Domestic Violence is not always physical. In fact, the most painful type of abuse is emotional. Children can suffer emotionally and physically if they live in a home where abuse is taking place. If you feel that you are in a relationship in which you are being controlled, manipulated, or abused please reach out to the Gloucester County Domestic Violence Hotline 1-866-295-SERV (7378). They have trained counselors 24/7 to provide you with education, counseling, safety planning, and legal support. Services are free and confidential. If you need in person counseling related to your current or previous relationships they can also provide that to you, free of charge.
Their website is here. https://www.centerffs.org/serv/serv-domestic-violence-services
The national domestic violence website is another great resource here: http://www.thehotline.org/ and their phone number is 1-800-799-7233.
Is my relationship healthy?
If you answer yes to any of the following questions, you might be in an unhealthy relationship.
Does your partner ever….
- Insult, demean or embarrass you with put-downs
- Control what you do, who you talk to or where you go?
- Look at you or act in ways that scare you?
- Push you, slap you, choke you or hit you?
- Stop you from seeing your friends or family members?
- Control the money in the relationship? Take your money or Social Security check, make you ask for money or refuse to give you money?
- Make all of the decisions without your input or consideration of your needs?
- Tell you that you’re a bad parent or threaten to take away your children?
- Prevent you from working or attending school?
- Act like the abuse is no big deal, deny the abuse or tell you it’s your own fault?
- Destroy your property or threaten to kill your pets?
- Intimidate you with guns, knives or other weapons?
- Attempt to force you to drop criminal charges?
- Threaten to commit suicide, or threaten to kill you?
