Hidden Voices Rediscovered

  As a young girl, growing up in an environment of abuse, I often felt that my “voice” was not heard. As I developed into a teenager, I often felt isolated and alone in my thoughts. It was a time when I felt “lost” as I searched for inspiration to discover my identity. I discovered that writing and art were ways in which I could release my experience as a form of therapy. This allowed me to “rid myself” of the pain and confusion I felt while growing up in an environment that appeared much less nurturing than my peers. As I grew into a young adult, I left home and began nursing. It was at this time that I met my first “love”. It was a relationship that was to lead to three years of abuse, often mirroring much of what I witnessed as a young child. I learned that I was to do as I was told and that my voice was not valued. As a result, I found myself alone, trapped and yet again, isolated. My life was almost entirely dependent on the needs of someone else, therefore my needs were not being met. During this period of isolation, I often dreamt of escape and living a life where I would be free to think for myself. I was deprived of creative writing and drawing as this was viewed as wasting time. However, this abusive part of my life’s journey finally came to an end and I found myself using creative art and writing on a regular basis. It was a period of personal “discovery” in which I searched for the real me through writing. I believe that writing allowed me to find strength and throughout my life has been a protective factor in allowing me to become highly resilient in facing the hurdles that may come my way.

  My work has always been in a caring capacity and I believe that I am able to have empathy for many who have faced physical and emotional adversity in their lives. As an employee of an organisation that supports individuals who have experienced domestic abuse and trauma in their lives, I believe that I can offer credibility that there is always hope for a life of free thought and expression. At the end of 2014, I was asked by my employers if I would consider working within a prison environment to raise awareness and understanding of Domestic Abuse. Unbeknown to me, this was to lead to the most satisfying, rewarding work I could have envisaged and the service continues to grow.

  When I entered the establishment for the first time, I was unsure about what to expect. However within a short space of time, it became clear that there was great need to offer awareness and support for this subject. I met with a few young men on an individual basis who had either witnessed or been a victim of abuse, or who had identified as being abusive towards their partners currently or in previous relationships. In August 2016, women were introduced to the establishment and as a result there was increased interest in the service.

  Due to the high number of referrals the service received, it soon became clear that I would need to request more resources. We currently have a team of three staff members, offering one-to-one support and groupwork. All members of the team demonstrate commitment and passion on a daily basis to support anyone affected by domestic abuse.

  As a child, I witnessed domestic abuse and as an adult I became victim to it,  therefore this line of work is driven with passion and understanding. During group awareness, I am open to share my experiences and I have come to realise that many of us have used coping strategies, some of which are positive while some are negative. Our role is to acknowledge that much of these negative strategies may have been used in an attempt to block out the pain of our past or current situation. We work to provide hope for the future, often by challenging negative thinking, and ultimately focusing on solutions rather than problems.

  A great deal of time therefore is focused on discussions on healthy coping strategies, such as writing thoughts and feelings in the form of poetry, short stories, lyrics, rap etc. The power of writing resonates strong with me, as it is through this channel that I was able to find my voice. We have organised events within the establishment to encourage those in custody to show support and encouragement to one another by sharing their creative writing. We would like to continue with this, as it is often described by those who choose to share as being therapeutic in their voyage of self-discovery.  

  An example of poetry submitted by the son of a domestic abuse survivor to our organisation is written below:-