Battering of women is no respect or of age, race, or socio-economic status
Relationship violence is a pattern of behaviors including physical, sexual, and
psychological attacks that adults or adolescents use to achieve compliance or
control over an intimate partner
The majority of victims who are battered stay in abusive relationships due to
fear of retaliation and lack of financial resources
The majority of incidents of homelessness among women and children are a
result of relationship violence
An attorney is not needed to get an order of protection
There is help for battered women and their children
Nearly one-third of American women (31%) report being physically or sexually
abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives
Please contact Friends of the Family if you, or someone you know, is
in an abusive relationship.
Call DCFOF 940.387.5131 to make an appointment with a counselor.
Attend support group.
After support group, some clients may enter individual counseling.
All services to victims are confidential and without cost.
The following services are offered at both the Denton and
Lewisville Outreach Offices:
Individual and group counseling
Safety planning
Education about relationship violence and its effects
Legal advocacy
Court accompaniment
Client advocacy
Referrals to other community resources
The most important information to know if you are in an abusive relationship
is that you are not alone. Help is available.
Counseling:
Shelter clients are offered individual and group counseling services to help them
in their recovery process. The staff includes a counselor for adults and a counselor
for children and adolescents. Counseling services are designed to fit the needs and
experiences of the clients in a warm and non-judgmental, supportive environment.
Although counseling services are not mandatory, it is strongly recommended as part
of the participation in shelter programs and activities. The goal of counseling is to
educate,support, and promote healthy, goal-directed behaviors that will lead toward
a self-sufficient,abuse-free life.
Parenting:
Shelter clients with children are offered parenting classes on a weekly basis to learn
effective parenting strategies and interventions. Parenting classes are designed to help
parenting adults understand the developmental processes in children and to identify
unhealthy behaviors in children who have been impacted by relationship violence
and/or sexual assault. The goal is to teach clients to be more responsible and effective
parents, help themselves and their children heal from abusive experiences, and create
healthy, functional families.
Crisis Line Services:
Crisis intervention staff, trained in crisis management and community resources,
answers the crisis line 24-hours a day to assist callers in crisis who may need
residential or outreach services.
Shelter Food Pantry:
The shelter food pantry provides food to needy families who are former shelter
clients and/or outreach clients. This services ensure that these families have adequate
access to food at no cost until they become established or attain some economic stability.
