We are now into February and most of us will be ready to wave goodbye to one of the gloomiest months of the year with a sense of relief. Maybe some of us have managed to stick with well-intentioned New Year’s resolutions, or maybe, like me, you have...
Ivy aged 6 Dear Santa, I hope that you don’t mind me writing to you, it’s just so you know that I am not in my usual house this Christmas. Something terrible has happened – my Mummy and Daddy told me that they don’t love each...
Counselling, and emotional support, can take many forms and be beneficial in a variety of contexts. Some people might believe that you only need to engage in therapy if there is something “wrong” with you, but this isn’t the case. Some...
For many who have managed to escape from an abusive relationship there is initially a huge sense of relief, finally life can become more ‘normal’ again and they can begin to rebuild their self -confidence and self-worth. Whilst this is true, the...
Sadly, domestic abuse continues to affect many individual’s lives in a manner of different ways. In these troubled times as we search for a way to reduce and contain the sometimes awful consequences of Coronavirus, we have yet to find a cure for...
To most of us, the word ‘holiday’ conjures up thoughts of time off, leave, or a break, suggesting a bit of respite from the humdrum of everyday life and some of those parental duties that dominate the daily grind. This year however, for some,...
As mooted in a previous blog, lots of children and young people have returned to school with mixed feelings; glad to see some of their friends but a little resistant to a more structured day with some pressure on them to demonstrate learning. For some...
Spending a bit more time at home has allowed me the indulgence of watching the odd bit of daytime television, some of it being quite interesting and helpful. I have just watched part of a programme that has informed me that supermarkets have turned their...
For those who are living with an abusive partner, lockdown has provided greater opportunity for their abuser to exert even more control. As I said in a previous blog, we can’t blame lockdown as being the cause of any sort of abuse but it has provided...
I have just been watching BBC News on BBC 1 where part of the programme was dedicated to Domestic Abuse and how calls to the National Helpline run by Refuge have increased in this period of lockdown. I think it’s a good thing for society in general to...
Hopefully many separated parents will feel reassured by the information offered in the blog from Melanie Tubbs, lawyer at Brethertons LLP. It very clearly outlined guidelines on how separated parents can manage contact with their children during this...
After commending the programme I Am Nicola, aired by Channel 4, I was thinking how useful it would be if we were able to watch a programme where a male suffered abuse at the hands of a female perpetrator. Unfortunately, in my experience it is not uncommon to...
Did you watch the Channel 4 programme “ I Am Nicola ” aired on 23 rd July 2019 starring Vicky McClure and Perry Fitzpatrick? It was extremely powerful viewing offering great insights into the insidious nature of emotional abuse. Nicola and...
The idea of domestic abuse usually conjures images of physical suffering however, a great number of individuals suffer from emotional abuse which is just as damaging but often suffered for longer due to the lack of visible evidence. Crystal is a fictional...
Emotional Abuse It’s a sad fact that some people remain in very unhealthy relationships and become completely diminished by them. Emotional abuse is often insidious and can be extremely difficult to recognise if it has always been part of a long term...