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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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May 2023: The Enduring Impact of Abuse on Mental Health

Mental health is a broad term that covers a number of illnesses ranging from insomnia, anxiety, and depression to obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are significant links...

April 2023: The Complexities of Reproductive Coercion

There are numerous types of abuse from physical and verbal to emotional, spiritual, financial, and technological. While abusers use a variety of tactics to exert power in these different spheres, many of these tactics boil down to the same thing: coercive control....

March 2023: Disabilities and Domestic Violence

One in four adults in the United States has some type of disability (CDC). Three out of four people with disabilities experience some form of abuse (NCADV). People with disabilities are four to ten times more likely to be victimized than people without disabilities...

February 2023: Learning Through Listening – Popular Podcasts on Domestic Violence

Podcasts are the modern anywhere, anytime talk-radio. From education to entertainment, a few minutes to a few hours in length, there are currently over half a million active podcasts available to listen to on iTunes alone. Anyone with a microphone and a little bit of...

January 2023: New Year’s Resolutions – Helpful or Harmful?

2023 is off and running! Now is a time of new beginnings, fresh starts. When that calendar flips over to January 1st, it triggers a benchmark to launch goals and make positive changes. For many, that means new year’s resolutions. Resolutions are based in hope – a word...

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...
April 2022: The Complexities of Consent

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...

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February 2022: Healthy vs. Unhealthy Relationships

February 2022: Healthy vs. Unhealthy Relationships

Abuse can be subtle and has so many different forms that it’s sometimes difficult to determine if a relationship is healthy or unhealthy. While no pairing is perfect all the time, there are distinct patterns of behavior that we can call out as abusive. Ultimately, it...

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