Mental Health: Empowering Domestic Abuse Survivors

A survivor of domestic abuse can struggle when establishing a new life. Even when free from her abuser, a former victim frequently suffers from low self-esteem, fear and hopelessness. Mental Health therapy can help her fully recover from the ill-treatment she has endured to become whole as an empowered person.

Often therapy involves the abuse victim working toward self-actualization. This means the patient is striving to find her best and true authentic self. It is a positive and often creative process of discovery. It helps the individual realize her worth in the world by delving deeply into who she really is at her core. This is critical considering abusers so often malign their victims as being of no use.

Repeating positive affirmations is part of particular empowering therapies. It involves creating statements which describe the individual’s worth. For example, a former abuse victim can say to herself, “I am a good person”, “I am important in this life” and “I am lovable”. The theory is that repeating these affirmations daily will help the individual learn to believe them.

Another type of therapy to assist those with an abuse history is one which centers on education and development of job skills. It is important for adults who have suffered abuse to find employment to sustain themselves. In many cases, the former victim depended on financial support from her abuser. Taking classes and acquiring new abilities will empower her.

Community involvement is also a key to helping the abuse victim. Some therapies assist the person in learning to speak about her past and her recovery. When she tells her story to others in abusive situations, it can transform the audience and her. This therapy helps the individual by encouraging her to assist others. The brave act of talking about herself as a survivor is empowering and, therefore, a helpful treatment.

If you need help, please contact us today at Stoebriar Counseling Associates.