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Take a Breath
I was reading a book about trekking through the Himalayas last week. As part of my self-care I like to make sure that I read things that don’t pertain to anything I do as part of my work life....
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Reflecting on Who We Are and How It Impacts Survivors
When providing trauma- informed services to survivors of domestic and sexual violence it important we ensure that we are doing whatever we can to keep from re-victimizing the survivor or engaging in...
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Helping Survivors with Traumatic Brain Injury
Working with survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault can sometimes be overwhelming when we realize all of the issues with which a victim may have to deal. There are the immediate safety...
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Book Review and Recommendation– Domestic Violence Advocacy: Complex...
I would like to start this post off by saying that this book should be a part of every domestic violence advocacy agency’s library. Written by Attorney Jill Davies, deputy director of Greater Hartford...
View ArticleBarriers to Leaving – Looking in the Mirror at Domestic Violence Programs
I have spent a large portion of my career working with domestic violence programs both from within and as a part of the community. There have been a lot of changes over the years that have increased...
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Book Review – The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing...
I am very excited about this recently published book by Dr. Bessel Van der Kolk. Initially, I did not think that another book could be placed alongside Judith Herman’s Trauma and Recovery as a “go...
View ArticlePlease take the time to read another blog - Women. Healing. Violence.
This blog post came to my attention today and I am hoping that you will find it as valuable and compelling as I have. Please note that this full piece is very powerful and can be triggering for some....
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The Four Agreements for Advocates
Back in 1997 a book written by Don Miguel Ruiz was published that one would normally pass by as another piece of pop psychology written by a supposed Toltec to litter the “self-help” section of...
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An Invitation to Re-consider “Failure to Protect”
I provide training to child welfare workers a few times a year about the impact of domestic violence on children and families. During most of those sessions I heard a worker talk about a parent’s...
View ArticleMental Health and Substance Use Coercion Surveys Report from the National...
The National Center on Domestic Violence Trauma and Mental Health has done a study on batterers' efforts to undermine victims' sanity and sobriety, to control their medication and treatment, or to...
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The Origins of Addiction - from Dr. Vincent Felitti and the Adverse Childhood...
In this film, Dr Vincent Felitti, from Kaiser Permanente presents information from the ongoing 17,000 person Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study to challenge the conventional view that certain...
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Defining Success: Why We May Feel We Are Working Harder Than the Survivor
I have to admit it. There have been times in my life as a direct service provider that I have said “if I am working harder than my client, there is something wrong.” What I am realizing now, though,...
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Boundaries and the Art of Compassionate Detachment
As I work with advocates I often find that many of them struggle with maintaining healthy boundaries with the survivors with whom they work on a daily basis. It is so hard to listen to the stories of...
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The Egg and I - Boundaries
As many of you know, I love to use analogies when I am talking about the various effects of exposure to trauma. These analogies will pop up at odd times throughout my day when I am not thinking about...
View ArticleReading Recommendations Week of January 4, 2016
I have been lax in writing posts lately, but have been pondering how to send out all the information that comes across my desk from various resources. There are many great articles that could be used...
View ArticleReading Recommendations and Resources - Week of January 11, 2016
A lot of information came out this past week. There should be something below for everyone including advocates, educators, and survivors. Three information sheets from the National Childhood Traumatic...
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Book Review: Missoula – Rape and the Justice System in a College Town by Jon...
Jon Krakauer is an investigative journalist who likes to embed himself in a situation to delve into the intricacies of a situation or experience. In Missoula, Mr. Krakauer goes to Missoula, Montana to...
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Reading Recommendations = February 22, 2016
I have an idea for a blog post running around in my brain but also dealing with heavy brain fog due to to a flu bug that took over my life for a week. So here are some things to read while you wait....
View ArticlePersonal Essay by S.R. Cyr with Book Review of Nothing But My Voice by Donna...
I wanted someone who had actually experienced what this book talks about to review this book. Ms. Cyr was happy to do so and I thank her for taking the time.S. R. Cyr has been a social justice as well...
View ArticleInsidious Traumatization – How Recent Events are a Call to Self Care
Over the past months we have been exposed to a large amount of hate speech. We have also seen a number of reports of poor to dismal responses to sexual assault and domestic violence. I won’t go into...
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