Strengthening Women’s Group

A Support Programme for Women

Is your partner abusive or violent towards you?

You deserve a brighter future, free from family violence

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Abuse has many forms

Verbal:

Excessive yelling, name-calling, threats, isolating and restricting your freedom, controlling what you do, who you see, what you read and where you go.

Physical:

Shaking, slapping, punching, shoving, kicking, hitting, biting, scratching or use of a weapon.

Sexual:

Imposing sexual contact on you or your children, using humiliating sexual language.

Intimidation:

Using looks, actions, expressions or a loud voice to intimidate you. Smashing things, destroying property or pets.

Emotional:

Putting you down, refusing to acknowledge your feelings or ideas, humiliating you.

Using Male Privilege:

Treating you like a servant, deciding for your family about money, free time, friends and where to live.

What can the Strengthening Women’s Group do for you?

  • Provide support from women who understand your experience.
  • Offer a safe and confidential environment in which to talk about your experiences.
  • Provide information about ways to keep yourself and your children safe.
  • Offer you skills that will help you feel stronger.
  • For those still living with their partner – help you see what choices you have about leaving or staying in the relationship and what the outcomes of those choices may mean.
  • For those who have already left – give you an opportunity to understand the dynamics of a controlling relationship so you don’t enter another one.
  • Inform you of other support agencies in the community.
  • Give you the opportunity to plan for a brighter future.

The Programme

Some topics covered

  • Safety and Protection Orders
  • Power and Control Tactics
  • Cycle of Violence
  • Society’s Role in Violence Against Women and Children/Tamariki
  • Impacts of Family/Whanau Violence
  • Self Care
  • Impacts of Violence on Children
  • Rights and Boundaries
  • Relationship Roles
  • Self-esteem
  • Assertive Communication
  • Anger and Other Emotions
  • Respectful and Equal Relationships
  • Goal Setting

When

Tuesday’s 9:30am-11:30am via Zoom and face to face

Tuesday evening 6pm-8pm via Zoom.

Friday 9:30am-11:30am face to face and Zoom

What else do I need to know?

All clients attend an initial interview before coming into our programmes. At this interview we discuss how we may best meet your needs and address any other issues you may have.

We also run a Relate Group programme for women who have been in a relationship where they have used disrespect, anger, abuse or violence. This programme provides women with the skills to understand what abuse is and how to live free of it. It also offers women self-development opportunities in a supportive group environment.

If you would like information about this group please contact us on 489 3770 or talk with us at your initial interview.

Some feedback from course participants

Lovely teamwork between the facilitators, they’re the ‘A’ Team. Great intuition and awareness of the group dynamic.

This course meant the difference between staying in a toxic, dangerous relationship or moving forward to new beginnings.

I just completely loved the group and looked forward to it every week.

This course is the best thing I have ever done. It was the first step in the process to healing all the years of abuse beginning with my own father.

Incredibly helpful to have support to enable me to make positive changes and move out of the cycle of feeling trapped and scared.