Domestic Violence Counseling

The relationship started great for John* and Carol*.

John and Carol were high school sweethearts and the couple who were the envy of their friends. They were so perfect together.

John loved Carol so much that he was highly protective of her, constantly calling her “to make sure she was okay.”

He loved her so much that he wanted her to spend all her time with him when she wasn’t working at her part-time job.

There were early warning signs about John.

During high school, John would call Carol at work several times each day “just to say he loved her.” Finally, Carol’s boss asked her not to take personal calls at work anymore. John didn’t like hearing that he couldn’t call and said, “Who was he to tell him that he couldn’t talk to Carol?” It was none of her boss’s business.

But it wasn’t only Carol’s boss that John didn’t like. He also didn’t like that Carol’s family took up so much of her time, making Carol feel torn between her family and John. She began to dread telling John that she couldn’t be with him because of a family obligation because he would get upset and accuse her of not loving him enough to be with him.

Carol’s family noticed John’s possessiveness and controlling behavior and tried to warn her, but she loved John and defended him. “He just wants to be with me because he loves me so much,” she would say (even though inside, she began to feel uneasy due to his fiery temper.)

John’s possessive and controlling behavior escalated.

Shortly before high school graduation, John wanted Carol to marry him.

When she tried to tell him she wanted to wait until after college, John became enraged and threatened to break up with her.

Carol didn’t know how she could live without him in her life, and besides, things would get better after they were married, right?

Domestic violence entered the picture. While dating, John had hit Carol several times, but not hard. Carol thought that John would surely see her love for him after their marriage and wouldn’t be violent.

Don’t overlook the signs of domestic violence.

The story above is fictitious, yet it is a familiar story of the process of domestic violence. The early warning signs of John’s possessiveness and the desire to dominate Carol were present from the start, but Carol neglected to follow her gut instincts.

If your gut tells you you’re in an abusive relationship, trust it and get help to get out – before it’s too late.

I have years of experience in helping victims of domestic violence find the courage and resources they need to get out of harm’s way. The one proven truth about domestic violence is that it gets worse; it does NOT get better.

Seek help now. Call me for the support and help you need to heal and start anew. The consultation is free, so you have nothing to lose and everything to gain!

*These are fictitious names and scenarios used only to illustrate real-life situations.