Jane's story - Family and Domestic Violence
After attending a number of counselling sessions, Jane* started to acknowledge the abusive patterns in her relationship and consider what changes she wanted to make in her life. She tried to talk with her partner but he did not want to change his behaviour.
Over time Jane* decided to leave her abusive partner, actively recruiting family, friends and professionals into her plan to leave. Initially she felt unable to leave, feeling trapped within the relationship and believing the negative stories about herself that her partner continued to perpetuate. With support ‘Jane’ put together a safety plan, including assessing her financial support options, working out where she would go, preparing for her partners possible response when she left, and how to keep police informed of her new location. Thanks to her careful safety planning Jane* was able to respond to protect herself when her partner’s abuse escalated once she left, resulting in him being charged with stalking and harassment.
* Names have been changed to protect our client.
The Relationships Australia 'SAFE FROM VIOLENCE' booklet is a free, helpful tool for women leaving or separating. It can be downloaded from our website here or you can contact us to receive a paper copy.
www.racr.org.au | 1300 364 277 | enquiries@racr.org.au
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Domestic and Family Violence support services
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