Let’s face it, parenting, especially in this day and age, is tough for anyone. But it can be especially tough for someone who is a survivor of domestic violence. Dealing with the effects of their own trauma and at the same time learning or re-learning parenting skills presents a unique set of challenges.In our Child and Adolescent Therapy Program, we not only work with children and…
REACH’s Community Based Advocacy Program addresses the unmet needs of domestic violence survivors and their children by providing an alternative to shelter, giving them access to resources to overcome the physical and emotional trauma caused by abuse. This allows REACH to work with individuals at various stages on their journey and to assist a far greater number of survivors than can be helped through shelter alone….
If you’ve been a friend of REACH for awhile now, you may have heard us list Support Groups among the list of the many services we provide. If you’ve ever wondered what happens inside these mysterious groups, we’re here to give you a glimpse behind closed doors. What, exactly, IS a support group? A support group consists of 6-8 survivors of domestic violence that get together…
With Pride Week festivities in Boston in full swing, we wanted to take the opportunity to recognize the unique challenges faced by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender or Queer (LGBTQ) survivors of domestic violence. Research about LGBTQ partner abuse shows that domestic violence occurs at similar rates as it does in the general population. The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey released in January by the…
The following piece was written by a member of our Survivor Speakers Bureau. Here, in her own words, is what she wants you to know about domestic violence. OK, Here goes…Are you ready? Let’s talk about something super important that not enough people realize…Domestic violence is NOT discriminatory. It’s shocking, I know – but it is true. I mean, have you ever heard someone say: …I…
Have you ever wondered what it’s like for a domestic violence survivor arriving at a shelter? The following is a reflection from one of our shelter advocates, describing the experience of bringing a new person into the shelter for the first time. It starts with the ‘pick-up’ as we call it, a time when advocates and the person agree to meet at a safe, public place…
Some things are just plain hard to talk about. They’re hard to think about, let alone discuss in ‘polite’ company. But sometimes those are the things that need to be brought out into the open, because they thrive in silence, in isolation, in stigma. That’s what the Hope Project is about. REACH created the Hope Project in 2002 to look at the intersection of domestic violence…
Recent stories in the local and national news have raised serious questions about schools and their responses to reports of violence between students. Those stories, as well as the ones that never make the news, illustrate the need to be aware of schools’ policies before an incident takes place. Since April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we thought we’d take this opportunity to remind you that…
In just one 24-hour period, 1,752 victims of domestic violence received services from domestic violence programs in Massachusetts. The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) just released the results of their annual National Census of Domestic Violence Services, which they conducted in September. NNEDV made the results available in the report: “Domestic Violence Counts: A 24-hour Census of Domestic Violence Shelters and Services.” The sheer…
When we list the services that REACH provides to domestic violence survivors, we almost always include the words “safety planning.” But what exactly does that mean? Have you ever stopped to think about it? When you do, you start to understand the complexity of the challenges that domestic violence survivors face. When one of our Advocates meets with a domestic violence survivor, safety is always a…
