Jeanne*, age 27, came to the Domestic Violence Support Center (DVSC) shortly after a violent encounter with her husband, during which she sustained an injury requiring several stitches. Subsequently Jeanne separated from her husband and secured a protection order.
Like many other clients who seek services at the DVSC, Jeanne experienced her husband as dramatically changing his behavior after marriage, turning from a more or less gentle person into an erratic, controlling, and abusive one. Jeanne has also come to therapy to determine if she wants to try and reunify with her husband and repair her marriage. Jeanne feels unsure of her own decision-making ability, given that she did not see any ‘warning signs’ before her marriage. She wonders what changed, if she could have done anything differently, and if she might have overreacted to her husband’s behavior.
Jeanne continues to work with her DVSC counselor to gain some understanding of the events that unfolded in her relationship, to grieve what she has lost, and find validation and support as she tries to regain her footing and decide what is in her best interests moving forward.
*Name has been changed.