Home Articles Identifying Abuse

Identifying Abuse

How to Ask About Abuse

There’s a right and a wrong way to inquire if you’re concerned | Have you ever gotten an “off” feeling about a friend’s, loved one’s or coworker’s partner? Maybe the s... read more
Helping Hasidic Jews Escape Domestic Violence

Understanding their culture, we can help survivors choose their own path | “When I left my husband so my kids and I could survive, the community left me.” The above q... read more
When Abusers Turn on the Charm

Tricking friends and family into believing they could never be cruel is an abuser’s forte | Who doesn’t love someone who can charm their way through a dinner party wit... read more
The Frightening Roles Abusers Can Play

Which one fits the abuser you’ve dealt with? | You’ve heard people say it’s helpful to put a face to a name, like when you meet someone in person for the first time af... read more
From Romance to Isolation: Understanding Grooming

Anyone can fall for the clever manipulations of an abusive partner | Most relationships that become violent or controlling do not start that way. Rather, they often be... read more
When Survivors Believe They're Responsible for Ending Abuse

Some abusers convince survivors that abuse is their fault, and survivors take responsibility for everything | One way abusers control domestic violence survivors is by... read more
Possessiveness: The Precursor to Power and Control

Eight signs you should run before the abuse begins | We’re taught from a very young age that jealousy and possessiveness are signs of true love. If you need proof, loo... read more
Abusers Use Suffocation as a Power Move

The potentially deadly effects are the same as being strangled | We know that abusers strangle their victims as a way to exert power and control over them—they want th... read more
How to Survive Gaslighting

Four tactics for learning to trust your intuition again | I know what happened. I’m not imagining things. Am I imagining things? %{email_signup} He’s right, I must ... read more
Sleep Deprivation Used as Abuse Tactic

Some abusers punish survivors for falling asleep, then for making mistakes when exhausted | Domestic violence survivors often find they have trouble sleeping, and for ... read more
Refugee Children & Intimate Partner Violence: Part II

How to boost the resilience of children exposed to IPV | While many behaviors signal a child in distress, no behavior in and of itself is diagnostic of a child exposed... read more
Refugee Children & Intimate Partner Violence: Part I

Effects of exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) on refugee children and ways to reduce this exposure by helping their mothers achieve safety | Children suffer w... read more
You Ask, We Answer

Answers to your top eight questions about domestic violence | We’ve sifted through our email inbox, Facebook message board and even some old-fashioned handwritten l... read more
Profiling an Abuser: 6 Signs You Should Pay Attention To

Don't just look to the past—an abuser's current behavior may do more to indicate danger ahead | Many how-to-spot-an-abuser advice pieces, including the one ... read more
My Partner Is Trying to Make Me Seem Crazy. Am I Crazy?

How abusers use mind tricks and manipulation to portray survivors as insane | Sarah’s* abuser made her sleep facing him in bed. It started innocently enough. He sa... read more