My children and I are now back home with my husband. We are a family again. Most of the time I think that everything is all right. Yet sometimes, when we argue, I have the feeling I'm going to say that I'm leaving again. But then I think I am being too narrow minded and I need to just calm down and to try to get him to calm down. Things can get better. He is trying. I am too. We were at the women's shelter for three months. We were so lucky to have a place to stay, even though it was weird at first. The staff helped care for the children and supported me with everything. I was in debt. I didn't have clothes for the children. I had to decide where I wanted to live. I had many sleepless nights. But, I became a new person. I learned at the women's shelter to become more assertive, to make decisions for myself about what I want.

Yet, to be honest, that is hard to do when you have four children who need you. When I think back, it was very scary to go to court and face my husband about getting a divorce and obtaining child custody. I will never forget shaking like a leaf when we were in the courtroom together. I kept thinking that something bad would happen. But my attorney was right by my side. She kept telling me that things would be OK. Thank goodness the judge did not put up with my husband's stories. I just kept thinking about my children. When the trial was over, I knew it was good to be free. We lived on our own for a while. After a year or so, we noticed that my husband had changed a bit. We had changed too.

So, we wanted to give it another try. The children do not want to talk about what happened. They want to move on with their lives. They are handling things well. Sometimes they roll their eyes when their father tries to twist whatever is happening in his favour. Sometimes they hold their breath when we fight. You know, we do not need to be bossed around so much. I can speak my mind. The children can speak their minds. He does not touch us anymore. My husband has changed. He is not perfect, but then who is? We love him. Everything has changed since the police came 2 years ago.

Question 1:

Which distortions can you identify in this scenario?

Question 2:

What concerns do you have for the children in this scenario? What behaviours mi

Question 3:

As a worker, what would you say to this mother to encourage her to make good choices for herself and her children?

My children and I are now back home with my husband. We are a family again. Most of the time I think that everything is all right. Yet sometimes, when we argue, I have the feeling I'm going to say that I'm leaving again. But then I think I am being too narrow minded and I need to just calm down and to try to get him to calm down. Things can get better. He is trying. I am too. We were at the women's shelter for three months. We were so lucky to have a place to stay, even though it was weird at first. The staff helped care for the children and supported me with everything. I was in debt. I didn't have clothes for the children. I had to decide where I wanted to live. I had many sleepless nights. But, I became a new person. I learned at the women's shelter to become more assertive, to make decisions for myself about what I want.

Yet, to be honest, that is hard to do when you have four children who need you. When I think back, it was very scary to go to court and face my husband about getting a divorce and obtaining child custody. I will never forget shaking like a leaf when we were in the courtroom together. I kept thinking that something bad would happen. But my attorney was right by my side. She kept telling me that things would be OK. Thank goodness the judge did not put up with my husband's stories. I just kept thinking about my children. When the trial was over, I knew it was good to be free. We lived on our own for a while. After a year or so, we noticed that my husband had changed a bit. We had changed too.

So, we wanted to give it another try. The children do not want to talk about what happened. They want to move on with their lives. They are handling things well. Sometimes they roll their eyes when their father tries to twist whatever is happening in his favour. Sometimes they hold their breath when we fight. You know, we do not need to be bossed around so much. I can speak my mind. The children can speak their minds. He does not touch us anymore. My husband has changed. He is not perfect, but then who is? We love him. Everything has changed since the police came 2 years ago.

Question 1:

Which distortions can you identify in this scenario?

Question 2:

What concerns do you have for the children in this scenario? What behaviours might you look for?

Question 3:

As a worker, what would you say to this mother to encourage her to make good choices for herself and her children?