Children living in abusive environments are direct victims of the violence even if nothing was ever thrown at them, no one ever threatened them, and even if no one noticed they were there. Just growing up in such a home: watching, listening, living in fear of what will happen next, makes a child a victim of abuse.
Once a mother escapes the child(ren) who accompany her are now physically safe and cared for but the child still has needs. She needs to talk about what she saw, guidance about what lies ahead, confidentiality to talk about her feelings for the abuser, support in deciding if she wants to return even if it means leaving her mother, open forum to talk about how it is living in a new environment, . These are just of few of the issues that a child must face once the violence is behind. Many times the mother is not able to help the child cope with these issues. The mother is consumed with her own recuperation and deciding about what comes next. She has provided safety for the child and the child’s psychological and emotional needs are not obvious to her or she is powerless to address them. If these issues are not addressed the child is at-risk for even greater psychological and social problems.
Recognizing this need Counseling Against Family Violence runs on-going programs for the children living in its shelters. Using multi-faceted programming (psychological, creative, physical, outings) the staff works with the children on an individual and group basis to assess their needs and address them. Improvements can be seen from workshop to workshop. The children’s interest levels rise, self-confidence grows, work habits are developed, etc. The staff is also available to assist the children with their schoolwork and hobbies.
By remembering to care for the child’s needs not only does Counseling Against Family Violence help heal the child’s wounds but it helps to prevent future cycles of violence.
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