Shortly after moving to New Jersey, Kristine experienced a huge change in her smart, handsome husband. He became physically and verbally abusive and it didn’t pass as she had hoped. When they later had three children together, things only got worse.
As the abuse continued, and Kristine noticed similar behaviors in her 3-year-old son, she also discovered infidelity and other offenses. Finally, she decided to leave with her children.
Despite the relief of being free of him, she had to find help for her three children who had endured severe trauma at the hands of their father. Not to mention, she had a long road ahead of her as she worked through her trauma and inevitable court battle.
Thankfully, she didn’t need to figure it all out on her own. Kristine and her kids started individual and family counseling at Family Connections’ Domestic Violence program, Dreams. Through art therapy and counseling, they worked to improve her children’s self-esteem, assisted them in processing their emotions, and helped them in realizing that they weren’t at fault for their violent father’s actions.
Three of Kristine’s kids are still receiving and benefiting from outpatient counseling through Family Connections even though their time at Dreams is over.
This New Jersey mother is grateful to have a happy ending to her story thanks to the assistance of Family Connections. We are proud to partner with Family Connections and play a role in supporting families like Kristine’s.
Original story taken from nj.com