February is Preventative Health Awareness Month
What is Preventative Health Awareness Month?
Preventative Health Awareness Month (PHAM) is a fairly new initiative in the Canadian circle that has its insights from a vision by Margaret Wallis-Duffy, the founder of ‘Become the CEO of Your Health’. The intent behind PHAM is to create a system of care that is preventative in possible diagnoses or lessening the severity of them, and one that is proactive in caring for the self.
But what does PHAM have to do with family violence?
Since the campaign aims to “stock the preventative health toolboxes of Canadians by educating them on various pillars of health”, we’d like to include family violence education as just another tool to prevention. How? Well because education and awareness on family violence equips people to recognize family violence, respond to it, refer to help, and provide resources for support. By broadening the spectrum of ‘prevention’, family violence education becomes a necessary consideration for preventing unhealthy relationships, preventing cases of escalated abuse or domestic homicide, and preventing further physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual harm to another (beyond what they may already have endured). Further, family violence education could be a tool that prevents traumatic brain injuries (TBI) as a result of physical violence.
Education on family violence is a measure of prevention, especially when we think about creating a world that is less reactionary to health concerns. Just as you would wash your hands after being out in public, wear a mask during covid, or a surgeon would done gloves and a gown before operating, family violence education works the same way. If we can identify risk factors, triggers, concerns for safety, and more, we are effectively preventing harm or further harm to victims of abuse.
By knowing what to look for, how to refer beyond, and how to support someone experiencing family violence, we can prevent family violence. It starts with education and awareness. It starts with Preventative Health Awareness Month.
education = prevention
How does education equip us to ‘recognize’ family violence?
Recognizing family violence begins with understanding the ‘signs’ that are attached to it. Has their partner been cutting off friends/family? Does their partner put them down often? Does their partner guilt them into spending more time with them? Does their partner tell them not to hang out with you? Has their partner threatened them ever? Does their partner act controlling of their behaviour or even the foods they eat?
At The Today Centre, we define family violence as a systematic pattern of abusive behaviours. When we speak to recognizing family violence it means understanding that often this pattern is meant to control a person. Through fear and manipulation, which are tactics of abuse, a perpetrator will isolate a victim from their support system, drawing them further into a dependent relationship on the perpetrator. And that’s why fear is often part of the equation. Recognizing family violence means distinguishing between behaviours that result in fear vs induce fear. You can have relationships that are healthy but may have a few unhealthy qualities. You can have relationships that are unhealthy and yet have a few healthy qualities. Family violence isn’t black and white and there are not always a clear checklist of signs to look out for. Recognizing means understanding that abuse is experienced on a spectrum through various forms of power and control.
Recognizing family violence also begins with questioning and understanding how we receive information about relationships. Where do we get our ideas about what a relationship looks like from? Who tells us what is a healthy or unhealthy relationship quality? What models do we see personally about how to treat others? Understanding this lets us frame family violence into a bigger picture. There is never an excuse for abusive behaviours and they are a choice individuals choose to make. However, what we know of a stereotypical ‘healthy’ relationship or a stereotypical ‘unhealthy’ relationship, or even what quantifies as a relationship, shapes how we recognize behaviours that are ‘out of the ordinary’. How often do they argue? How often does one put the other down? This is also why we quantify relationships by ‘healthy’, ‘unhealthy’, and ‘abusive’ behaviours. What’s the difference between them? Is there fear involved? Does the other feel controlled or afraid? Is there manipulative tactics at play?
Educating on the ‘signs’ of family violence is an important first step in preventing further harm. It means we have begun to equip people to understand the impacts family violence has and how varying situations will carry varying levels of risk with them.
How does education equip us to ‘respond’ to family violence?
Education equips us to respond to family violence by knowing how to support a victim of family violence. Supporting a victim of family violence or someone you suspect is experiencing it, begins with having real, everyday conversations that encourage empathy, active listening, no judgment, and support that empowers and enables. Reaching out just to say hello or send an encouraging note can prevent isolation.
When reaching out, stick to facts you genuinely notice, not conspiring suspicions. “I’ve noticed your partner often ______” or “I’ve noticed you’ve been a little down and withdrawn lately". When someone confides in you or shares their experiences with you, check in with what your gut feeling is and believe that person. Your response affects how they seek help in the future. Educations equips us to respond with the words “I believe you” and “it’s not your fault”.
Education also equips us to ask questions that give a better understanding of the situation and how best to support the person experiencing the abuse. It means understanding that you are not the expert on their experiences, they are and building a better and shared understanding means asking how you can help, if they want help. Offer to be a safe space to land or to keep items safe or to buy groceries or drop off a meal. It means listening with intent and creating space for someone to define their own experience without judgement or opinions. Remember that their experience isn’t about you and that what they might be facing isn’t the same or something that necessarily needs a label.
Education equips us to respond with love, empathy, belief, and genuine support, and responding like this prevents isolation, disbelief, stigma, and potential further harm to a victim of family violence.
how does education equip us to ‘refer’?
There is no one straight solution to family violence. Family violence does not discriminate on gender, sexuality, age, religion, profession, culture, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status, and therefore there is no way of handling every experience the same. When we talk about prevention, it is important to understand that often times we may need to refer to an expert or professional who can help further. Although 80% of victims of family violence reach out to friends or family (informal supports) first, it is important to understand our own limits and capacity to assist them. Formal supports like organizations, etc. may be better equipped to handle the situation with empathy, expertise, and useful information. When we are aware of our own limits, our own capacities, and our own abilities to assist, we can prevent further traumatization (or re-traumatization), harm, and escalation of abuse by referring to professionals who can assist.
How does education equip us to provide ‘resources’?
Preventing family violence means understanding which resources can be helpful support. Beyond referring to help, education equips us to understand which referrals and resources might actually be useful. Resources are an essential tool to preventing escalation of abuse, further harm, or domestic homicide, and can provide numerous services that vary from creating safety plans or providing risk assessments, to providing therapy and psychoeducation on the impacts of family violence on the brain. Other resources assist in providing emergency housing or legal support.
But how do you find these resources? How do you know which resource is a good fit to help? Obviously you cannot use every resource to help every person experiencing family violence but a great place to start is knowing the resources that can provide direction to other support. For example, The Today Centre’s services may not necessarily be a fit for every person experiencing family violence but our team can refer those who need it to the support they actually need, like court support with the Edmonton John Howard Society. Family violence is a spectrum and resources are also spectrums of support. Education can help bridge the gap between the disconnect we may feel in knowing where to start. Education can show us what resources are in our area, who they serve, what services they provide, and more.
Education equips us to understand that we aren’t the experts on someone else’s situation and neither are the professionals. But knowing how, when, and if someone wants to be referred to support, can be an incredibly life-saving tool to preventing harm.
Resources
The Today Centre Resources
for youth
Kids Help Phone
Mental health support for young people across Canada. Offering resources, crisis support, counselling and more.
LoveIsRespect.org
A national resource to disrupt and prevent unhealthy relationships and intimate partner violence by empowering young people through education, support, and resources.
TheTrevorProject.org
A leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGTBT young people and is run 24/7.
Child abuse hotline
family violence resources
Edmonton John Howard Society
A charitable organization serving people without support systems, victims, and people at risk or involved with the justice system.
Assist Community Services Centres
Providing assistance and meeting the various needs of newcomers in our community.
Edmonton Violence Prevention Centre
Providing group treatment, advocacy, and education to reduce the incidents of family violence and increase awareness and understanding of family violence and its impact.
Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton (SACE)
A centre offering support services and programs for those who have been sexually assaulted.
Remember, you aren’t the expert on someone else’s situation and you don’t need to be. Refer to support and professionals if someone you’re talking to asks for it. Listen first, be a safe space, and remember to always ask questions about how they wish to be supported. Together, we can prevent family violence.
Partnership with lillian osborne high school student solidarity committee
We teamed up with Lillian Osborne High School’s ‘Student Solidarity Committee’ (SSC) for February’s Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Preventative Health Awareness Month! All month long the Student Solidarity Committee and The Today Centre shared posts about teen dating violence, recognizing healthy vs unhealthy vs abusive relationships, how to support friends in unhealthy relationships, and how education is a tool in family violence prevention.
Be sure to check out both Lillian Osborne and The Today Centre’s social media platforms for more information!