Intimate Partner Violence

Intimate partner violence (also called domestic violence) is a pattern of behaviour used by one person to gain power and control over another person with whom they have or previously had an intimate relationship. Anyone can experience intimate partner violence, regardless of age, race, economic status, religion, sexual orientation or education.

Counselling/psychotherapy can help you to better understand the ways the violence might have impacted you, how to cope with the impact, and to develop safety plans. The services are based on each person’s personal circumstances, needs and choices.

Intimate partner violence can include:

• physical violence with the use of hands, objects or weapons
• sexual violence, including threats, intimidation, physical force or using a position of power for sexual purposes
• emotional abuse, verbal abuse or psychological intimidation, including threatening to kill a partner, a child, a pet or livestock
• spiritual abuse, including using religion to threaten or intimidate, forcing someone to comply with religious beliefs against their will or preventing someone from practicing their beliefs
• financial abuse, including stealing, controlling finances, forcing a partner to work or prohibiting a partner from working
• harassment and stalking, including monitoring a partner’s activities online, using electronic devices to watch or control them, following them or consistently invading their privacy
• cyber-violence, including image and video sharing without consent, taking pictures or video without a person’s consent, online bullying, harassment, unwanted sexting and hate speech.