If you are being abused, or feel you may be an abuser, we can help.  Call us at (361) 573-HELP (4357) or toll-free 1-800-870-0368.

What is abuse??
Contrary to popular belief, abuse is not just physical.   The four types of abuse (physical, sexual, verbal, and emotional) include, but are not limited to:
  • Calling bad names, screaming
  • Throwing things around the house
  • Hitting, slapping, pushing
  • Isolating your partner from family and friends
  • Putting someone down
  • Making threats (even if you don't mean it)
  • Jealousy and suspicion
  • Forcing someone to have sex with you
  • Keeping money from your partner
  • Following your partner/stalking

If you do any of these things, you need to take the next step and make a change.  Remember, it is never OK to hurt the ones we love, even when life gets us down.

No big deal?
Battering occurs in all races, ethnic groups, educational levels, social and economic classes, sexual orientations, religions, and without regard to physical and mental abilities.  Battering causes fear and may result in profound psychological damage, permanent physical injury, or death.  It has adverse, long term psychological, emotional, physical, and economic effects on all family members and damaging effects on the community at large.

Abusive behavior hurts the ones you love.  It can harm your children as well.  Children worry that their abused parent will get seriously hurt or their abusive parent will go to jail.  Many children who witness abuse become victims of abuse in future relationships, or may even become abusers themselves.  Also, many of these children abuse alcohol and drugs.

Battering tends to escalate over time, increasing in frequency and severity. Danger particularly escalates when the batterer perceives that their victim/partner may leave him/her.