What is Trauma? We are surrounded by trauma narratives everyday through social media, news, and even through family and friends. The National Council for Behavioral Health states that “70% of adults in the U.S. have experienced some type of traumatic event at least once in their lives.” This is a high number, but you may…

Here at Genesis, we talk a lot about coping skills during counseling. What are coping skills and why are they so important? Coping skills are activities or actions that a person can take to manage overwhelming emotions. We all do things to help us cope with our feelings throughout any given day, even if you’re…

Being in an abusive relationship can be confusing and scary. Most abusive relationships begin the same way as any other relationship – strong feelings of love and attraction and experiences that are fun and exciting. Over time, the abusive partner may begin to have behaviors that feel “off” to the other partner. Maybe he* begins…

I recently took a self-defense class. A friend invited me, knowing how I am a sucker for anything “female empowerment” based. I had some apprehensions about the course, recognizing why we do not tie self-defense classes with domestic violence work, but I tried to go in with an open mind. I learned some things about…

Domestic violence can take a number of forms, but there’s one thing that 99% of domestic  violence cases have in common: An element of financial abuse. If you haven’t been in full control of your finances and are worried about being trapped by debt even after you’ve distanced yourself from an abuser, know that filing…

I love the holidays. I love Thanksgiving. I love Christmas. I am one of those people who could listen to Christmas music any time of the year, and I watch Hallmark Christmas movies starting in October. I have also experienced some challenges at Christmas, times when I did not know how I would buy Christmas…

Joyful gatherings, restful holidays and a peaceful time spent with family… unfortunately, this is frequently not the case for our clients involved in or healing from an abusive relationship with an intimate partner. Often, the abusive partner controls the merriment of the holiday season through varied forms of abuse. An abuser may have completely controlled…

How cultural perspectives impact how we understand domestic violence Culture can seem like such a broad and nuanced concept. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines culture as the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group or the characteristic features of everyday existence (such as diversions or a way of…

This has been a challenging year for us all; full of uncertainty, change and hardship. For children, their whole worlds have been turned upside down. For children who have been impacted by the trauma of domestic abuse, this time can be even more devastating. The global trauma of the pandemic of COVID-19 can compound the…

Every year, Genesis is honored to partner with our incredible community members to provide holiday gifts to our clients and their children. As part of our Holiday Program, Genesis clients are asked what gifts they would like to receive and what items they need most. From handbags and sleepwear to diapers and dress-up clothes, our…