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Check in monthly for updates on DVSN programs, services, & events. Plus, information & commentary about domestic violence issues, news, and related subjects.
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December 2022: The Power and Control Wheel – An Overview of Abuse Tactics
The basis of any abusive relationship can be distilled to two core tenets: power and control. Abusers use a variety of tactics to control their victims and exert power over them. These can manifest in many ways, but ultimately, they demonstrate an imbalance in the...
November 2022: The Cycle of Abuse – Imperfect Model or Useful Tool?
While abuse is different for every abuser and victim and can change over time, there are three or four distinct phases that frequently manifest and repeat. This is commonly known as the Cycle of Violence or Cycle of Abuse. The cycle was introduced by psychologist...
October 2022: Stacy’s Story – Shedding Light on Concealed Homicides
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). The 2022 DVAM theme is #Every1KnowsSome1 (“everyone knows someone”). October is also the month when DVSN holds its annual Light in the Darkness Candlelight Vigil, honoring lives lost to domestic violence in...
September 2022: Safety Planning – Different Circumstances & Special Considerations
Safety planning for domestic violence victims and survivors is such a vast and individual topic, we broke it out into two companion blog posts. Last month’s post, “Safety Planning: Reducing Risk & Exploring Options”, outlined the basic facets of a safety plan....
August 2022: Safety Planning – Reducing Risk & Exploring Options
A safety plan is an essential tool for abuse victims to organize their thoughts and implement decisions for a better future. As discussed in last month’s blog post, “Why It’s Not Always Safe/Right to Leave an Abuser”, abusive relationships can be complicated, with...
July 2022: Why It’s Not Always Safe/Right to Leave an Abuser
It seems obvious from the outside: if you are in a relationship with an abusive partner, you should leave them immediately. While that may be the best course of action for some, there are many significant reasons why it is not always right and/or safe for victims to...
June 2022: LGBTQIA+ Domestic Abuse – Distinct Challenges & Barriers to Support
The stereotypical image of domestic violence is of a man hurting and controlling his female partner. While the majority of abusive relationships do fall into this demographic pattern, this is by no means the only dynamic in which abuse can occur. Abusers can be any...
May 2022: Listen & Believe – That’s All You Need to Do
Listening and believing may seem like small things, automatic or trivial. But to abuse victims, in particular, they make a huge difference. Simple as they sound, they may actually be more difficult that one might think. Various characteristics of abusers, societal...
April 2022: The Complexities of Consent
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (#SAAM). Check out DVSN’s blog post from April 2021 for an overview of what constitutes sexual assault, some worrying statistics, and the history of SAAM. This year, we want to talk about the one word at the epicenter of sexual...