Annie needed help with a Protection from Abuse order. She was beaten by her boyfriend of three years; he used his body and his cell phone as a weapon. He kept screaming at Annie to leave, but then he would drag her away from available exits. When Annie tried to leave using her car, he threw a brick at the windshield, breaking it. Annie made the decision to call the Willow Domestic Violence Center crisis phone line for assistance. Annie & a Willow Domestic Violence Center advocate met and talked about her experience, the dynamics of domestic violence and created a safety plan. With The Willow Domestic Violence Center assistance, Annie filled out a Protection from Abuse order as the next step to take to help procure her safety.

Gladys is a hard working student and a mother of two young children. Her emotionally & financially abusive husband would sabotage important tests she needed to complete for her online courses to earn her bachelor’s degree. Her abuser is good with computers, and would put a password on her computer. He would only give her the password if she finished a list of chores he had made up. He does not help with their young children and tells Gladys that her job has to accommodate the children’s school hours. If she needs to get a babysitter- he has unrealistic qualifications of whom she can pick (e.g. the babysitter must be an older woman who has chosen to be a stay-at-home mom, etc.). He says that he will kill her if she tries to take her kids away from him.  Frightened, Gladys called the Willow Domestic Violence Center crisis line to set up a meeting with an advocate. She and a Willow Domestic Violence Center advocate discussed safety planning and how best to follow through with Gladys’ plan to file for a divorce and gain custody of her small children.

Morgan Children (especially girls) sometimes cope with violence by taking on adult responsibilities. She was six, going on forty-five when she came to the shelter. She would enforce rules with her younger siblings and take on a parenting role. She started sentences with "I need...." As in "I need to check the baby's diaper", or "I need to check on my little sister". If she was in a position where she couldn't take care of things, she became extremely agitated and anxious. One of the advocates began working with her at which point it was common for her to march into the office and ask if the advocate was there because "I have a meeting with her". Over time (and with much work), she did improve. However, when her mother was packing up to move out, much of the mini-adult behavior returned. In later conversation with her mother, it was reported that much of her behavior had shown marked improvement, but there still was a ways to go.

Jenny  While the Imminent threat of physical violence may be resolved, sometimes the damage will haunt survivors for years and severely limit their options. For many survivors, the abuser had not physically hurt the survivor, but they have often times damaged their financial state so badly that it is difficult to recover. Jenny came from a rural area where she was forced to stay at home with the children while her abuser worked. While he pursued a career and gained reputability within the community, she wasn't afforded that opportunity. He gained trust by being a good man, supporting good causes within the community and, in general,  knowing all the right people. She faded into the background while her career experience diminished, her networks collapsed and her reputation was unknown. She decided she had had enough and she stood up to him about the recurring physical violence. Upon fleeing, she sat in the office at the domestic violence shelter and reviewed her life. She realized she had very little to call her own. She had no money, no professional  references, no credit, no transportation and no support system.