The Envision Counselling Centre has rolled out an additional program at its Carlyle offices in recent weeks and according the centre's outreach coordinator, it's now the right time for the program.
In an interview with the Observer Sheena Wock explained the details the centre's latest line up, the Interpersonal Violence and Abuse program (I.V.A). She said it is geared towards individuals who are in rough situations such as domestic violence and abuse situations and explained that there is a lot of confidentiality in the program.
"We're very fortunate to have the Interpersonal Violence and Abuse program opening up in Carlyle. It's a wonderful program it's kind of the back bone to Envision. There's a lot of security, we keep our doors locked 24 hours a day so when you come to our door you have to ring the door bell, security measures are all in place because of this program," she said.
"Sometimes individuals come to counselling and they get safety plans. And a part of the safety plan is how to leave the relationship and this is why we take so much care with safety for this program."
The centre has been in operation since 1994 and started in Estevan, then expanded to Weyburn. In 2012 an office was opened in Carlyle introducing the Family Intervention program but Wock explained that IVA has been around since the centre was opened in 1994 and is just now coming to Carlyle. She said the program caters to adults in abusive relationships but pointed out that the majority of victims are women.
"Ninety-eight per cent of the time it's a woman leaving the situation and her husband, the male is the perpetrator of the crime," she said.
"These are gender crimes against women and violence against women, so when we look statistically a women she will leave a relationship up to seven times before she leaves for good. So each time she's reaching out, she might go back to the relationship."
Wock said there are a lot of reasons why a woman will go back to a relationship. She explained that there may be children involved and the woman may believe it's not worth the risk to leave the relationship. And after 30 years of a relationship or even two years with a child involved it becomes harder to leave.
"We can talk about the cycle of violence too, where there is a courtship phase, honeymoon phase, a loving phase and then tension builds and then there is an explosive situation. And the perpetrator becomes this loving forgiving person again," Wock said.
"Now they're in the honeymoon stage again and the woman is not ready to leave at this stage because that's when they fell in love with that person. If you went on a first date and got beat up you would not go on a second date."
Other aspects of the program cater to those who suffer from stalking and harassment situations. But survivors of childhood abuse are also urged to be a part of IVA and these victims who can be either male or female.
"Maybe it's been regressed and now something has triggered for them and it's come to the surface," Wock said explaining the circumstances which would cause people seek such help.
"They can come to this program get tools, get counselling and learn how to heal, move past and be a survivor."
IVA also covers sexual assault victims and according to Sheena Wock sexual assault in Estevan has risen 156 per cent in the past year.
"I don't think we are alone in that statistic, I truly believe that any area that there has been a boost in the population the numbers have gone up and I think that impacts Carlyle as well," she said.
"Victims of sexual assault can come to our programs and have advocacy and have support, knowing what they are feeling is normal."
She said the centre provides various coping tools and also work with the local police in some situations. Other help she said may come in the form of having someone stand beside a victim when giving a statement to the police. Wock said she'd love to put statistics to a lot of their cases, such as saying that 40 women left abusive homes this month. Which she admits is a form of success but it's really not, as success is measured on an individual basis.
"In our profession success is measured very different for each person who walks through the door. If they're feeling success we know we are doing our job, if they feel more assertive with their partner, if they were passive before," she said.
"A woman leaves a domestic violence situation seven times before she leaves it for good. On average women call the police the 36th time when she's been the victim of an assault. "
With an additional counselor at the Carlyle office Wock said Envision is now able to provide support directly for the IVA program. And with support from Victim Services and the RCMP, Wock believes the program will make a difference in the area.
