MORE THAN BABY BLUES
Karen* was devastated by her miscarriage and suffering from postpartum depression. Friends were so impressed by her husband Ken. He was right by her side, taking her to the doctor and going to grief counseling together. Karen could not bring herself to tell anyone the truth. When they were alone, Ken yelled at her constantly and blamed her for the miscarriage every chance he could. “You should have taken better care of yourself,” “You can’t do anything right,” or even worse, “It’s for the best, you would have been a horrible mother.”
Karen’s friend Cindy noticed that Karen became jumpy when Ken entered the room. This really didn’t make sense since Cindy knew Ken was so amazing. When she asked what was wrong, Karen broke down and told her about the verbal abuse at home. Fortunately, Karen was open to Cindy’s suggestion to call SHALVA.
After several months of weekly counseling sessions, Karen writes:
“Our marriage was full of ups and downs…. I almost went crazy. During this difficult time, I had emotional support and legal services from SHALVA. My counselor helped me realize that my husband was lying and manipulating me…I am learning to love myself again. Thank you SHALVA for helping me realize my strengths and improve quality of my life!”
In 2018, SHALVA clients like Karen reported enhanced safety, increased knowledge, decreased isolation, increased coping skills, and restored confidence and hope. As we start 2019, we look forward to working together and helping more women on their healing journey.
*Names have been changed for the safety of our clients.
Yes, I want to end the isolation experienced by women who are abused!
