ABUSE does not discriminate. It doesn’t know gender; color; age; educational level; economic status; geographic location; etc. We all know somebody who has been affected by abuse…whether it is someone closest to you; a loved one; or yourself…you are not alone, we are here to help.

Abuse can occur anywhere and within any family. It can be inflicted on any member including children, teens, adults, and elderly parents. It can occur in both wealthy and less fortunate families. Both the victim and abuser need professional intervention and psychological treatment to successfully cope with the effects of abuse and develop more appropriate patterns of interaction and sense of control. Victims of abuse often suffer from learned helplessness, depression, anxiety, intense anger, low self-esteem, little self-worth, and can become suicidal.

Personal awareness, understanding and empowerment are important to addressing any form of abuse. Suffering abuse can lead to long term psychological effects and loss of trust in others. Psychotherapy is essential is overcoming the negative effects of abuse for the victim and is a key factor in altering the exhibition of abusive behaviors in the perpetrator.

PHYSICAL ABUSE  involves contact that is intended to cause pain, injury, or other physical suffering or harm. Some forms of physical abuse include: striking, punching, pushing, pulling, slapping, striking with an object, pinching, kicking, kneeing, strangling, drowning, sleep deprivation, exposure to cold (freezing), exposure to heat (burning), cutting and exposure to electricity (shocking). A special form of physical abuse is sexual abuse.

SEXUAL ABUSE  is not limited to sexual intercourse. It can include any of the following: suggestive conversations, forced viewing of pornography, inappropriate touching, oral sex, anal sex, inappropriate nakedness, forced posing for pictures, and forced sexual intercourse. Sexual abuse can occur between a husband and his wife, father and daughter, mother and son, aunts/uncles and nieces/nephews, and virtual strangers.

MENTAL ABUSE,  also frequently referred to as emotional abuse, can be difficult to identify and prove due to the lack of physical sign. Mental abuse refers to one person’s use of power or influence to adversely affect the mental or emotional well-being of another. Common forms of mental abuse occur through one or more of the following behaviors: belittling, threatening, bullying, shouting/yelling, criticizing, rejecting, degrading, withdrawing, exploiting, and use of “crazy-making”.