Empowering everyone who comes through our doors to achieve safety and freedom from violence.
About Domestic Violence
Domestic violence is a pattern of physical assaults, threats, and coercive behaviors used to maintain control over a current or former intimate partner. Abusive behavior includes the use of physical and sexual violence, threats and intimidation, isolation, emotional abuse, and economic control. Many of these different forms of domestic violence can be occurring at any one time within the same intimate relationship.
Anyone of any race, age, sexual orientation, religion, or gender can experience domestic violence—or be a perpetrator of domestic violence. It can happen to people who are married, living together, or dating. It affects people of all socioeconomic backgrounds and education levels. However, it’s women who are most likely to be battered and abused.
Nationally, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 10 men report experiencing sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime.*
*The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, Centers for Disease Control, 2015 Data Brief.
Strengths-Centered Advocacy
Empowering. Healing. Life-changing. These are some of the words survivors have used to describe Strengths-Centered Advocacy, an innovative approach to shelter-based services that Friendship Home has developed, implemented and continually refined over the last 20 years.
“Taking the Clifton StrengthsFinder was a turning point for me. At Friendship Home I was surrounded by people who completely supported me for who I was. It was the first time in my entire life that I had ever felt safe—really safe, and I was able to be my whole self. I have a peaceful sense of contentment with my life and who I am. After all these years, I am really discovering who I am, and that I like myself.”
– Friendship Home Resident
In the year 2000, Friendship Home partnered with the Gallup organization, becoming the first domestic violence shelter to use the CliftonStrengths assessment with survivors of domestic violence. Building from that initial partnership, we developed a curriculum, resources and training specific to using Gallup’s research-based tools within the unique setting of a domestic violence shelter program.
Strengths-Centered Advocacy has transformed our program and we would love to help other agencies experience that same transformation through the multi-layered benefits it provides:
For Survivors:
Honors each survivor’s unique strengths, creating more individualized and empowering support, and encouraging deeper healing from the negative impacts of domestic violence.
For Children:
Values each child’s natural talents, building positive self-concept, resilience and sense of self-efficacy.
“One of my strengths is Confidence. That means that I believe my thoughts and myself. I choose to do the right thing and be a leader, not a follower. Some people take the wrong path, but I find my own way.”
– Child at Friendship Home
For Advocates:
Builds a more supportive, positive and empowering workplace, decreasing the potential for vicarious trauma and burnout.
For Agencies:
Reduces turnover, and increases staff satisfaction, engagement and team building.
If you are interested in learning more about Strengths-Centered Advocacy or how to implement this transformative approach in your program, please email Julie, Coordinator of StrengthsCentered Advocacy Services.