I'd like to tell you about the Assaulted Women's Helpline. As a service provider, I'm grateful to know they exist. They can support the folks I work with, both as a counsellor and as staff at a centre for young women. I encourage you to visit their page about
Healthy Relationships. Most of us know someone in relationships that aren't healthy but very few of us know what to do about it.
In the past, I've been inclined to help with hugs. This is the love language that makes sense to me. But for many assaulted women, hands may not be seen as helpful but as the weapons of their abusers. As a communicator, I have also wanted to offer words but these, too, have been used as weapons. So I hope to offer my ears. Listening is the least threatening way to help. In processing the difficult stories I hear, I can use my hands and words to take care of my self, hugging and talking with family and friends.
You, too, can help whenever you have the courage to listen to someone in need and refer them to professional resources such as the Helpline when they are in distress.
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