My name is Rebecca. I was with my husband for 18 years, we had 2 children aged 10 and 15. When my husband stopped work, the abuse I was experiencing escalated, and he became more controlling.
I was not allowed to work, have friends or talk to my family on the phone. My husband was also controlling my daughter – he wouldn’t let her go out or wear what she wanted. It was impacting my relationship with her. She ran away from home, and we were contacted by a social worker.
When the social worker put me in touch with Solace, it was hard to have the courage to leave. I was fearful of living independently and desperate to move to a refuge where I could get support. In refuge, Solace helped me gain awareness of the effects of domestic abuse and the impact it has on my children’s mental health and well-being. They also supported my daughter to access mental health services when she started self-harming. We worked with Solace to understand the boundaries of our relationship.