Abuse Counselling

When we experience any form of abuse it can be painful. The pain may cloud confidence and we can find it difficult to want to share our experience with others. People who have experienced any form of abuse may have painful memories, unwarranted feelings of guilt, shame and anger. Sometimes we have flashbacks. Keeping these feelings inside us can create a sense of heaviness and it can all become unbearable. Abuse counselling can help.

Through abuse counselling/psychotherapy we are able to explore these feelings and understand the impact the abuse has had on our wellbeing. Therapy provides you with the skills to understand how to manage these feelings and how to deal with them in a safe way. The team at Sex Life Therapy, through abuse counselling, can provide you with new or better coping strategies to deal with the painful memories and/or flashbacks.

There is no “quick-fix” solution when dealing with abuse. The impact of abuse often is far reaching and through therapy we begin to understand how we have changed and make new decisions about how we want to be. Sometimes the journey will seem painful, yet as we deal with the abuse and develop new skills and strategies, the pain will lessen. Through abuse counselling/psychotherapy we become the controller of our experience not the abusive memories.

WHAT OUTCOMES/BENEFITS CAN I EXPECT FROM ABUSE COUNSELLING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY?

Our aim to work with you develop to increase your wellbeing and resilience.

Through abuse counselling/psychotherapy you will:

• Process the traumatic event/s in a safe, confidential and professional environment;
• Develop skills and strategies to manage memories, flashbacks and painful feelings;
• Understand distress tolerance;
• Address accompanying symptoms like depression, and/or anxiety; and
• Build your confidence, esteem and resilience.

Through abuse counselling we are able to support those who have suffered abuse and can help you begin your journey towards a happier life.

A GUIDE TO ABUSE

Abuse can come in many forms. Abuse does not happen to any one “type of person”. It can happen to anyone: women, children and men. Abuse impacts on each individual differently. Some people may experience depression, anxiety, self-esteem and confidence issues, even post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). If you have experienced any form of abuse counselling and/or psychotherapy maybe able to assist you in your recovery.

TYPES OF ABUSE

There are many different types of abuse.

• Physical Abuse: Physical abuse involves physical violence, OR threats of physical violence. Physical abuse can include acts of violence like Abuse_Counselling_@_Sex_Life_Therapytwisting limbs, hitting, shaking, burning, choking throwing objects and other actions that can cause physical injury to the body. It can also include destruction of personal (or prized) property. Physical abuse also includes threats of these, and similar behaviours. Mugging can also be constituted as physical abuse.
• Sexual Abuse: Sexual abuse includes any unwanted sexual behaviours and include rape, sexual assault, or forms of child abuse. Doing something you do not want to do sexually (including watching pornography) can be classed sexual abuse.
• Emotional Abuse/Psychological Abuse: T Emotional and psychological abuse are two terms which mean the same thing. Sometiems it is dificult to identify emotional/psycholgical abuse as there are not always outward signs/indicators. Emotional abuse include any beahviour which impacts or diminishes your self confidence, self-esteem, or emotional or psychological wellbeing. Psychological or emotional abuse includes behaviours which demean, degrade or humiliate an individual. Actions such as being criticised constantly, threatened, bullied, dismissed, or being yelled at are forms of psychological or emotional abuse. Denying or minimising abuse is also a form of emotional or psychological abuse. Emotional abuse can be just as painful and damaging as physical abuse.
• Social Abuse: Social abuse is any form of behaviour which isolates you, or attempts to isolate you from your soical world. This can be acquaintances, friends and or family. Social abuse can be about criticising or being suspicious of your family and friends, controlling your use of mobiles, phones and internet, and use of the family car, deliberately physically isolating you in your home or making you move away from family and friends, and demanding to know where you and who you are with at all times. Any behaviour which socially isolates you is a form of social abuse.
• Financial Abuse: Financial abuse is when an individual is made financially dependent on their partner. A perpetrator of financial abuse takes full control of all the finances, spending and decisions about money so the victim is financially dependent. Also denying access to money, including the individual’s own, forcing the individual to live on inadequate resources and demanding the individual accounts for every cent spent are all forms of financial abuse. This type of abuse is often a contributing factor for women becoming ‘trapped’ in violent relationships.
• Spiritual Abuse: Spiritual abuse is a form of abuse which undermines an individual’s sense of identity through criticism of spiritual beliefs, quoting religious texts to justify abusive behaviour and denying an individual freedom to speak their own language and practice their own culture.
• Neglect: Neglect is a form of abuse. Neglect occurs when adequate food, housing, clothing or medical care is not provided for example in childhood, or even older adulthood. Additionally, emotional neglect happens when support, love and attention are not provided.

ABUSE COUNSELLING IN COLLINGWOOD AND FRANKSTON – MELBOURNE

Dr Christopher and the team at Sex Life Therapy provide sex therapy and relationship therapy in Collingwood and Frankston (Mornington Peninsula). Skype session for sex therapy are available for other areas in Victoria and Australia. If you would like an appointment with Dr Christopher or one of team at Sex Life Therapy, call (03) 9005 5213, or complete the online inquiry form.

OTHER RESOURCES FOR ABUSE COUNSELLING