New! Ongoing 6 week Psycho-Educational Support Group Available:Surviving Abuse:  Keeping Safe and How to Move on with Your Life!

You are in an abusive relationship if your partner is:
       Pushing, poking, biting, hair-pulling, pinching, hitting, punching, slapping
       Threatening to harm you
       Using or threatening to use a weapon
       Holding you down against your will, or locking you in the car or house
       Smashing things or ripping or burning your clothes
       Insulting you in public
       Refusing to let you see your family or friends
       Checking up on you
       Following you, watching what you do, who you are with
       Making all the decisions
       Expecting you to spend all your time with him
       Controlling the money
       Calling you names
       Yelling or swearing at you
       Telling you how to dress, how to wear your hair and/or makeup
       Making you think you are crazy
       Bragging about mistreating you
       Drugging you, or forcing you to drink until you are drunk
       Treating you like a servant
       Hurting or threatening to kill your pets
       Withholding affection
       Forcing you to perform sexual acts against your will
       Insisting on unwanted touching
       Refusing to practice safe sex
       Acting jealous and possessive towards you
       Accusing you of being unfaithful or flirting
       Having affairs
       Threatening to commit suicide
       Threatening to kill you
Domestic Violence whether it is of the physical, emotional, sexual or financial kind is devastating!  Emotional abuse is the toughest to identify because a lot of times we feel like what they are saying is true or it happens so gradually that we tend to question if it is really happening or not.  And certainly if a few of the above statements happen only once or twice it cannot be defined as abuse.But if you or anyone you know is experiencing the above situations on a regular basis, I encourage you and/or them to seek help!

Unfortunately in abusive relationships it usually always gets worse before it gets better and in seeking help, if you are currently in an abusive relationship, it can escalate the violence.  Not to mention, it is hard to believe we matter when we are told on a daily basis that we don’t.   I am here to tell you that you do matter and you deserve better than living this way.  There is a way for you to feel better about yourself and to be empowered to take back the control over your life!This group will help you to find your inner power to feel better about yourself, help keep yourself safe and to help you realize that you deserve to be happy and you are not alone!

If you are seeking help by either individual counseling or group support please contact me!

Details of the group:
* Sunday afternoons
* Group cost is $50
* To pre-register or for more information: (314) 623-7660 or kimelder97@yahoo.com

Look forward to hearing from you,
-Kim

Kim Elder is a Provisional Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Missouri.