.

Domestic violence is often misunderstood as strictly physical violence against one's partner. But it is much more complicated than that. Emotional abuse, verbal abuse, financial abuse, gaslighting, control, and manipulation are too often not considered in domestic or intimate partner violence. I have experience with all of these forms of abuse and understand the complexity and difficulty of these relationships.

I am a certified domestic violence counselor for the state of Connecticut. I worked with the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence as a safe house advocate for 10 years and have gone through extensive trainings to support survivors of domestic violence. I also have court experience and have been in roles as a state victim advocate helping victims/survivors of domestic violence navigate these difficult systems.