All people can benefit from counseling or therapy. Therapy provides a safe and confidential place for a person to talk to a professional about personal experiences, thoughts, feelings, or problems. It is especially important to consider therapy if you’ve experienced a traumatic event. Harrowing events such as natural disasters, death, physical violence, abuse, serious illness, and even a global crisis such as a pandemic, can be devastating experiences. While some quickly recover from the experience, not everyone copes with distress the same. Others may suffer from mental issues like dep ..read more

The Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Center offers victims of sexual assault a “SAFE Room.” But what exactly does that mean? Rachel, the DVSAC Sexual Assault Services Coordinator, is here to break it all down for us!   Q: What does “SAFE Room” mean? R: SAFE stands for “Sexual Assault Forensic Exam”. DVSAC has a private, specialized room to complete these medical exams and is an excellent alternative to reporting to the hospital after a sexual assault has occurred. Sexual Assault Forensic Exams include more than the opportunity for evidence collection, but also offer medication to ..read more

I believed lies about my sexual assault. After my sexual assault, I shamed myself, I was disgusted, and I told myself that I deserved it. I believed all these lies about myself. My toxic self-criticism damaged my relationship with self-love. I am stronger than my trauma. My trauma consumed me. I hid my sexual assault for three years. I refused to open that door and release myself from the self-sabotage cycle. Once I made the step to begin my healing with EMDR therapy, I began to recognize my significant role in improving my mental health. With a year of EMDR therapy, I finally began to ..read more

“I’ve had days where it’s extremely difficult to get up in the morning. I’ve had days where I really could not imagine a single pathway forward. And those were such weighing times. It was terrible. All I wanted to do is sleep so that I wouldn’t have to be conscious. That’s no way to live. I think of other young women who have to go through this and you see them withdraw and crumble and fall away from the things that they love. And I just think – how, how do we let that happen?” – Chanel Miller _____________________ There is a lot of misinformation that circulates about sexual violence a ..read more

January is National Stalking Awareness Month The series titled You has recently brought to light stalkers and stalking behaviors. Joe Goldberg is the main character of You, the extremely popular TV series based on a series of novels by Caroline Kepnes which airs on Netflix. If you haven’t seen the show You in short (NO spoilers); Joe Goldberg wants you. Joe wants to know you, to protect you, to love you. And he’s not willing to leave your romance to chance, so even though you don’t know it, he follows you, he manipulates you, he controls you. Over time, the you Joe obsesses ..read more

#GivingTuesday takes place on November 30th Mark your calendars! We are excited to participate in Giving Tuesday, a global generosity movement that follows Black Friday and Cyber Monday, this year happening on Tuesday, November 30th.  What is Giving Tuesday?  Giving Tuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Since then, it has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity. It’s a simple idea:  Whether it’s making someone smile, helping a neighbor or stranger ou ..read more

Sponsor a Child No child imagines they will be waking up Christmas morning in a safe shelter.  This holiday season, you can sponsor a child living in the DVSAC emergency safe shelter and ensure a joyful Christmas morning.  Here’s how it works!  Sign-up to be a Shelter Secret Santa.  Commit to sponsoring a child who will be living in our safe shelter over the holidays due to domestic or sexual violence occurring in their home. Email Kara@dvsacenter.org to get your sign-up form! Receive your Secret Child. You will receive your secret child between December 16th – 17th. Your ..read more

There are MANY myths and misconceptions surrounding the issue of domestic violence, sometimes referred to as relationship violence, intimate partner violence, or spousal abuse. Some of the most common myths even the most experienced advocate may have at one point in their life thought to be true. The fact is domestic violence is a crisis that affects all of us and has devastating and long-lasting impacts. Domestic violence does not discriminate. Anyone of any race, age, sexual orientation, religion or gender can be a victim – or perpetrator – of domestic violence. It can happen to people who ..read more

It’s back! Pumpkin Spice Latte season is upon us. Are you a PSL fan? Regardless, you can still take part in the #PSLchallenge in honor of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month – celebrated in October.  Domestic violence / intimate partner violence/relationship abuse/dating violence are very real, life-altering crimes happening at alarming rates. The DVSAC is committed to ensuring that any victim who needs our safety or healing services is not turned away. To do this, however, we rely on support from our local community.  The pumpkin spice latte challenge or #PSLchallenge was c ..read more

Trigger warning: domestic violence, sexual assault, suicide   When we got the call from Chrissy, she had just been sexually assaulted, choked, and then chased down by her abusive ex-boyfriend, Matthew, by car when she ran to escape. She was shaking, terrified, and confused about how someone she loved could do this. Chrissy and Matthew had dated for nearly a year. Their relationship started off like any new relationship – exciting, loving, and fun. They moved in together and spent most of their free time with each other. They hosted a housewarming party and enjoyed time with mutual friend ..read more