Domestic Violence or Intimate Partner Violence

I’m a certified trauma specialist who has worked with survivors of domestic violence both as a counselor and as a volunteer on a rapid response team, meeting with survivors in the hospital and Washtenaw jail to offer resources and support

I help clients recovering from all forms of domestic and partner violence including emotional, verbal, psychological, spiritual, financial, sexual, and physical abuse. It can be hard for clients to even identify abuse that has occurred in close personal relationships because of the confusing nature of these relationships. I help clients identify patterns of abuse, recover from the damage, and work towards finding and cultivating safe and healthy relationships in their lives.

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.

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 experience working with multiply marginalized persons who are experiencing Intimate Partner Violence and/or Domestic Violence.

I have 15 years working with survivors of domestic violence and IPV. I am very passionate about empowering individuals who are either in an abusive relationship or are trying to leave one. Abuse comes in all forms and does not discriminate based on race, gender identity, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status. Everyone is entitled to be supported by a professional with the skills necessary to navigate such a delicate yet volatile situation.

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 have over a decade providing counseling to those who have engaged in controlling behaviors and intimate partner violence as well as those who have experienced it. I am trained in Domestic Violence Focused Couples Therapy with a focus on creating safety and breaking the cycle of harm.

My journey in public/community mental health truly began when I started volunteering on the crisis line at W.O.M.A.N., Inc., an organization serving survivors of domestic violence. I found a calling there & developed skills in counseling, support group facilitation, crisis response, & safety planning. My value for client self-determination & empowerment blossomed here & I continue to bring these lessons to my work in supporting people who are recovering from unhealthy & abusive relationships.

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.

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.

I come from a background of working at a Domestic Violence Resource Center, and have specialized training in understanding coercive control, the cycle of violence, supporting survivors of intimate partner violence and breaking trauma bonds.

I have worked with adults and children who have experienced domestic or intimate partner violence. I take a compassionate, non-judgmental stance in order to support individuals with being able to talk about the impact of abuse and trauma in their lives, as well as provide them with concrete tools to feel more in control of their emotions. I have also worked with individuals on working towards having healthy dynamics in their current and future relationships.

Safety planning, resourcing, and coping strategies for individuals, children, and families who have undergone intimate partner violence.

I worked for over 24 years with a local domestic violence response program as counselor and CEO. I provided individual and group counseling to adult and child survivors.

I am an IPV/DV survivor. I went to support groups at a DV advocacy agency, and I loved the experience so much, that a few years later, I returned to the agency to run the groups as a volunteer. This inspired me to become a therapist, and now I counsel IPV/DV survivors and run counseling support groups. I help people understand what happened, and empower people to find their self-esteem to move forward. I wrote an educational memoir about my experience that is available on my website.

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.

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.

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.