HOPE for Women in Controlling Relationships
is a support group that is dedicated to supporting women who are, or who have been, in any type of controlling relationship (marriage, partnership, dating, family of origin, etc.). This may include, but certainly is not limited to, supporting the transition out of a controlling relationship which has progressed to one that has become physically violent.
The focus of the group is on healthy and nurturing relationships. To that end, examples of some of the topics that are presented and discussed in a very supportive, nonjudgmental environment include:
- Assertion Theory and Training
- The Resilient Personality
- The Dynamics of a Healthy Relationship
- Domestic/Family Violence
- The Profile of a Victim
- Children of Divorce
- Navigating the Legal Process
- Safety Plans and Community Resources
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- Self-Esteem Enhancement
- Growing from the Residue and Trauma of a Controlling/Abusive Relationship
- Red Flags of a Controlling Person
- The Profile of a Perpetrator
- Changing the “Snapshot” of the Victim
- Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Orders of Protection
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The group facilitator is Dr. Janice M. Dieber. Author of several textbooks and articles, Jan is a Life Transition Coach who spends her volunteer time as the group’s facilitator, a Victim’s Advocate with the Collierville Police Department, a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) and CASA trainer, and working with women inmates in the Pre-Release Program at Mark Luttrell Correctional Facility.
The following email is from a member of the group to Jan and the other group members.
Dear Friends, Thank you so much for your company at our dinner/meeting last night. It was great to be able to visit with all of you. Your words of encouragement mean more to me than you know. The cards and gifts were great surprises. I love the butterfly print signed by all of you. I'm going to hang it on my office wall to remind me of the difficulties of the last few years and the blessing of this opportunity for a new beginning. I was thinking after dinner last night that this new beginning would not have happened without the love, support, and encouragement of all of you. By sharing your experiences with me, you gave me much needed insight and hope for a better future. Knowing you were there for me when things were really tough made all the difference in the world. I had no doubt that if I needed any of you, I could call and you would be there to offer help and support. As is the case with many of you, I have not had true friends in many years due to the situations in which we found ourselves. It is the greatest gift to have friends both through the hard times and the good times. I look forward to seeing you in group as our journeys continue. – Love, (Name withheld)