Crisis Support

It is essential for women to know how to defend themselves as they are unfortunately more often the victims of attacks and abuse. It is not the purpose to scare women to becoming paranoid from a likely attack but to…
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You are always going to have your share of good days and bad days. No matter how bleak things become, you have to maintain the will to live. You will learn why suicide should never be an option. It will…
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Many people do not realise that knowing even just the basic elements of self defense can make a great deal of difference if you are unfortunate enough to be attacked. In fact, knowing the basics may just be enough to save your life. There…
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Being from a family that has been subject to many mentally ill members and carries a genetic predisposal for it, I have experienced many aspects of this terrible, potentially crippling disease. The effects it has on families will vary according…
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Following the funeral service and burial, the Irish wake is a prolonged and informal celebration of the deceased by his or her family and friends. It can last as little as a few hours or occasionally continue into the next…
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Sexual harassment stems from the need to control another person. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the individual being harassed is “weak.” More often than not, the person being preyed on (and make no mistake about it..you are prey) is in…
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You’ve done it a thousand times. That short walk to your car through the empty parking garage never gets shorter, but so are the ramifications of your position; long hours, and late nights. You’re taking all the precautions you know….
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It is crucial to not tell a lie about others, especially one that involves sexual assault allegations. You will learn the consequences of falsely accusing someone of sexual assault. You can create a sense of guilt for yourself. Committing this…
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Support for families of criminals……….whoever heard of such a thing, and you won’t. Why should there be, the families are serving time right along with their loved one! You are left shunned and isolated as if you are in your…
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Any kind of assault is traumatic but a sexual assault is particularly distressing. There is no distinction between the rape of women or men when it comes to severity or the law. Both are very serious crimes, carrying the same…
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Did you every feel like an ant? Driving to work in a long line of traffic, working in a box-like honeycombed building with scores, maybe hundreds of other people, shopping in malls the size of a city block by following…
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When someone becomes mentally ill, it can be a strain for all the family. Sometimes it can be a sudden change and at others it can be slow and almost masked until you make sense of it. Mental illness can…
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Whether you are a parent, sibling, aunt, uncle, or grandparent, dealing with the issue of self-harm when it comes to a family member is a great challenge. In large part the challenge is compounded by the fact the dealing with…
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When a person cuts him or herself, he or she is not just injuring him or her. It goes deeper. That someone is trying to hide deeper wounds by creating new tangible wounds. You must look beyond the blood, cuts,…
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Paralyzed by fear. Alone. Frozen on the precipice and unable to step ahead into the unknown and yet sensing the symbolic sword at your back, edging you ever so concretely forward. She was the pride of her mom and dad…
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In order for someone to truly understand rape, I feel that they have to experience it. The term rape can be used broadly. A person can be raped of many things. We are all victims of rape in one way…
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Have you ever been disappointed? Of course you have, who hasn’t? Most often, disappointment comes at the hands of those that we care most about. If we don’t care about someone, they lack the power over our hearts that it…
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Just past the teeter totter was a huge mound of snow.  It was the perfect place for the recess game.  At the sound of the bell, the first child to make it to the top of the hill was crowned…
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Consider me the girl of many faces when it comes to the ability to prevent yourself from becoming a rape victim. On one hand I see the side of people that would say no, there is always violence and there…
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Life is not always kind.  You might be blindsided by an untimely death of a loved one, a reversal of financial well-being, a debilitating medical issue or some other unfortunate life-changing event that leaves you depleted of the ability to…
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As a suicide survivor, let me tell you that coming across an article title named “Why suicide should never be an option” brings out the emotion. Wow, suicide should never be an option?! You don’t say! No, suicide should not…
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Imagine if you will, standing on the top of a box. You know you can’t stand there forever, however the thought of stepping off, and into a sea of land mines, is thoroughly overwhelming. Of course, you’re clearly aware at…
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Planning a funeral is not at the top of anyone’s fun list, but it is something all will face at some point in their lives.  Pre-planning is one way to make sure your wishes are carried out and your family…
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What is your greatest fear? If you had been abused as a child perhaps one of your greatest fears would be to be out of control. After all, as a child you were out of control, and look what happened….
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The flowers that you buy for a funeral say a lot about who you are, though they need to say a whole lot more than that. After all, this is a very sensitive time for everyone concerned, and it’s strange…
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When you or a family member has to attend a funeral for the first time it helps if you can acquaint yourself with some of the rituals and traditions or expectations before you get to the actual function.  When you…
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Whether we like it or not it can be a scary world out there and the need to know how to keep yourself safe is greater than ever. Yet many women and men do not know how to keep themselves…
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Nothing brings people together like disaster. When a parent is dying, all the family squabbles should be put aside and the priority become the care of that parent. It’s a time when brothers and sisters can pool resources to ensure…
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Shock.  Absolute shock fills the being of loved ones, friends and neighbors once news of a sudden and unexpected death occurs.  It’s as if life pushes a “hold” button.  Everything stops while the survivors attempt to comprehend their loss.  Replays…
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Being involved in a physically abusive relationship will leave you with a battered body, but it will also leave you with a battered spirit. Getting out of this type of relationship is not always easy and if you’ve managed to…
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