Return to Top

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND RELATIONSHIP ABUSE

Healing Starts Here

STOP

If you are in danger or need immediate assistance, please call 911 or local emergency services

Monday - Friday 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, Sunday and
state holidays 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (1-877-SOS-ADULT/1-877-767-2385).

Domestic Violence / Relationship Abuse

Healthy relationships can be hard. Each person has their own identity, likes, dreams, desires, goals, and expectations. Relationships can range from ones you have with your friends at school or at work, in the community, or someone you might be dating, romantically involved with or married.

How we communicate our expectations is critical to having healthy relationships. Healthy relationships are based on EQUALITY. Each person must balance their role in order to keep the relationship healthy. Abusive relationships are patterns of controlling behaviors that someone uses against their partner. The core of this abuse is POWER and CONTROL.

Types of Relationship Abuse

‍

Social / Digital Abuse

Monitoring social media, posting abusive messages, deciding who you can be "friends" with, making you check in via text. Sending/receiving inappropriate pictures

Anger/Emotional Abuse

Verbally putting you down, making you feel bad about yourself, making you think you're crazy and the one who is wrong, playing mind games, humiliating you, making you feel guilty. Telling you they are "joking" or simply just messing around.

Peer Pressure

Threatening to expose someone's weakness or spread rumors. Telling malicious lies about an individual to peers. Coercing you into doing something because others are doing it.

Threats or Intimidation

Making someone afraid by using looks, gestures, actions, smashing things, destroying property. Making threats to do something to hurt or harm another. Threatening to leave, commit suicide, drop charges making you do illegal things

Minimize/Deny/Blame

Making light of the abuse and not taking concerns about it seriously. Saying the abuse did not happen. Shifting responsibility for abusive behavior. Blaming yourself for the abuse.

Physical Abuse

Any physical contact that is hurtful and unwanted. Hitting slapping, grabbing, pushing, shoving, tripping, pinching, biting, withhold of food or sleep, pulling hair, abandoning you, throwing things at you, pinning you down, choking, spitting on you, preventing you from leaving.

Dominance

Treating someone like a servant, making all the decisions, acting like the boss. Telling you what you can and cannot do, wear, hang out with.

Isolation or Exclusion

Controlling what you do, where you go, who your friends are. Reads your messages, texts, emails without permission. Uses jealousy to justify actions. Limit outside involvement.

‍

Get help now!Navajo County Resource GuideTypes of Abuse & ReportingI'm a man being abusedDownloadable ResourcesVictim CompensationWhat Should I Do If
Learn More