COPING WITH VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN RELATIONSHIPS: EXPLORING
THE IMPACT OF INFORMAL SUPPORTS, SELF-CARE ACTIVITIES, AND
PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES ON RESILIENCY

by

Leanne Jones-Bowen
B.S.W., Thompson Rivers University, 2016

THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF
THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
MASTER
OF
SOCIAL WORK

UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA
October 2021

© Leanne Jones-Bowen, 2021

Abstract
This thesis was conducted in the province of Alberta’s Edmonton Metropolitan Region
(EMR) to identify the themes and variances among women’s informal methods of coping with
and leaving abusive relationships, using a qualitative-exploratory approach. With the
acknowledgment of feminist theory, the strengths-based perspective, and person-centred theory,
this thesis explored women’s perspectives and their personal experiences of resiliency during and
after leaving their abusive, male partners. Thematic analysis was used to code and analyze the
data, which identified the following themes among the survivors: strong, informal support
networks, engaging in self-care activities and self-improvement activities as a trauma response,
and, the shared, personal attributes of self-preservation, resourcefulness, and self-reflection.
Recommendations for theory, practice and further research are posed to the helping professions
and informal support networks of survivors.
Keywords: women, violence against women in relationships (VAWIR), social work,
informal supports, self-care activities, personal attributes, resiliency, coping methods,
qualitative-exploratory, thematic analysis, feminist theory, strengths-based, person-centred,
Canada, Alberta, Edmonton Metropolitan Region (EMR)

Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1
Research Topic and Purpose ............................................................................................... 1
Location of the Researcher ................................................................................................. 2
Theoretical Approaches ...................................................................................................... 6
Chapter 2: Literature Review .......................................................................................................... 9
Violence Against Women in Relationships: Definition, Types, and Effects ...................... 9
The Prevalence of Female Victimization .......................................................................... 14
Globally................................................................................................................. 14
Nationally (Canada) ............................................................................................. 16
Provincially (Alberta) ........................................................................................... 18
The Legalities of Violence Against Women in Relationships in Canada ......................... 21
Formal and Informal Supports .......................................................................................... 24
Self-Care Activities ........................................................................................................... 26
Resilience and Personal Attributes ................................................................................... 27
Chapter 3: Design and Methodology ............................................................................................ 30
Methodology: Qualitative-Exploratory ............................................................................. 30
Recruitment and Research Design .................................................................................... 31
Data Analysis: Thematic Analysis .................................................................................... 36
Data Management ............................................................................................................. 39
Data Collection ..................................................................................................... 40
Data Storage ......................................................................................................... 41
Data Use and Disclosure ...................................................................................... 42
Data Disposition ................................................................................................... 43
Desired Research Outcomes ............................................................................................. 43
Chapter 4: The Lived Experiences of Violence against Women in Relationships ....................... 45
Mary .................................................................................................................................. 45
Georgina ............................................................................................................................ 49
Anne .................................................................................................................................. 53
Elizabeth ........................................................................................................................... 55
Mindy ................................................................................................................................ 59
Wanderer ........................................................................................................................... 63

Jennifer .............................................................................................................................. 67
Chapter 5: Participant Findings and Discussion ........................................................................... 69
Sample Demographics ...................................................................................................... 69
Themes .............................................................................................................................. 81
Strong, Informal Support Systems......................................................................... 81
Self-Care and –Improvement as a Trauma Response ........................................... 88
Self-Preservation and Meeting Basic Needs ......................................................... 95
Resourcefulness................................................................................................... 100
Self-Reflection ..................................................................................................... 104
Supported and Unsupported Research Outcomes ........................................................... 107
Unanticipated Findings ................................................................................................... 110
Strengths, Weaknesses and Limitations .......................................................................... 113
Chapter 6: Conclusions ............................................................................................................... 118
Implications..................................................................................................................... 120
Practice ............................................................................................................... 120
Theory ................................................................................................................. 121
Further Research ................................................................................................ 122
Recommendations ........................................................................................................... 125
References ................................................................................................................................... 129
Appendices .................................................................................................................................. 146
Appendix 1: Information Letter/Consent Form .............................................................. 146
Appendix 2: Recruitment Poster ..................................................................................... 151
Appendix 3: Interview Schedule ..................................................................................... 152
Appendix 4: Participant Demographic Form .................................................................. 154
Appendix 5: Resources for Participants Living in Edmonton, Alberta .......................... 153
Appendix 6: Resources for Participants Living in Sherwood Park, Alberta .................. 158
Appendix 7: Resources for Participants Living in St. Albert, Alberta ........................... 161
Appendix 8: Resources for Participants Living in Spruce Grove, Alberta ..................... 163
Appendix 9: Resources for Participants Living in Leduc, Alberta ................................. 166
Appendix 10: Resources for Participants Living in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta ........... 168

Acknowledgements
With respect and gratitude, I acknowledge that this thesis was conducted, analyzed and
defended on the traditional Treaty 6 territory of the Cree, Dene Suliné, Nakota Sioux, and
Saulteaux Indigenous peoples, in addition to the Métis peoples of north-central Alberta, Canada.
I would also like to acknowledge and thank my graduate supervisor, Dr. Joanna Pierce,
for her guidance and support on this academic journey. Further, I would like to thank my
committee members, Dr. Indrani Margolin and Dr. John Sherry, for their encouragement and
insight throughout the writing process. Additionally, I would like to thank my husband, Scott,
my parents, siblings, best friend Michelle, all other friends, and, colleagues for their
encouragement and continuous belief in my abilities as a researcher - without you, none of this
would have been possible. For that, I thank you.
Finally, I would like to dedicate this thesis to all women whom have experienced
violence within their intimate relationships and the family, friends, and informal and formal
support networks that make a unique difference in each of their lives. I am grateful to every
woman I have known or will know whom is a survivor of violence against women in
relationships, for giving me the strength and solidarity to share my own experiences of this social
issue while writing this thesis and to continue giving myself to a career in social work with
vulnerable populations.

1
Coping with Violence against Women in Relationships: Exploring the Impact of Informal
Supports, Self-Care Activities, and Personal Attributes on Resiliency
Chapter 1: Introduction
Research Topic and Purpose
The overall purpose of this thesis was to explore how women coped with and left their
abusive, male partners, outside the use of formal support and interventions. I specifically sought
to identify what informal supports, self-care activities, and personal attributes contributed to the
well-being and resiliency of survivors of violence against women in relationships in the
Edmonton Metropolitan Region (EMR) of Alberta, Canada. This thesis also focused on the lived
experiences and perspectives of women who had previously endured violence in their
relationships. In the context of this thesis, informal supports refer to the supportive social
networks, such as family, friends, colleagues, and, community members, companions, such as
pets, and, practical resources, such as money, shelter, internet and phone access, or,
transportation, that participants may have perceived as helpful to their situation. Self-care
activities refer to habits and hobbies that the participants engaged in that brought them
enjoyment, soothing or relief, and a sense of purpose as they coped with their experiences of
violence in their relationships. These individual activities and themes were entirely dependent on
the content given by participants, due to the exploratory nature of this thesis. Some examples of
potential self-care activities could include creating a form of art, exercising, growing a garden,
going fishing, and more. Personal attributes refer to the personality traits or characteristics of
each participant. In this thesis, the women were asked which personality traits or behaviours they
believed helped them cope with and ultimately leave their abusive relationships. For example,
some participants may have said that their sense of humour, positivity, or, bravery attributed to

2
their resilience. Prior to conducting this research, I believed that the results of this thesis would
further demonstrate the importance of strengths-based and person-centered approaches with this
population of women, and provide further insight to those supporting these women, both
personally and professionally. The importance of this research to academia, aside from the high
rates of violence against women, lies in the number of social workers, shelter staff, and mental
health professionals that are responding to violence against women in relationships in Canada.
Regardless of our role, within our personal and professional lives, any one of us may encounter
women that require assistance to heal from or leave their abusive relationships.
Location of the Researcher
In approaching this topic, my position was both personal and political; I am a registered
social worker (RSW) by discipline, an aspiring counsellor and educator, and, a survivor of both
violence against women in relationships (VAWIR) and, more specifically, Dating Violence
Against Adolescent Women (DVAAW; Margolin, 2019). My social characteristics, also known
as one’s social location (Carniol, 2010), are that of a Caucasian female, who is young, childfree,
and able-bodied. I identify as a heterosexual, cisgender, university graduate that came from a
low-income, but loving, family. For the most part, I have lived a privileged life in Canadian
society; however, I was relatively ignorant of this prior to my human services and social work
education. Learning about the prevalence and severity of abuse for many other women and
children, across Canada and the world, has given me a bittersweet outlook of gratitude for my
own experiences, as many women do not have the resources or ability to leave, survive and heal
(Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters, 2020a; Burczycka & Conroy, 2018; World Health
Organization, 2021). After my own personal healing, working with women who have

3
experienced violence in relationships is something I have strived to do with my social work
career, and I am grateful to have had this opportunity to conduct my graduate thesis on this topic.
My educational and professional experiences with women experiencing violence in their
relationships includes: studying family violence in my undergraduate and graduate degrees,
completing a practicum and becoming employed at an Indigenous child and family services
agency, working in a northern, British Columbian women’s shelter, working as a child protection
social worker for the Government of Alberta’s Ministry of Children’s Services, and, responding
to situations of elder abuse and intimate partner abuse within my current role with Alberta Health
Services (AHS) with medically complex adults. The following section will briefly discuss my
personal location as the researcher, and some considerations regarding my experience with the
topic of this thesis.
Like many young people, I started dating in my teenage years, before becoming a young
adult. After a few, unsuccessful relationships, I was not looking for a boyfriend when he entered
my life. I met my abusive ex-partner in high school, at sixteen, but had managed to end the
relationship after two years. He was a year younger than me, classifying my experience as
Dating Violence Against Adolescent Women by Adolescent Men (DVAAWBAM; Margolin,
2019). For the most part, we just dated, but near the end of the relationship we had briefly
cohabitated when he became homeless. Things were going fine until our first argument, about
seven months into the relationship. Before then, there were no obvious indicators of the
emotional, psychological, social, and, physical abuse that would characterize the last of my
teenage years. I was unsuspecting to the fact that he would one day threaten me with suicide,
throw glass at me, physically abuse me, chase and stalk me, and, cause me to question my own

4
perceptions of reality with constant gaslighting. At that time, I was emotionally bruised and
naïve, which undermined my many attempts leave.
When I successfully ended the relationship, I experienced stalking and harassment for an
extended period of time, which consisted of: obsessive phone calls and messages, slander,
threats, being followed, and, having my abuser show up where he was not welcome. All the
while, he attempted to persuade me into returning to the relationship, with false promises of
relational change (which I had fallen for before). With the support of a solid, informal network, I
was able to cut ties with my ex-partner for good. By reflecting on my own experiences, coping
mechanisms, and strategies for leaving, I soon became interested in the resilience of others. What
was once a topic that made me anxious has now become one that gives me feelings of courage
and strength. With that, I had written this thesis to explore the experiences of other women and
learn about their formulas for success. With the insight, passion, and, opportunity, my objective
was to explore and highlight the strengths and capacities of other women in similar
circumstances by using qualitative, social work research methods, determining themes and
variables, and, discovering ways to remove barriers for women looking to free themselves and
grow from violence in relationships.
As a researcher, I believe that these personal experiences and my professional, social
work background has granted me the empathy and awareness of the well-being, confidentiality,
and cautiousness of my participants and fellow survivors. Due to my personal experiences with
violence against women in relationships, there were three precautions I took in conducting this
thesis. First, in this context, I assumed the role of a researcher – not a participant, nor a
counsellor; as such, my story was not included as part of the data. My role was explained to
participants, and they received information on where they could access counselling services,

5
women’s centres, and other resources in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region (EMR) of Alberta,
Canada, where the recruitment and data collection took place.
Second, I recognized that each participants’ experiences would be unique and personcentred, and not like my own. I took care of myself as a researcher while I determined the themes
and variances within others’ experiences of violence against women in relationships. Inevitably,
these women differed from me and my experiences, and the results of the semi-structured
interviews were in their hands. After some self-reflection, I acknowledged that I am an empathic
person that may be impacted by these women’s interviews, despite this thesis’ strength-based,
resilience focus, as I had experienced violence in a relationship, as well. This had prompted me
to appoint a safe, supportive person that I could emotionally reflect with throughout the research
process about my own emotional experiences, without disclosing participants’ confidential
information. In addition, I had personal access to counselling services through my employee
benefit program, if needed. Acknowledging these factors contributed to ethical research practices
by mitigating the risks to both the participants and myself as a researcher, and, producing openended results that were carefully initiated by my own experiences of violence against women in
relationships.
Finally, the safety of myself and the participants was of utmost importance; for this
reason, participants had to have been separated from their ex-partners, with no contact between
them for a minimum of one year. In addition, due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the
majority of the interviews were completed virtually to prevent transmission, based on the public
health orders at the time of each interview. Participants then chose pseudonyms to separate their
data from their identities. In addition, participant data was protected using password-protected
documents, on a portable USB device, which was stored in a key-locked safe in my home.

6
Theoretical Approaches
Before reviewing the literature on violence against women in relationships and the
organization of this thesis, I will address the three theoretical perspectives underpinning this
research: feminist theory, the strengths-based perspective, and person-centred theory. First, I
approached this thesis from a feminist standpoint, due to the patriarchal nature of violence
against women by their male partners (Howe, 2009; Kendall et al., 2011). Feminist theory, of the
three approaches used, strongly acknowledged the social and economic barriers for women
attempting to leave abusive relationships (Chappell, 2014; Greenard-Smith, 2002; Howe, 2009).
In addition, myself, the participants, and, those potentially impacted by the results, either are or
know female persons who had been personally affected by this social issue.
When conducting this thesis, I utilized some feminist research methods, with efforts to
create an atmosphere of safety, collaboration, and choice for thesis participants (Doucet &
Mauthner, 2007). As there is an inherent power differential between the researcher and
participants, I committed to an egalitarian and transparent data-collection process (Doucet &
Mauthner, 2007) in the following ways: (1) by choosing safe and private locations to conduct the
interviews (one in a private library room and the rest were virtual), (2) by sharing the interview
questions prior to our interview, (3) by allowing them to choose their pseudonyms as
participants, and, (4) by providing the opportunity for member-checking to ensure that the
transcriptions and preliminary analyses accurately reflected what they meant. If revisions or
additions were required, they were accommodated into the data. Among the many benefits of
using a feminist approach, participants were given an opportunity to discuss their experiences of
resiliency for the sake of consciousness-raising (Howe, 2009; Payne, 2014). Like the
connotations of this research, feminist practices also emanate “personal growth, development,

7
and self-realization” (Howe, 2009, p. 144). Lastly, feminism asserts that women who have
experienced such abuse know who and what is helpful to them, and that they should be
supported in their pursuit of helpful, self-care methods (Payne, 2014), which was one of the
desired outcomes of this thesis.
Second, this thesis is strengths-based in nature, highlighting the overall resiliency and
positive attributes of each participant (Howe, 2009). A strengths-based perspective asks us to see
beyond societal labels (Howe, 2009), and view these women as more than victims of abuse,
emphasizing what makes them survivors. My belief was that the results would demonstrate how
each of these women were individually resourceful, determined, and, resilient in their responses
to adversity (Howe, 2009). My hope was that while participating in this thesis, the participants
would reflect on their strengths and their ability to take care of themselves, with a focus on their
informal supports, self-care activities, and/or personal attributes. The enclosed interview
schedule (see Appendix 3) consisted of what Saleebey (2008) described as survival and esteem
questions. Such survival questions requested details about who and what had helped participants
through their traumatic experiences, while esteem questions focused on what personal attributes
they perceived as helpful to their situations (Saleebey, 2008). Like feminism, the strengths-based
perspective views women as experts on their own lives and appropriate coping mechanisms
(Howe, 2009; Payne, 2014). A potential benefit of using this theoretical approach in social work
research is its capacity to empower participants, who may identify as belonging to a
marginalized group (Payne, 2014).
The final and most instrumental approach behind this thesis was person-centred theory.
This theory is empowering by nature, asserting that all individuals have the ability to achieve
their goals, while acknowledging that their path to success will be unique (Howe, 2009). This

8
approach is characterized by allowing the individual to “bring about change through his or her
own efforts and beliefs” (Howe, 2009, p. 165), which was essential to the topic of this thesis.
Using an exploratory method, I aimed to discover what informal supports, self-care activities,
and personal attributes individual women perceived as helpful to them as they coped with and
left their abusive, male partners. Furthermore, person-centred theory asserts that engaging in a
professional relationship, such as research, can be the vehicle for change, as it may provide
warmth, empathy, and unconditional, positive regard (Howe, 2009) to the survivor. To establish
rapport and make participants more comfortable, I disclosed my position as both a researcher and
a survivor, provided information on relevant, community resources, and, utilized flexible and
egalitarian research methods (Doucet & Mauthner, 2007). As detailed throughout this thesis, one
of the desired outcomes was to demonstrate the importance of person-centred social work
practice (Payne, 2014) with this population, and how exploring each participant’s informal, selfcare methods could deepen our understanding of women who have experienced violence in
relationships.

9
Chapter 2: Literature Review
Violence Against Women in Relationships: Definition, Types, and Effects
For the purpose of this thesis, violence against women in relationships was defined by
The Violence Against Women in Relationships Policy, which was implemented by the
Government of British Columbia, Canada, in 2010; this policy stated that:
‘Violence against women in relationships’ and alternative terms used when referring to
‘domestic violence’ (including ‘spousal violence’, ‘spousal abuse’, ‘spouse assault’,
‘intimate partner violence’ and ‘relationship violence’) are defined as physical or sexual
assault, or the threat of physical or sexual assault against a current or former intimate
partner whether or not they are legally married or living together at the time of the assault
or threat. Domestic violence includes offences other than physical or sexual assault, such
as criminal harassment, threatening, or mischief, where there is a reasonable basis to
conclude that the act was done to cause, or did in fact cause, fear, trauma, suffering or
loss to the intimate partner (Government of British Columbia, 2010).
This explanation addresses power dynamics, and was compatible with my thesis
parameters, which involved female participants whose intimate partners were defined as
heterosexual, and classified as either: dating (living separately), cohabitating/common-law,
engaged, or married (Ambert, 2012). By having a broader criterion (age 19-65), I hoped to
recruit a diverse sample of women to participate in this thesis. In this context, violence against
women in relationships refers to any type of abuse that participants may have experienced from
their ex-partners. Participants were not questioned about the nature of their abuse, but they were
welcome to share their stories willingly. Further, this section will explain the different types of

10
violence against women in relationships, the cycle of abuse (Cory & McAndless-Davis, 2013),
and, the effects that such victimization may have on individual women.
There are a variety of ways that women can be controlled by their male partners, which
transcend the physical and sexual spheres most commonly thought of (Cory & McAndlessDavis, 2013; European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, 2014). Abuse, which is
predominantly characterized by power and control, can be exerted over all aspects of a woman’s
life and in compounding forms (Cory & McAndless-Davis, 2013; Duffy, 1998). With these
power dynamics, their intimate partner may inflict a combination of physical, sexual,
psychological, emotional, intellectual, financial, spiritual, social, and/or, cultural abuse (Cory &
McAndless, 2013). All of the above, whether they stand alone or coexist, can manifest
themselves in women’s lives within the cycle of abuse (Cory & McAndless, 2013).
The cycle of abuse in intimate relationships, as described by Cory and McAndless-Davis’
(2013), involves three distinct phases: the explosion stage, honeymoon stage, and, tension stage.
First, the explosion stage is where women experience the lashing out of their partner, in
whichever way(s) they are receiving the abuse (Cory and McAndless-Davis, 2013). Next, there is
the honeymoon stage, where apologies and promises are made, and the gentler qualities of their
partner become apparent; limited periods of tranquility and intimacy often characterize this stage
(Cory and McAndless-Davis, 2013). Coming full circle, there is the tension stage, which is in
between explosions ands honeymoons; this stage may be represented by feelings of uncertainty,
tension, and fear (Cory and McAndless-Davis, 2013). This cycle of abuse, although more
significant and entrenching for cohabitating women, affects women in dating violence, as well
(Ambert, 2012; Campbell et al., 2003).

11
After considering socioeconomic concerns, such as poverty and homelessness, the
literature on the effects of violence against women in relationships indicates that “while there are
significant physical health consequences of violence against women… much of the burden of
suffering… manifests itself in acute and chronic mental health conditions” (Wathen, 2012, p. 9).
Aside from death and injury, long-term mental health problems can affect victims, specifically
“high rates of depression, anxiety disorders (especially post-traumatic stress disorder - PTSD),
protracted disabling sleep disorders, phobias and panic disorder, psychosomatic disorders…
suicidal behaviour and self-harm, eating disorders, substance dependence, antisocial personality
disorders, and nonaffective psychosis” (Wathen, 2012, p. ii). Potential isolation and substance
abuse (Greenard-Smith, 2002; Cory & McAndless-Davis, 2013) may aggravate women’s
existing feelings of loss, “shame, guilt, humiliation, entrapment, and lack of control [, which
may] contribute to the development of poor self-esteem and depression” (Astbury & Cabral,
2000; as cited in Wathen, 2012, p. 11). Subsequently, chronic, physical illnesses have also been
linked to women who have experienced violence in relationships and family violence (Wathen
2012). These illnesses include, but are not limited to chronic pain, fibromyalgia, disordered
sleep, and gastrointestinal issues (Wathen, 2012). Specifically, survivors of violence against
women in relationships are also more likely to have infertility issues, pregnancy complications,
fetal death, and, sexually transmitted infections and diseases than women who had not been
exposed to violence against women in relationships (Wathen, 2012).
Although all women are susceptible to experiencing violence in relationships, some
groups may have higher rates of risk. These include immigrant women, women living in poverty,
Indigenous women, teenagers, and, younger women, among others (Ambert, 2010; Kendall et
al., 2011; Kimmel, 2008; Sinclair, 2012). In all groups, an increased intake of alcohol and drugs

12
and the presence of mental health issues increased the risk for violence (McDaniel &
Tepperman, 2011). Immigrant women may be more vulnerable due to cultural and religious
attitudes, gender roles, a small or non-existent informal network, and, the additional stresses of
major life changes, such as immigration and sponsorship (McDaniel & Tepperman, 2011).
Women living in poverty or homelessness may also experience a high level of violence, as
having lower economic independence may restrict the ability of these women to break free from
abuse, especially if children are involved (McDaniel & Tepperman, 2011). Indigenous women in
Canada are at four times more risk of violence in relationships than non-Indigenous women, due
to the intersecting oppressions of gender, race, colonialism, and, socioeconomic status
(McDaniel & Tepperman, 2011; Sinclair, 2012). Furthermore, there is evidence that some men in
Canada appear to view Indigenous women as “dispensable” (Voyageur, 2011, p. 227) – these
issues, including the prevalence of violence against women in relationships, are common themes
in the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) Inquiry that was
concluded at a national level in Canada in 2019 (Government of Canada, 2019; National Inquiry
into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, 2019).
Teenagers and young women, such as my younger self when I had experienced violence
in a relationship, are also at significant risk, because couples who do not cohabitate are often
excluded from research and there is little awareness surrounding dating violence (Ambert, 2012).
To distinguish this sect of survivors from their adult counterparts, Margolin (2019) coined the
terms Dating Violence Against Adolescent Women (DVAAW) and Dating Violence Against
Adolescent Women by Adolescent Men (DVAAWBAM). For many men (and women), dating
may be “… an opportunity to discover a new arena in which to exercise power (Ambert, 2012, p.
381)” and subsequent abuse presents as an invisible, social issue (McDaniel & Tepperman,

13
2011). Teenagers and young women may be vulnerable to violence in relationships, as they have
little experience or reference points as to what healthy relationships look like, they may not have
fully developed coping mechanisms, they have weaker support networks, and, they have lower
levels of independence (Ambert, 2012; McDaniel & Tepperman, 2011). Misguided by culture,
media, and family of origin structures, they may also feel that “… the job of feminine love is to
tame monsters…” (Rosen & Bezold, 1996, as cited in Margolin, 2019, p. 184). Dating violence
is rarely reported or talked about; however, it is estimated that twenty to thirty percent of young,
North American women are survivors of violence in relationships (Ambert, 2012; Margolin,
2019). Additionally, the shame felt by survivors of violence against women in relationships
(VAWIR) may be further compounded by young women’s unique vulnerabilities, such as
inexperience, physical insecurities due to puberty and the social pressure to be in a relationship
(Margolin, 2019).
With this thesis, I hoped to reach to women of all social locations affected by violence in
relationships, including some of the ‘forgotten’ victims, such as older women (but not seniors)
(Ambert, 2012; Collins et al., 2012; McDaniel & Tepperman, 2011), religious women, and,
academically or economically ‘successful’ women (Kimmel, 2008). The plan was to make
recruitment materials accessible to potential participants of all social locations, by not choosing
sample groups such as women who access women’s shelters and resource centres or by choosing
not to distribute recruitment materials in post-secondary institutions. The aim of this thesis was
to recruit women from all social locations by placing recruitment materials in local grocery
stores in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region (EMR). Unfortunately, this thesis’ scope did not
capture the experiences of women living in rural and remote areas; however, it did capture the
diverse experiences of this region’s survivors of violence against women in relationships in a

14
metropolitan area. As abusive relationships take many forms among different lives, women
either continue living with or coping with the abuse, successfully leave the relationship, or, are
murdered by their intimate partners. The participants of this thesis had successfully left and
severed all contact with their abusive male partners for a minimum of one year to ensure the
physical safety of all parties.
The Prevalence of Female Victimization
Globally
Female victimization and violence against women in relationships are some of the most
widespread, global issues today (Peterson & Runyan, 2010; World Health Organization [WHO],
2021). The United Nations (UN) recognizes violence against women “as any act of gender-based
violence that results in physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including
threats of such acts, coercion, or arbitrary deprivations of liberty… in public or private life”
(United Nations, 1993; as cited in Lundy, 2012, p. 14). Worldwide, it is estimated that about one
in three (35%) women have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence
or non-partner sexual violence (WHO, 2021). While emotional and psychological abuse
measures vary between countries, they still indicate “high prevalence rates” across the globe
(“Ending Violence Against Women”, 2016). For example, a large-scale study on violence
against women determined that 43% of female respondents in the European Union (EU) had
experienced emotional and psychological abuse in their lifetime (European Union Agency for
Fundamental Rights, 2014). Many countries in the world operate as patriarchal societies, with the
oppression of women woven right into their social fabric; these circumstances make being
female a risk in both public and private life (Ambert, 2012; Kendall et al., 2011; Peterson &
Runyan, 2010).

15
As a social structure, patriarchy does not discriminate, and is the foundation of many
cultures, including Canada (Kendall et al., 2011; Peterson & Runyan, 2010). In patriarchal
societies, dominance, the separation of males and females, and, the prioritization of men’s
involvement in public matters, such as employment and politics, is evident (Kimmel, 2008). This
is demonstrated across the world on a spectrum: there are many countries that do not remove
barriers to affordable child-care or reproductive services, while some countries do not
criminalize domestic violence, and women do not have the right to vote or choose their life
partners (Kimmel, 2008; Ward, 1996). In places where women’s rights are limited, their value
may be determined by their ability to contribute by ways of domestic duties, child-rearing,
gendered-labour, and, subservience to men (McDaniel & Tepperman, 2011; Ward, 1996). In
some cultures, demonstrating control over one’s wife may be a method of maintaining social
status and approval among other men (Kendall et al., 2011; Ward, 1996).
Across the world, including North America, boys and men are continuously being shown
that violence against women is an acceptable method of communication (Kimmel, 2008).
Violence against women in relationships is a world-wide issue that is linked to 38% of femicides
(female homicides), where the current- or ex-intimate partner of the victim is identified as the
murderer (WHO, 2021). Sinclair (2012) reports that a woman is killed by her intimate partner
every six days in Canada, and every six hours in South Africa (Slabbert, 2014). Further, twentytwo women are killed each day in India by an unspecified family member, and two are killed per
day in Guatemala (Sinclair, 2012). The most dangerous time for a woman, when she is most
likely to be seriously injured or murdered by an intimate partner, appears to be during or after a
break-up (Dragiewicz, 2012). Regardless of which hemisphere women are in, it is clear that

16
violence against women in relationships is a significantly gendered, global issue (Kendall et al.,
2011; Kimmel, 2008; Peterson & Runyan, 2010).
Nationally (Canada)
Violence against women in relationships is a significant social problem affecting
Canadian women, whether they are cohabitating or living separately from their male partners
(Ambert, 2012; Dragiewicz, 2012; Statistics Canada, 2018). Although there are male victims,
violence against women in relationships is a gendered and more severe issue (Thoennes &
Tjaden, 2000), which affects approximately one third of Canadian women (Cohen & MacLean,
2004; as cited in Wathen, 2012). In Canada, violence against women in relationships accounts
for a quarter of the violent crimes reported to police, of which approximately 80% are female
victims (Statistics Canada, 2018); however, the literature shows that nearly three-quarters of
these victims do not report incidents to the police (Statistics Canada, 2018). To estimate the
amount of self- or unreported crimes, Statistics Canada (2013) released a survey, which
determined that nearly 6% of women were or had been with an abusive partner in the last five
years, totalling to about 601, 000 women. This is the reality of living as a woman in a patriarchal
society, with a power imbalance that privileges men over women (Kendall et al., 2011; Kimmel,
2008).
From a feminist perspective, and in the context of this thesis, violence against women in
relationships refers to the abuse that women experience by their male partners, whether they are
dating, cohabitating, engaged, married, or, separated (Ambert, 2012; Dragiewicz, 2012).
Furthermore, when discussing this type of abuse, we are required to look at the role of patriarchy
in Canadian government and society, and the normalized culture of violence against women
(Duffy, 1998; Kendall et al., 2011; Lundy, 2012). Violence against women can be widely

17
attributed to the power imbalance in society that privileges men over women, providing a
patriarchal climate in which some men believe that they are entitled to dominate women
(Carniol, 2010). Within the context of violence against women in relationships, we must
acknowledge the level of control that can be established over the woman in a relationship – not
only the multifaceted acts of violence (Cory & McAndless-Davis, 2013). Specifically, violence
against women in relationships differs from violence against women, in that the struggle for
power within the relationship is riddled with “trust, kinship, or dependency (Chappell, 2014, p.
285)”, which keeps many women in consistent contact with their attacker and in a co-dependent
position (Dragiewicz, 2012).
In a society that privileges men over women, it is not a surprise that there are multiple
forces involved in Canadian women’s oppression. First, women are faced with the reality of
living in a patriarchal society – one that is androcentric, putting men at the centre, and placing
women in the periphery (Ambert, 2012; Duffy, 1998; Kendall et al., 2011). Women may be
restricted economically by gender roles, limited to unpaid caring activities, and, excluded from
major decision-making within the relationship or household (Carniol, 2010; Greenard-Smith,
2002; Kimmel, 2008). In the public sphere, Canada’s current economic structure is capitalistic,
and places significant value on economic capital, which is less accessible to women, due to the
gendered wage gap, primary child-care responsibilities, and, workplace discrimination (Lundy,
2012); however, this country is seeing a rise in the number of women in many levels of politics
and previously male-dominated professions. Unfortunately, some Canadian women are still left
vulnerable to their male partners because of the steady deterioration of social welfare programs
meant to aid society’s disadvantaged, such as income assistance, disability, and emergency
funding to flee domestic violence (Chappell, 2014; Greenard-Smith, 2002; Lundy, 2012).

18
This perspective, that capitalism and patriarchy are some of women’s main sources of
oppression, is called socialist feminism (Mullaly, 2007; Payne, 2014). Socialist feminism goes on
to state that women’s role in a capitalistic society can be interpreted as literally producing the
next generation of the labour force and sacrificing their economic capital to provide the unpaid
care necessary for capitalism’s benefit (Kendall et al., 2011; Payne, 2014). Under this lens,
individual men, as well as the capitalistic social order, benefit from women’s oppression in the
personal and political spheres (Kendall et al., 2011; Mullaly, 2007). As mentioned, one of the
consequences of capitalism as a political paradigm are the clawbacks in public spending for
social programming, which, in turn, drastically decreases the number of public services available
to women in need (Greenard-Smith, 2002; Mullaly, 2007). Capitalism and patriarchy are both
pervasive, micro- and macro-level factors in Canada (Mullaly, 2007; Payne, 2014) that leave
individual women more vulnerable to control and abuse by men – specifically, their intimate,
male partners.
Provincially (Alberta)
The province of focus for this thesis was Alberta, in western Canada. I work and reside in
the Edmonton Metropolitan Region (EMR) of Alberta, and recruited participants and collected
data in that area, specifically in the cities with populations of at least 20, 000 people.
Recruitment efforts were performed in the six cities of Edmonton, Sherwood Park, St. Albert,
Spruce Grove, Leduc, and, Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. Despite there being little information on
violence against women in relationships in Alberta, I had collected resources from Statistics
Canada, women’s shelters, and, the province’s databases. Aside from Canada’s northern
territories (Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut), Alberta is the province with the third
highest rates of police-reported, violence against women in relationships, affecting nearly 5% of

19
couples. There are higher rates of violence against women in relationships in Manitoba and
Saskatchewan (Statistics Canada, 2021b). Alberta is also known to be have high rates of family
violence against seniors in Canada, where female survivors are more often victimized by their
intimate partners than their children or other relatives (Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters,
2020). In the 2019-2020 year, the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters (2020) reported that they
accommodated 7,786 women, children and seniors who were specifically fleeing family violence
by using emergency shelters. Unfortunately, they had to turn away 15, 692 women due to the
lack of space in provincial shelters (Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters, 2020). Between the
years 2000 and 2010, there were 121 confirmed victims of intimate partner homicides in the
province of Alberta (Government of Alberta, n.d.). In a similar analysis, 16 of the 20 family
violence homicide victims in Alberta in 2018 alone were women (Koshan, 2020), clearly
indicating that violence against women in relationships continue to be significant social issues in
the province of Alberta.
The Albertan government is unique, in that its provincial services strive to remove
barriers for victims of violence against women in relationships, allowing them opportunities to
take back ownership of their lives. The Alberta government assists women fleeing intimate
partners by providing designated emergency funds to flee domestic violence (Government of
Alberta, 2021d), the Victims of Crime Financial Benefit program (Government of Alberta,
2021e), the Disclosure to Protect Against Domestic Violence (Clare’s Law) Act (2019), and,
having implemented legislation allowing victims to sever leases with their abusers without
financial consequences (Safer Spaces Certificate) (Government of Alberta, 2021f).
Independently, the Alberta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (A-SPCA) in the

20
Edmonton zone provides a safe pet-keeping program for survivors’ pets until they can find stable
and adequate housing away from the abuse (A-SPCA, n.d).
The emergency funding provided to leave violence in relationships is available to
Albertans whom are Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and refugees, and is meant to cover
the costs associated with obtaining a new home, such as a damage deposit and the first month of
rent, along with help for personal costs such as health and prescription coverage, transportation
to a women’s shelter or to legal meetings, and assistance with food and clothing (Government of
Alberta, 2021d). Alberta’s Victims of Crime Financial Benefit program was a first of its kind in
Canada, developed in 1969, and allows victims of violence to recover some of the costs
associated with being the victim of crime up to two years after the incident(s) (Government of
Alberta, 2021e; Kanini & Regehr, 2010). This year, the Government of Alberta brought the
Disclosure to Protect Against Domestic Violence (Clare’s Law) Act (2019) into effect, which is a
law that allows individuals access to the criminal histories of their current and former partners so
they can assess risk and make decisions for their own safety. The offenses that are eligible for
disclosure include “domestic violence, stalking or harassment, breaches of no contact orders,
and, other relevant acts” (Government of Alberta, 2021a, para. 1). Individuals are permitted to
apply to the police to access this information if there is reason to believe that harm will occur to
that person by their current or former intimate partner (Government of Alberta, 2021a). Further,
the Residential Tenancies (Safer Spaces for Victims of Domestic Violence) Amendment Act, was
implemented in 2018, and allows victims of intimate partner violence to terminate their rental
lease with their landlord and abuser, without financial penalty, allowing the applicant to flee an
abusive environment for their safety (Government of Alberta, 2021f). And finally, the pet
safekeeping program, which is supported through fundraising and partnership with the Alberta

21
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (A-SPCA), is another practical support aimed at
improving the well-being of survivors of violence against women in relationships and their
companions (A-SPCA, n.d.). This program has provided temporary shelter and medical attention
for the pets of survivors in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region (EMR) and central Alberta since
2014, with plans to expand the program across the province (A-SPCA, n.d.). These support
services are provided in accordance with the philosophy of Alberta’s following legislation
surrounding family violence and violence against women in relationships.
The Legalities of Violence Against Women in Relationships in Canada
To understand the perspectives of women who have experienced violence against women
in relationships, the following section details important aspects of Canada’s Criminal Code,
relevant Albertan legislation, the paradox of legal protection, and, the impact of court processes
on the predominantly female victims (Busby, 2006; Kanini & Regehr, 2010; Kendall et al.,
2011). Due to the parameters of this thesis, a historical review of women’s rights in Canada will
not be explored, other than the relevant laws pertaining to violence against women in
relationships, starting with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in the Constitution Act of 1982
(Busby, 2006). The Charter of Rights and Freedoms was the first piece of Canadian legislation to
legally protect women (and other marginalized groups) from being discriminated against due to
primary characteristics, such as gender, race or ethnicity, age, and religious beliefs, to name a
few (Kanini & Regehr, 2010). Soon after, other legislative changes were set into motion.
The next year (1983), the first of three amendments were made to Canada’s Criminal
Code (Busby, 2006) that would benefit women. In 1983, marital rape was legally recognized as a
crime; before that, men were ‘entitled’ to the bodies of their wives, and were not reprimanded for
sexual, spousal violence (Busby, 2006). Despite this legal break-through, if a woman reported a

22
sexual assault (against anyone), they were required to ‘prove penetration’ and display evidence
of resistance, which is neither physically or medically possible (Kanini & Regehr, 2010). Two
years later, in 1985, the Criminal Code redefined the age for capacity of consent and statutory
rape, stating that thirteen was the age of consent, but only if her partner was two years older or
less (Busby, 2006). The final amendment, which took place in 1992, once again redefined
consent, this time, focusing on the time-specific element of consent (Busby, 2006). These
amendments rebranded consent as “the voluntary agreement of [an individual] to engage in
specific sexual activity at a specific time, rather than, for example, whether she offered a
sufficient degree of resistance or whether she consented on a previous occasion (Busby, 2006, p.
267)”. In addition, consent is not an ongoing assumption between intimate partners, and can be
terminated at any time (Busby, 2006).
In the province of Alberta, there are six pieces of legislation applicable to situations of
violence against women in relationships and its related circumstances. First, there is the Family
Law Act (2003), which pertains to separation and divorce, child custody, and child support
legislation – a reality for many women fleeing abuse. If there are children present (making it
family violence), there are protocols that are followed under Alberta’s child protection
legislation, the Child, Youth, and Family Enhancement Act (2000), which may put the mother’s
custody of her children at risk if she remains in the abusive environment (Lundy, 2012). If
necessary, the Protection Against Family Violence Act (2000) can be utilized to authorize legal
protection orders in response to violent or aggressive spouses or family members. If a victim of
violence against women in relationships wishes to file a civil suit, the Victims of Crime and
Public Safety Act (2000) contains the provincial legislation on victim’s rights. Although not
every province has one, Alberta has a Victims Restitution and Compensation Payment Act

23
(2000), which acknowledges the harms done to them by perpetrators, and assists with cost
recovery. Finally, the Limitations Act (1996) details the time limitations to file criminal and civil
suits.
In terms of legally protecting herself, there is not much a woman can do aside from filing
and documenting police reports, applying for applicable protection orders, attending court and
sentencing hearings, and, having her testimony be personally heard, if her attorneys allow it
(Kanini & Regehr, 2010). Peace bonds, restraining orders, and emergency protections orders
(EPOs) are available in most provinces; however, the lack of practical, police enforcement of
these orders contributes to the vulnerability of women to their ex-intimate partners (Duffy, 1998;
Kanini & Regehr, 2010). After leaving, these women are often left vulnerable to stalking,
harassing phone calls, spying, threats, and the risk of physical assault, sexual assault, or
homicide (Kanini & Regehr, 2010; Kendall et al., 2011; Wathen, 202).
When a case does go to trial, it is often “disappointing and revictimizing” (Regehr &
Alaggia, 2005; as cited in Regehr & Kanini, 2010, p. 190), as the locus of power is not with the
survivor. Defence lawyers may go to any length to obtain personal documents as collateral to
sway the jury’s belief in the victim (Busby, 2006). If a woman’s ex-intimate partner is convicted
for physical or sexual assaults, victims may attend the sentencing and release hearings to ensure
their perspectives are heard before a judge (Kanini & Regehr, 2010). Unfortunately for the
victims of intimate partner violence, parole is considered for eligible inmates after they have
served merely a third of their sentence, and they may have to attend multiple parole hearings
(Kanini & Regehr, 2010). Moreover, while victims have the rights to all sentencing information,
the onus is on them to request and retrieve the documents pertaining to their potential, physical
safety (Kanini & Regehr, 2010).

24
Formal and Informal Supports
When women are coping with and trying to leave their abusive relationships, there are
two types of supports that they might access: formal and informal supports. Formal supports are
supports and services provided by paid helpers who are employed by private, government, and
non-profit social service agencies (Carniol, 2010; Chappell, 2014). Some services, which are
dependent on geographical location (Greenard-Smith, 2002; Park, 2009), are: counseling,
shelters and transition houses, women’s resource centres, the Royal Canadian Mountain Police
(RCMP) or Edmonton Police Service (EPS), victim services, legal services, mental health and
addictions services, crisis lines, and, social assistance (Chappell, 2014; Kanini & Regehr, 2010).
Chappell (2014) describes four types of shelters for Canadian women and children fleeing abuse:
emergency shelters, safe homes, transition houses, and second-stage housing. Daily, emergency
shelters often run on a ‘first-come, first-serve’ basis, with some accommodating up to thirty-day
stays (Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters, 2016; Chappell, 2014). Safe homes, a scarce type of
emergency housing, allow the victims the privacy of their own suite (Chappell, 2014). For shortto moderate-term stays, transition houses are often utilized; however, there are usually
stipulations regarding pets, alcohol and substance use, and, whether women can come with or
without children (Chappell, 2014). And finally, second-stage housing consists of longer-term
(often subsidized) housing that is supplemented by referrals and formal supports from local
organizations (Chappell, 2014). Of these categories, the organization where I was employed
while living in northern British Columbia was both an emergency shelter and a second-stage
housing provider. Unfortunately, females under the age of 18 were not allowed to stay overnight
due to the high-risk setting of this minimal-barrier shelter, which included: the absence of

25
childcare, intoxicated individuals, the presence of drugs, alcohol and paraphernalia,
overcrowding, lateral violence among shelter residents, foul language, and, more.
In addition, or aside from, seeking professional services for their economic, emotional,
and safety needs, women experiencing abuse may have informal, social networks and practical
resources to utilize in their time(s) of need (Cory & McAndless-Davis, 2013; Greenard-Smith,
2002; Park, 2009). These social resources, which are referred to as informal supports, include
family, friends, colleagues, community members, companion animals, religious/spiritual
affiliations, and, others (Flynn, 2000; Helgeson & Lopez, 2010; Park, 2009). Such informal
supports are helpful to abused women, as they offer emotional and concrete support, education,
resources (such as money or transportation), and, at times, physical protection (Greenard-Smith,
2002; Helgeson & Lopez, 2010; Park, 2009). Their roles are notable, as the Government of
Alberta (n.d.) reported that nearly 70% of spousal violence victims turned to these types of
informal supports, which is over twice the number of victims (28%) that reported using formal
support services (Government of Alberta, n.d.). Members of their informal support groups can be
very helpful, especially if they have experienced the same trauma (Helgeson & Lopez, 2010).
Informal support, whether perceived or actual, can be a protective factor (Helgeson & Lopez,
2010) and may contribute to the resilience of women experiencing violence in relationships.
Within the scope of this thesis, the interview schedule included open-ended questions pertaining
to participants’ informal supports, the self-care activities that they participated in, and, the
personal attributes that they perceived as positively impacting their ability to cope with their
abusive circumstances.

26
Self-Care Activities
During and following an abusive relationship, individuals may participate in activities
that bring them relief, improve their health, or provide a sense of normalcy, as a form of self-care
(Kollak, 2006), while they cope with their experiences of abuse. Kollak (2006) describes selfcare as a way of balancing one’s life in the presence of adversity, with the aim of sustaining
long-term social functioning. There are few studies on self-care activities and their effect on
abused women; however, six articles were found pertaining specifically to violence against
women in relationships (VAWIR), along with several others regarding the benefits of certain
activities on overall health. Literature specific to violence against women in relationships has
demonstrated the positive psychological effects of meditation (Kane, 2006), expressive writing
(Classen et al., 2005), art therapy (Riley, 2014), creative dance (Margolin, 2019), music (Miner,
2015), engaging in one’s faith (Cummings & Pargament, 2010), and, spending time with animal
companions (Flynn, 2000) on the well-being female victims of abuse. For example, religion
plays an integral role in the lives of many people, offering resilience in the face of life stressors,
a network of social supports, a sense of belonging, and, a source of emotional relief (Cummings
& Pargament, 2010). As a result, engaging in positive, religious activities has been linked to
motivation, positive coping methods, and less depression (Cummings & Pargament, 2010),
making it a suitable self-care activity.
In a broader sense, exercise (Edwards, 2006; Fox, 1999) and interacting with nature
(Fuller et al., 2013) are both self-care activities known to benefit a person’s state of physical and
mental well-being. Engaging in exercise has been associated with positive effects on overall
health, depression, anxiety, stress, one’s sense of coping, and, self-esteem (Fox, 1999). Edwards
(2006) suggests that ninety minutes per week could allow someone to reap the psychological

27
benefits of regular physical activity. For women who have experienced intimate partner violence,
self-care activities such as exercise could facilitate introspection, an outlet for anger, and the
processing of strong emotions; it may also provide an avenue for additional social supports,
reduced muscle tension, improved sleep, and, an enhanced self-esteem (Edwards, 2006). Similar
findings were noted in Margolin’s (2019) case study on creative dance, which highlighted the
renewal of the mind-body connection, in addition to momentarily distracting and distancing the
participant from the pain of their abusive circumstances. Spending time in nature or green-spaces
has also been associated with similar benefits; however, feelings of well-being can also be
attained by admiring and tending to house plants, viewing urban gardens, or, by spending time in
the wilderness (Fuller et al., 2013). As demonstrated above, self-care activities may vary greatly
from person to person or they could be utilized by many.
Due to the open-ended, exploratory approach of this thesis, the resulting roster of selfcare activities was dependent on the contributions from the sample group. The results
demonstrated the effectiveness of using person-centred and strengths-based approaches with
women who have experienced violence in relationships, and, the overall variance between
participants’ self-care methods; it also identified similarities or themes. The experiences
provided by the participants uncovered differences in how women coped with and left their
abusive relationships depending on their social location. This data was helpful in identifying
barriers to resources, supports, and self-care activities, so that they may be mitigated to support
survivors of violence against women in relationships to facilitate growth and resiliency.
Resilience and Personal Attributes
Certain personal attributes may serve as protective factors during experiences of trauma,
such as violence against women in relationships (Skodol, 2010). Personal attributes are social-

28
behavioural patterns depicting how people perceive, think about, and relate to themselves and the
environment (Skodol, 2010); in other words, these represent someone’s personality traits. As
noted by Skodol (2010), positive attributes appear to correlate to adaptive outcomes to adversity.
These, among other protective factors, contribute to what is referred to as resilience (Skodol,
2010). These “individual differences or life experiences [may] help people to cope positively
with adversity… and confer protection from the development of mental disorders under stress”
(Richardson, 2002; as cited in Skodol, 2010, p. 113). A person’s resilience is thought to consist
of psychobiological, personality, and social-behavioural factors, such as temperament, personal
attributes, self-compassion, coping methods, and, defence mechanisms (Neff, 2011; Skodol,
2010). Due to individuality, people respond differently to stressors and trauma, such as the
experiences and trauma related to violence against women in relationships.
Researchers on the topic of resilience have positively associated it with environmental
factors, such as family life, levels of social support, and, life structure (Helgeson & Lopez, 2010;
Narayanan, 2008); however, in 2008, Narayanan conducted a study among young, college
graduates to determine their levels of resilience in accordance to their personality traits and
strengths, and the results showed that the participants with the highest levels of resilience had
personalities that were less impulsive and were more assertive, nurturing, and, understanding.
Although it was not mutually exclusive, the data appeared to demonstrate a link between
extroversion and resilience (Narayanan, 2008). Such individuals may not give up easily, exhibit
patience, and can manage complex emotions (Narayanan, 2008). Resilient individuals are known
to find positive meaning and personal growth during times of personal distress (Fredrickson &
Tugade, 2004), often using optimism, humour, and self-compassion to regulate their emotions
following adversity (to name a few) (Neff, 2011). Self-compassion may be a factor of resilience

29
for women who have experienced violence in relationships, in that they may treat themselves
with kindness as they process the shame and general loss of self-esteem that is commonly
associated with having an abusive relationship (Cory & McAndless-Davis, 2013; Neff, 2011).
Self-compassion may allow a person to exhibit less judgment upon themselves, promote clarity
and objectivity into their circumstances, and, foster growth following adversity (Neff, 2011).
Unfortunately, experiencing trauma has the power to diminish one’s ability to cope with
or adapt to extraordinary stressors and may lead to physical and/or mental health issues (Agaibi
& Wilson, 2005). Following a single or ongoing series of traumatic events, such as experiencing
an abusive relationship, individuals may demonstrate resilience and growth, return to baseline,
or, develop symptoms of mental health conditions, such as anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD), among others (Agaibi & Wilson, 2005; Helgeson & Lopez, 2010). As
noted above, resilience following trauma has been associated with personality traits such as
extraversion, high-self-esteem, and humour (Narayanan, 2008); however, it has also been linked
to having an internal locus of control, autonomy, healthy attachments, flexibility, and, the ability
to self-reflect (Agaibi & Wilson, 2005). In this thesis, the identification of the participants’
reported personal attributes, self-care activities, informal supports, and, resilience following an
abusive relationship, was used to explore individuality and to further assert the importance of
strengths-based, person-centred practice within the diverse group that is Canadian women.

30
Chapter 3: Design and Methodology
Methodology: Qualitative-Exploratory
The methodology I chose for this thesis is the qualitative-exploratory method (Reiter,
2013; Stebbins, 2008), and explored what informal methods and supports women utilized to help
themselves cope with, and leave, their abusive, male partners. Stebbins (2008) describes
qualitative-exploratory research as utilizing “broad ranging, intentional, systematic data
collection designed to maximize discovery… and direct understanding of an area of social or
psychological life” (p. 327). The focus of the semi-structured interviews was the identification
and exploration of the impact of the informal supports, self-care activities, and the personal
attributes that the participants identified with, and, how they reportedly helped them cope with
and leave their abusive relationships. Despite not having a solid hypothesis, this approach
acknowledges that researchers often have an idea of what they are looking for, but they must first
collect the data (Stebbins, 2008). As a novice researcher, this method was compelling, as it is
both inductive and interpretive, without the requirement to ‘prove’ anything new (Reiter, 2013;
Stebbins, 2008). Reiter (2013) explains that exploratory research is tentative, and that “[your
way] can never be the only possible way to explain [something]” (p.4). I found this method
attractive because its purpose is to draw out individual experiences and narratives, which was
achieved with this thesis. Using this method, so much rich and important data was captured that
was outside of the scope of this thesis that I felt it was necessary to share the women’s individual
stories in addition to the themes identified among the participants. The logic behind this decision
was that the amount of courage it took to overcome these experiences of abuse and engage in
knowledge-making merited their mention in a study specifically about resiliency and these
participants’ lives.

31
Before conducting qualitative-exploratory research, one needs to acquire an intimate
understanding of the group they wish to study (Stebbins, 2008). Due to my personal and
professional experiences, the knowledge derived from my Bachelor of Social Work degree, and,
review of the literature, this approach was a good fit. Reiter (2013) referred to the qualitativeexploratory research process as “inherently anti-authoritarian” (p. 12), which drew me to the
methodology, due to my desire to incorporate feminist research methods. In accordance to the
methodology, the sampling in this study was purposive, and not random (Reiter, 2013), as I
sought rich, individual methods and experiences related to the topics of this thesis. In addition to
a goodness of fit, qualitative-exploratory was a practical methodology to use in a graduate-level
thesis. Using this approach, one researcher completed the thesis, at little cost; however, Reiter
(2013) suggests that exploratory research, in comparison to confirmatory research, requires more
“intellectual preparation and courage” (p. 12) on behalf of the researcher, with which I identified.
Recruitment and Research Design
The participants in this thesis were recruited using a poster that described its purpose and
scope (see Appendix 2). The recruitment poster was physically distributed to 27 grocery stores in
the recruitment area and yielded 2 participants; however, the global coronavirus (COVID-19)
pandemic, which appeared in Canada in March 2020, impacted the ability to effectively recruit
participants using the initial method of recruitment approved by the Research Ethics Board
(REB). To remedy this, an amendment was applied for and approved by the REB to move
forward with this thesis in the safest way possible. For the duration of the recruitment process, as
the COVID-19 pandemic persisted, I distributed the recruitment materials online. Due to valid
fears of contracting COVID-19, potential participants were likely staying in their homes,
reducing the frequency of their outings (less exposure to recruitment materials), and, when they

32
did attend the stores for essentials, they were likely focused on purchasing what they needed
quickly (while social distancing) and returning home. Additionally, people who are not from the
same household were discouraged from gathering at that time (i.e., in-person interviews). For
this reason, I had interviewed 6 participants via phone or Zoom videoconferencing and 1 inperson prior to the pandemic.
The women were recruited using a purposive sampling method, with the recruitment
materials distributed in the local grocery stores, on social media, and, on the online community
bulletin boards of Edmonton, Sherwood Park, St. Albert, Spruce Grove, Leduc, and, Fort
Saskatchewan, Alberta. I had chosen to post the physical copies of the recruitment posters in
grocery stores because every potential participant would require food and would not be excluded
based on the specific location of the posters. In addition, I desired the opportunity for women
without access or knowledge of how to use the internet to participate; these factors could have
been due to computer literacy, age, income, or shelter. Despite the challenges of recruitment
during the COVID-19 pandemic, there were already recruitment materials physically posted in
these communities and many participants did have access to the internet.
Therefore, the recruitment poster was posted to the online community board, Kijiji, with
a written passage directing potential participants how to contact me without jeopardizing their
confidentiality (i.e., not commenting on the public post), and the recruitment poster. Using the
social media page, Facebook, and their geographically appropriate community groups, there was
a feature where those posting in a group can disable comment sections for posts so that potential
participants do not publicly identify themselves; this was an additional step that I took to protect
confidentiality. Facebook has many public groups that are dedicated to local businesses, garage
sales, and general information for their respective communities, such as those in the recruitment

33
area. Potential participants were asked to contact me by the email and phone number provided
and to not post publicly should they come across the recruitment materials online.
Eligible participants were females between the ages of 19 – 65, living within the
recruitment area, who had experienced at least six months with an abusive, male partner. For
further protection of myself and the participants, they must have ended their abusive relationship
and severed all contact with that person for at least one year prior to their participation in the
interview. For the purpose of this thesis, the recruitment area of the Edmonton Metropolitan
Region (EMR) included Edmonton, Sherwood Park, St. Albert, Spruce Grove, Leduc, and, Fort
Saskatchewan, Alberta. To be contacted by potential participants, I asked inquirers to provide
their phone number, and either their email or mailing address to send them more information
about the thesis. The participants’ desired method of communication was the medium in which
we arranged the phone or Zoom interview (due to the coronavirus [COVID-19] pandemic), and
guided how the interview schedule, informed consent, and, demographic forms were provided.
Participants were sent these documents in advance so that they could thoroughly read the
materials and not feel rushed at the time of the interview. Once participants had decided they
would like to participate in the study, they advised me that either a phone or Zoom interview
would be booked.
Participant data was retrieved by conducting exploratory, semi-structured interviews, and
collecting demographic information using a self-administered, participant demographic form.
The demographic information collected were: the participants’ current age and age when they
entered their abusive relationship, ethnic or racial background, length of time in their abusive
relationship, the denomination of their relationship, estimated income per year, and, whether or
not they cohabitated with their abusive partner. The participant demographic forms were

34
completed and the consent forms were be signed prior to the semi-structured interview. Several
graphs were created with the participant demographic information, identifying the variations and
themes in the sample (see Findings and Discussion, Sample Demographics). The interview
schedule was provided to the participants in advance so they could reflect on the questions, feel
less pressure during the interview process, and, contribute richer information. These interviews
were conducted privately, audio-recorded using a Sony 4GB Mono Digital Voice Recorder, and
transcribed and analyzed independently by me. The majority of the interviews were
approximately 40-50 minutes in length and varied based on how much participants chose to
disclose, with an average of just over 33 minutes. After the interview, the participants received
their gift cards or e-transfers equalling to $25 and were advised of the member-checking process,
which occurred after the preliminary analyses of their data was completed. Once memberchecking was completed, they were notified that they would receive updates on when the study
would be completed and when they could expect to receive either an electronic copy of the final
thesis or a hard-copy of the results/discussion sections (due to the size of the document).
Due to the sensitive subject matter that was involved in this thesis and the ethical
concerns related to researching vulnerable populations, I took steps to care for both the
participants and myself. First, I let the women know that I was not presenting myself as a
counselor nor my interviews as counseling sessions. I advised them that should they need
professional services following our interview, they would be able to view the resource lists I had
developed for them and access services in their community. I had provided the resource lists to
participants following their interviews via email. The resource lists contained information on
companies and organizations within the recruitment area of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region
(EMR) that provided support for mental health, addictions, legal assistance, financial assistance,

35
and, other important services for women that have left abusive relationships (see Appendices 510). Alternate resources and/or private practitioners were provided on request only. All
participants were offered the resource list of support services applicable to their geographical
area.
I also let the women know that I too am a survivor of violence against women in
relationships. This was a brief declaration to the participants and we did not discuss my
experiences, as this was not the focus of our interviews. My intention was to put the women at
ease and let them know that I came from a place of relative understanding with a desire to learn
more about their unique experiences. I did not want to present as a complete outsider looking in
and tried to make these women as comfortable as possible as they shared some of the most
intimate details of their lives by allowing myself to be vulnerable too. I felt that this approach
was both effective and compassionate, in that the women did appear comfortable in our
interviews and in return offered a plethora of latent data that was invaluable. This trust allowed
me a clear picture of their experiences as survivors, not only in relation to the research question,
but their situations as a whole.
Sharing my experiences as a survivor of violence against women in relationships is not
new to me; as a woman, student, social worker, friend, relative, and colleague, I have been open
about my experiences, seeing it as a strength that I bring into both a helping profession and social
work research. My history as a survivor is not something that I try to hide, which is why I took
this next step by disclosing my experiences to my university cohorts, professors, the Research
Ethics Board, the participants of this study, and anyone who is willing and able to be an audience
to my research. I think it demonstrates that we all experience post-traumatic growth in our own
way, and that executing this study and contributing to the academic knowledge-base has been

36
mine. While these experiences of personal disclosure, research and the uncovering and analysis
of stories of abuse was difficult at times, I felt very supported by my own informal support
network, whom provided emotional support, encouraged me to take breaks as needed, and
uplifted me in a way that kept me moving towards the end goal: making these women’s stories
known.
Data Analysis: Thematic Analysis
The raw, text-based data in this study consisted of a combination of interview transcripts,
participant demographic sheets, and research notes made by the researcher (Bradley et al., 2009).
To make meaning out of the data, I used thematic analysis (Ayres, 2008; Braun & Clarke, 2006);
this method allowed me to identify the patterns and differences within the participants’
experiences of violence against women in relationships and resiliency, as well as strengthen the
knowledge on this subject. Ayres (2008) succinctly defined thematic analysis as “a data
reduction and analysis strategy by which qualitative data are segmented, categorized,
summarized, and constructed in a way that captures the important concepts within the data set”
(p. 867). In other words, this method captured domains, categories and patterns in the data that
resulted from this research project (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Within this thesis, I used a realist
method of thematic analysis, which aimed to report the “experiences, meanings, and the reality
of the participants” that was evident in the data (Braun & Clarke, 2006, p. 9).
I analyzed the data in two ways: by plotting the data from the participant demographic
forms into graphs, and, by organizing the text-based data into codes for further analysis.
Throughout the research process, I remained open to unplanned themes, as it was anticipated that
participants would provide valuable information or concepts not thought of by the researcher
(Stebbins, 2008). As this thesis was exploratory in nature, I broadened my scope outside of the

37
original research question and sought to make sense of all of the information that was provided
to me, not only what I was looking for. Naturally, I analyzed the data with the aim of
determining the informal supports, self-care activities and personal attributes that women found
to be protective factors during their experiences of abuse; however, I also allowed myself to find
spontaneous themes. The evaluative criteria used to determine themes was their prevalence in the
data and the shared experiences among multiple participants. To maintain reflexivity, I took my
time analyzing the data, going over the information repeatedly to ensure that I captured every
possible theme – I did not want the themes to solely reflect the beliefs and experiences that I may
have had with this topic prior to embarking on this research. For example, before I collected the
data, I believed that informal supports were integral to women coping with and leaving their
violence relationships, because of my own personal experiences and the accounts of other
women in my personal and professional life. While this was supported in the data, I acknowledge
that I held this position from the beginning, even as I developed my research question. This is
why I felt it was important to disclose my location as the researcher and for the audience to
consider how me being a survivor of violence against women in relationships may or may not
have positively influenced the way in which I researched this social issue.
Furthermore, I defined the themes as they emerged throughout the coding process,
organizing the data in a manner that was traceable back to each source (Campbell et al., 2013),
via colour coordination, pseudonyms and tables. Once transcriptions and summaries were
member-checked, I began reviewing the transcripts and assigning ideas and meaning to relevant
information shared by the participants. To organize and track these extracts, I created a
password-protected Word document with a table identifying the verbatim section of the
interview referenced, the code(s) I had assigned them, and which participant pseudonym they

38
belonged to. Many verbatim sections of the interviews represented several codes. Once this was
completed for all interviews, I compiled a list of the codes and began to determine which codes
could fit into larger themes, which were stand-alone, and which codes did not fit into a theme.
Once themes were identified, I developed them further by analyzing what they meant in relation
to the participants’ experiences and potentially the broader population of women whom have
experienced violence within their relationships. I analyzed the themes further and developed
findings and recommendations by reviewing them, the participants’ individual experiences, and
related literature from the field of social work, the implications of patriarchy, and violence
against women as wide-spread social issue.
Qualitative exploratory research and qualitative data analysis methods, such as thematic
analysis, have multiple benefits for researching vulnerable, and at times, underrepresented
populations, such as women experiencing violence in relationships (Bradley et al., 2009).
Qualitative data collection methods, such as one on one, semi-structured interviews, allow
participants to express themselves freely and feel more comfortable throughout the research
process (Bradley et al., 2009; Elliot & Timulak, 2005). This in itself can be empowering, giving
participants the opportunity to provide their expertise on the topic in which they have lived
experience (Elliot & Timulak, 2005). In addition, most sampling methods in qualitative research
seek “information-rich participants with certain characteristics, knowledge, and direct experience
with the topic” (Bradley et al., 2009, p. 1145), who provide fresh, unique data to analyze and add
to bodies of knowledge. As noted, I utilized the purposive sampling method to recruit
participants.
Reiter (2013) states that “exploratory research, if conducted in such a way, can achieve
great validity and it can provide new and innovative ways to analyze reality” (p. 1). Being up

39
front regarding one’s standpoint, personal and professional experiences, and theoretical
background before moving forward with this thesis, could highlight the tentativeness of
exploratory findings, but also their value (Reiter, 2013). By subtracting the themes and potential
new information given by participants, the result aligned with the person-centered framework
that was one of the pillars of this thesis’ theoretical foundation: that each participant’s experience
would be unique and had much to offer to the academic discourse on violence against women in
relationships. As a result of extensive academic research and personal and professional
experiences, I, like many exploratory researchers, possess an “intimate first-hand understanding
of the group [to be studied]” (Stebbins, 2008, p. 32). This method of data collection and analysis
highlighted overlooked pieces of information from other studies on this population and furthered
the knowledge on established links (Reiter, 2013).
Data Management
In the pursuit of research, there are risks associated with the collection, storage, use, and,
disposition of data (Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering
Research Council of Canada, & Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada,
2018). Researchers are tasked with data management in order to maintain the confidentiality,
security, and human rights that belong to participants and their contributions to the study. All
researchers have the ethical duty to uphold these rights and to safeguard participant data, such as
their identity, contact information, and/or individual experiences (Canadian Institutes of Health
Research, et al., 2014; “Research Data Management, with a Side of REB”, n.d.). If participants’
sensitive information were breached, consequences could be detrimental, and could include the
disclosing of their identities and demographic data, methods of contacting them, and, their
history and personal experiences as survivors of violence against women in relationships

40
(Canadian Institutes of Health Research et al., 2014). Such sensitive data was and is safeguarded
to protect women from future violence and other psycho-social consequences associated with a
breach in confidentiality, such as a lack of trust in professionals, an altered reputation, strained
relationships, financial repercussions, and, many others. This section details the data
management plan for each stage of this thesis, which was derived from information from
“Research Data Management, with a Side of REB” (n.d.) and the Tri-Council Policy Statement
2: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (Canadian Institutes of Health Research et
al., 2014).
Data Collection
As noted in the section ‘Recruitment and Research Design’, this data was collected
directly from participants, in the form of audio-recorded, qualitative interviews and participant
demographic forms. The amount of data collected came from seven participants, due to the size
and scope of a graduate thesis, in addition to recruitment success. Upon indicating their interest
in this thesis, participants were provided information regarding the purpose, the process, and the
potential risks and benefits of choosing to participate. After their questions were answered and
they were willing to participate, they provided written consent. Due to the ongoing coronavirus
(COVID-19) pandemic, the majority of the interviews were completed by phone or Zoom video
conferencing, and audio-recorded. Before beginning the interview, participants were asked to
ensure they were in a private room with the door closed and to use a headset or earphones to
protect their privacy. I followed the same security guidelines to protect participants’ information,
completing the interview in a private room within their home. Participants who chose to use
Zoom had their privacy protected using numerous settings within the application. First, I
accessed the Zoom application through the University of Northern British Columbia’s (UNBC)

41
website only, which has enhanced security settings. In addition, meetings were accessible by
passcode only, a waiting room was enabled so uninvited attendees could not enter the meeting
without being admitted by me, the meeting was locked once participants joined so that no one
else could join, and, meetings were audio-recorded using an external Sony 4GB Mono Digital
Voice Recorder, not the Zoom application. If participants chose to complete their interview via
Zoom, they were asked to advise me beforehand via email or phone so that the passcode to the
meeting could be provided to them. For additional protection, participants were asked to give
themselves a nickname in the meeting instead of their real name (if their email address matched
the one given) and they had the option to disable the video function.
Information retrieved from the participants was represented under the participant’s
chosen alias or pseudonym. The consent and participant demographic forms were be completed
prior to the interviews and collected either in person, via mail, or email. Once the interviews
were completed, participants received their $25 gift card via mail or e-transfer.
Data Storage
The data retrieved from participants was stored on a password protected, encrypted USB
device (Kingston Digital 8GB Traveler Locker + G3) and locked in a safe within my home when
they were not in use. Zoom interviews were not recorded via the Zoom platform; they were
audio-recorded only, using a Sony 4GB Mono Digital Voice Recorder. I was be the only key
holder of the safe, which is stored within the security of my home. Physical copies of the data,
such as consent and participant demographic forms, were scanned into PDF documents, and
safeguarded as noted above; physical copies were destroyed in the manner detailed in the
upcoming sub-section, ‘Data Disposition’. The back-up storage plan for this information was to
password-protect the documents and copy them to a second password protected, encrypted USB

42
device, which is also kept in the locked safe in my home. This data will be deleted five years
after the final copy of this thesis is completed and successfully defended in front of my academic
superiors. The data collected was classified, organized, and stored using the participant number
and the pseudonym chosen by each participant. For example, the audio-recordings of the
interviews were labelled “Pseudonym’s Interview” and their demographic and consent forms
were labelled using the number of the interview, such as “Participant 2’s Demographic Form”, to
avoid connections being made to the real name and the pseudonym of the participant. These
methods allowed the storage of data to be efficient, safe, and within the policy requirements for
the Research Ethics Board (REB).
Data Use and Disclosure
Data collected from the participants was organized to create meaning and new data on
escaping and surviving violence against women in relationships within the scope of heterosexual
relationships. Data was and will be used for research purposes only. Data collected from the
participant demographic forms was used in several charts and graphs to demonstrate the
differences and themes within the sample group. The information collected from participant
interviews was audio-recorded using a Sony 4GB Mono Digital Voice Recorder, transcribed, and
used to form the final report.
Afterwards, participants were contacted by their preferred method of communication
(email or phone) and given the opportunity to member-check the preliminary results of my
analyses. Preliminary results were provided by email and it was requested that they return their
suggestions to me by email or to a post office box – all responses were received by email. They
were given the opportunity to omit any information that they no longer felt comfortable sharing
or that did not accurately capture their experience. In addition, they were advised they could add

43
information that was not provided in the initial interview, if pertinent. Once the participants’
suggested revisions are made, I finished coding the data. Specific quotes from participants were
used within the body of the final research report to give voice to the participants and highlight
their unique and lived insights.
Those who had access to the data while the thesis was in progress were myself, my
graduate thesis supervisor, Dr. Joanna Pierce, and, my graduate committee members, Dr. Indrani
Margolin and Dr. John Sherry. Data was delivered to the authorized parties above by sending
password-protected documents via email. To ensure their safeguarding, only those with the
authority to access the information possessed the password to unlock the data.
Data Disposition
Information from this thesis will be disposed of when it is no longer in use in a safe and
confidential manner. All data, aside from the final, publishable copy of the thesis, will be
destroyed five years after its successful defence in front of my academic superiors. All digital
data will be deleted, and all physical copies of the data will be shredded and disposed of in a
locked and designated shredding bin to ensure absolute confidentiality. The final, publishable
copies were provided to the participants by emailing them a digital copy of the entire document,
or, by mailing them a physical copy of the discussion and results sections, should this be their
preference.
Desired Research Outcomes
Overall, this thesis aimed to explore the themes among women’s informal methods of
coping with and leaving abusive relationships. Of the data shared by the participants, patterns,
similarities, and unique circumstances were analyzed. The next outcome was to capture the
perceived impact of the informal supports, self-care activities, and personal attributes on the

44
women’s resiliency. It was my hope that conducting this thesis would contribute to a better
understanding of the potential self-care activities that could be perceived as beneficial by women
experiencing violence in relationships, and how to remove barriers to them. Lastly, I hoped to
demonstrate the importance of strengths-based, person-centred social work practice with
survivors of violence against women in relationships (Howe, 2009; Payne, 2014). Due to the
qualitative-exploratory nature of this thesis, there was no predicting what would be shared in the
semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. By exploring each participant’s informal, self-care
methods, the results broadened our understanding of how women may respond
in(ter)dependently to violence in relationships. Nonetheless, a greater understanding is needed of
the unique healing processes that can be derived from accessing informal supports, recognizing
one’s positive, personal attributes, and, engaging in self-care activities that fulfill and soothe
these women (Hick, 2010). Such information may be useful for those working with survivors of
violence against women in relationships, including social workers, counsellors, psychologists,
and, other health and human service professionals, as well as the informal supports of these
women.

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Chapter 4: The Lived Experiences of Violence against Women in Relationships
It would be difficult to understand the complexities of violence against women in Alberta
without acknowledging the stories of those who have lived experiences of this broad, social
issue. The seven women who graciously recalled their stories that are depicted in this thesis
come from all social locations – from teenagers to grandmothers, women of many races and
socioeconomic statuses, and, varying exposures to violence against women throughout their
lifespans. These are women who loved boyfriends, fiancés, common-law partners and husbands
that treated them with abuse. It is with respect and the desire for a broader sense of
understanding within the helping professions and the community at large, that their stories of
violence against women in relationships are shared below. The names of the participants have
been replaced with pseudonyms to protect their identities.
Mary
Mary has experienced several abusive relationships with men, and has had various
informal supports guide her to the place of healing and sobriety that she is at today. These
abusive relationships occurred at different phases of her life, as a young and mature adult.
Mary’s friends and family were motivators for her to escape the abuse, especially her mother,
when she was alive; she helped when she could and continued to remind Mary that her abuser
was a “bad provider” and not a good partner. When her daughter was a child, raising her is what
motivated her to keep going and try to establish a better life for the two of them. As a mature
adult, her grandchildren had that same power when she strived to free herself from other abusive
relationships. While she did not receive much support from her brother, he did voice his opinion
that she deserved better treatment than what she was deriving from these partners. Her friend,

46
Bill, would be emotionally supportive and sometimes lend her small amounts of money as
needed; this meant a lot to her at the time.
Although she was grateful for the assistance she received from her family and friends,
Mary felt quite alone during this time, as she did not share a lot of details with her loved ones;
she mostly kept the abuse to herself due to the shame and embarrassment she experienced. While
escaping her third abusive relationship, Mary would attend a woman’s shelter that employed a
woman whom went above and beyond her role as a support worker. This employee reached out
to her own friends and family to gather spare furniture and household items for Mary as she
prepared to transition out of the shelter, even helping her move these items into her new
apartment – her new life. This act of kindness was not forgotten and Mary smiled as she recalled
these events. She credits her faith in God for leading her to where she is today and providing the
ability to see the positive things that were and are in her life.
Her never-ending faith in God played a role in Mary’s escape from her abusive
relationships. She would continue to pray and trust that everything happens for a reason, and that
she would endure those times and achieve peace and happiness. Mary’s self-worth mobilized her
to realize on three separate occasions that she deserved to be treated better than she had been.
She knew that she did not deserve to be verbally abused, isolated, assaulted or drugged, and then
planned her escape to a safer future for her and her family. During this time, Mary recalls that
she maintained a good sense of humour and would try her best to laugh things off. She remarked
that she “deflected a lot”, which helped her survive through the numerous traumas that she has
endured. Instinctual acts of self-preservation saved her life, as well. Mary acknowledged that she
is a very independent woman and knew when to begin initiating plans to free herself from the
violence against her. She is well-versed in community supports for women who have

47
experienced abuse and appears to have a high level of ‘street-smarts’. In addition to all of these
strengths, she presents as a positive, resilient survivor.
Sometimes, it is the little things that make the biggest difference when caring for oneself
and healing from past experiences of abuse. Mary acknowledges the blessings of every day by
praying to God, believing that everything happens for a reason and “tak[ing] it one day at a
time”. Mary enjoys engaging in deep breathing techniques, meditation, and avoiding excessive
worrying. She likes to stay active and walks every day, sometimes up to three times. Maintaining
her sobriety is very important to her, so she began making friends that were sober and safe, as
well; at the time of this interview, she had been sober for 54 weeks and counting. Living in her
own apartment with personal space, belongings and freedom from violence in itself is a form of
daily self-care. She enjoys decorating her new life with the things she wants and needs, often
browsing, thrift-shopping, and engaging in ‘retail therapy’. Overall, these acts of self-care and
self-love have helped her maintain safety and sobriety for over a year now.
Mary is the survivor of physical, psychological, emotional, financial, and sexual abuse
within the context of her three, abusive relationships. She was drugged by one of her abusers and
also received death threats. Mary shared that because of her experiences, she lives with the
symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). These experiences prompted her to flee
her abusers, along with the impact of her brother distancing himself from her, as he did not want
to witness these abusive relationships. Mary shared harrowing accounts of the abuse at the hands
of her abusers, such as being strangled with her daughter in next room, being drugged and
sexually assaulted by her ex-husband when she asked for a divorce, receiving death threats, and,
being physically beaten, psychological manipulated and emotionally abused. In addition to all
this, she experienced racist, colonial abuse, as she specifically recalled one of her abusers

48
threatening that the police “… ain’t gonna believe a s***w” if she were to report it. While the
police may have believed Mary, she did not feel that they provided her with safety, security or
support when she had involved them in the past. She had made reports to the police and applied
for an Emergency Protection Order (EPO), but it never deterred her abuser; in her experience,
she felt that it angered them even more.
In addition to Mary’s informal support network, self-care activities and personal
attributes, she excelled at utilizing the formal services available for women experiencing
violence in several Albertan communities. Mary described accessing women’s emergency
shelters, second-stage housing, non-profit community agencies, and thrift stores that provided
discounts to women in second-stage housing. From there, she was able to obtain her own
apartment, which she described as like having a new life. When asked about her healing journey
to date, she stated that, “I haven’t felt like ‘me’ for the longest time, but now I am starting to feel
like ‘me’, and finding me.” Mary continued to exert a strong sense of courage, and recalled that
“[she] just really empowered [her]self in a sense, where [she] said to [her]self, ‘No man is gonna
handle me that way… [or] treat me like shit again’”. Lastly, Mary’s advice to other women
experiencing violence within their relationships is to “stick to 24 hours”, take it day by day, and
recognize that abuse comes in all forms.
Altogether, Mary described an informal support network that included her late mother,
her children and grandchildren, friends, the kindness of strangers, and, her faith in God.
Personally, Mary relied on her instincts, faith, sense of humor, initiative, ability to deflect, and,
her self-worth to guide her out of the abusive relationships that she has experienced throughout
her life. She engaged in self-care activities such as praying and having faith in God, maintaining
a life of sobriety, shopping, decorating her new apartment, engaging in deep breathing exercises

49
and meditation, avoiding anxious thoughts, walking daily, and, making safe and sober friends.
Today, she credits these factors to her safe and sober life, free from violent relationships.
Georgina
When Georgina was experiencing the violence against her, she had a support network of
her friend and family to lean on; however, that was not always easy to do. Feelings of shame and
guilt made it difficult for her to reach out to her supports and her embarrassment regarding her
situation kept her there longer. At the time, Georgina was surrounded by her father, mother (who
is now deceased), and two sisters. Georgina discussed how she felt lucky, despite the abuse, as
her family was able to assist her with finances, shelter and emotional support. Her father assisted
with paying for the UHAUL to move her out of her abusive living situation and they allowed her
to live with them briefly until she was able to move into her own place again. She also continued
to have her own job, was the primary earner within the relationship, and owned her own vehicle.
While she may have felt abandoned by most of her friends, one friend stuck by her during most
of this abusive relationship; there was a point near the end that she too had to distance herself as
an act of self-care and boundary-setting, but she was a stable source of support for Georgina.
Georgina also discussed her love of animals and how she connects with them as family. During
her time with her abuser and now, dogs have remained a constant light in her life.
During our interview, Georgina recalled many personal attributes that aided in her
eventual escape from her abuser. Georgina is a strong, persistent person, and stated that, “there’s
a part of me that just would not give up on myself”. Georgina presented as resilient, tenacious
and determined to make changes for herself. She was and is a talkative person, speaking about
her emotions thoroughly and engaging in self-reflection she needed to recognize that she needed
a change. Georgina spoke a lot about self-love and self-forgiveness and allowing herself the

50
opportunity to transcend from the dangerous situation she was in with her abuser. She made
several attempts to leave, persisted, and allowed herself the time to plan adequately for her final
escape.
Throughout her attempts to leave the relationship, Georgina found it very difficult to care
for herself and engage in meaningful activities until she was able to successfully flee. She said
that she never looked after herself before, and engaging in self-care activities brought back her
self-worth during her healing journey. Georgina described reconnecting with old friends that
mattered and spending time with those that unconditionally loved her. She brought her animals
with her when she ended the abusive relationship, stating that, “… animals bring healing to your
life. They bring happiness to your life, they bring balance, and I believe that anybody that can
have an animal, should have an animal because it helps in so many aspects of your life, whether
you’re sick, whether you’re… emotionally… unstable, whatever the case maybe is, they’re a
huge contributor to helping.” She also said that she felt that “… they [were] probably what got
[her] through it the most”. No matter how she felt, it did not matter to them, because she was the
most important, best person in the world to them, and that was validation that she needed during
that time in her life. Petting, hugging, walking, and taking care of her dogs brought her a sense of
companionship and relief. With her friends, family and animals in her life, Georgina no longer
felt isolated.
Georgina also began to take care of her body and her mind once she left her abuser. She
quit smoking cigarettes and began exercising by going to the gym, running and walking her
dogs. She accessed formal services, such as counselling, to process her feelings and experiences
so that she could move on in a healthy way. This newfound ability to take control of her life
empowered Georgina to attend post-secondary school to pursue an education and career in

51
human services. Now that her basic needs were being met, Georgina was able to expend energy
on her dreams, engage in self-care and self-actualize.
Georgina is a survivor of emotional, social, and psychological violence within the context
of an intimate relationship. While she was in this relationship, she recalled several influences to
ending it and pursuing a safer life. She felt a strong sense of shame and guilt and endured plenty
of emotional and psychological abuse and manipulation at the hands of her abuser. Her family
and friends continuously spoke out against her abuser and set up boundaries with her, such as, “I
can’t do this anymore with you” and giving themselves some distance from the situation when
they began to feel burnt out from hearing about the abuse of their loved one. Knowing that her
family would be there for her and she would be safe if she fled was a huge motivator for her to
leave the relationship. She states that she had no barriers to resources given her social location,
for which she is profoundly grateful. She never had to access a shelter or other organizations
aside from professional counselling. After a lot of internal dialogue and self-reflection, Georgina
recalled that she just woke up one day and was repulsed by her abuser and realized that she could
not live like that anymore – and she never looked back.
Georgina provided her insights and advice as a person with the lived experience of
violence against women to share with audience of this research. She acknowledged that her
pride, naivety and young age at the time prevented her from leaving and made it difficult to
accept help from others. Her advice to other women is: “don’t commit to a bad decision just
because you spent a long time making it… just because you fell in love with someone and chose
to be with someone, and they turned out not to be who you thought they were, that doesn’t make
it your fault”. She remembered that her abuser made her believe that she was worthless, which
kept her there longer. Unfortunately, the long-lasting effect of this manipulation is that she does

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not trust her ability to choose a partner now. She wants women to know that, “you’re not alone…
you can walk away and be okay”, that “… you have to do it for yourself, or for your kids, or
whatever it is, and [that] everybody has the strength inside of them… you just need to figure out
how to access that.” She strongly encourages women to weigh the pros/cons of being in their
relationship, start talking to someone, realize what they need to flee, and plan their escape. She
encourages women not to deviate from their values or excuse the abuse in order to stay in that
relationship. For those who know and love a woman in an abusive relationship, Georgina stated
that “there’s a fine line [between] being supportive and… enabling.” She asks informal supports
to normalize that abuse is not okay and to speak out against the abuse. With positive support and
consistency, informal supports can help women discover for themselves that they deserve to be
in relationships free from violence.
Overall, Georgina described an informal network that consisted of a loving family, best
friend, and pets. Like many, Georgina would argue that her dogs are her family, too. She had the
benefit of her own employment, vehicle, and access to financial and housing resources should
she need them from her family. In terms of her personal attributes, she recognized the resiliency
she gained from being strong, persistent, talkative, adaptable, and, coming from a place of selflove and forgiveness. Once she left her abusive relationship, she engaged in a variety of self-care
activities, including quitting smoking, exercising, reconnecting with her family and friends that
mattered most to her, attending post-secondary education, spending time with her dogs, and
participating in counseling. Combined, these factors allowed her shape a life that she was proud
of: a life free from violence against women.

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Anne
When Anne was going through an abusive relationship, she had a difficult time talking
about her experiences to her family and friends, as it seemed not everyone was listening. She
spoke highly of her grandparents, who were attuned to her emotional needs and arranged for her
to receive medical and mental health treatment during this traumatic time. Her parents did not
approve of her abuser or his treatment of their daughter, but Anne felt that they were not truly
there for her. She did not feel listened to, which she also felt about most of her friends. One
friend in particular disengaged from her at this time, which made her feel quite alone. Other
friends knew about the abuse but never really approached her about what was going on. What
she did not bring up, they did not bring up. Luckily, her current partner, who was a friend at the
time, was very supportive and present during that time. He listened to her, voiced his concern
about how she was being treated and what she was going through, and treated her with respect.
To this day, how he treated her as his friend and partner has made a huge impact. Luckily, Anne
was able to make even more supportive friends once she escaped her abusive relationship.
Anne was able to maintain some independence from her abuser, as she did not live with
him and she had a part-time job, all while she was in high school, working towards graduation;
however, being in a relationship with her abuser and eventually leaving him was not an easy feat.
Anne does not know what it was about her as a person that helped her escape the violence, but
she spoke fondly of her hobbies and self-care activities that she engaged in during that time.
Anne appeared to have different activities for different frames of mind; if she wanted to
rid her mind of the abuse, she distracted herself with art, and if she wanted to reflect on her
situation, she would skateboard. She spoke of the time she has invested in art, in the form of
painting, drawing, and actively improving her techniques over time. Anne is relaxed by this and

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enjoys creating. She highly recommends the Zentangle method, which is a structured pattern
with endless possibilities that anyone can try. She recalled listening to music all of the time and
that it was a rare for her not to have music playing in her headphones. Music followed her
everywhere she went, whether it was while she created art or skateboarded around and kept
active.
Anne spoke about the self-care that having a routine provided during that time in her life.
Waking up, going to school and working part-time were all dependable, constants in her life. She
would have liked to have been able to take better care of herself physically, in the form of
sleeping better, eating properly, washing her face and showering more often. At that time, she
had a lot on her mind and was left exhausted by the abuse that she endured, so her basic needs
tended to fall to the wayside.
Anne, who is a survivor of dating violence against women, was subjected to emotional,
psychological, social, and, sexual abuse. In response, Anne coped with this in the best way she
could at that time; however, in addition to the positive coping mechanisms that she engaged in,
she described some of the negative activities, as well, including, drinking alcohol, smoking
marijuana and using other drugs. Unfortunately, her abuser continued to isolate her from her
friends and introduced her to drug use, which she dabbled in for some time before separating
herself from these activities. This, coupled with the isolation she felt from most of her friends
and parents, was not helpful during her attempts to leave her abuser. What was helpful was the
positive influence of her current partner, who was then a friend, and her own reflections on what
she was experiencing. Anne discussed the actions of her abuser that made her realize it was time
to end the relationship, including verbally abusing her (criticizing her and calling her names),

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ignoring her, isolating her from her friends, and sexually abusing her while she was under the
influence of alcohol and drugs. Anne deserved much better than that and she knew it.
Anne’s advice to women experiencing violence within their relationships is to “just know
it happened and that it isn’t your fault”. She encouraged those surrounding survivors or those in
the midst of their abusive relationships to support them, be with them and to refrain from
distancing themselves because of how the situation makes them feel. Anne says, “... listen, no
matter how much you probably know and hate how much it hurts you, because that person hurts
a lot more”. This is not the time or place in a woman’s life where she should be alone – their
friends and family need to create a circle of safety around them so that they have the support
necessary to escape the cycle of abuse.
In summary, the informal support network for Anne consisted of her grandparents, her
parents and her current partner. She had the security of living with family and having her own
income. Once she fled the abuse, she was able to surround herself with more friends and
supportive people. While she did not identify personal attributes that she felt contributed to her
resiliency and ability to leave her abusive relationship, she relied on her self-care activities at that
time. Anne outlined her love of art, including drawing and painting, skateboarding, listening to
music, staying active, maintaining a routine, and, eventually finding a partner that truly was good
to her. Together, these factors contributed to her resiliency during and after escaping abuse.
Elizabeth
When Elizabeth was in her violent relationship, she felt alone. It was not until after she
left the abuse that she sought the support from her friends, family and formal services. Elizabeth
has a mother, siblings, an aunt, and a daughter in the area. Her father lives in a different
province, in addition to his side of the family, but she also has several friends close by. Elizabeth

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stated that she did not tell anyone about the abuse while it was happening, as it compounded with
the shame she felt about lapsing in her recovery from drugs and alcohol during that time.
Elizabeth felt the need to make new friends to be successful in her recovery, in addition to
seeking the support of Alcoholics Anonymous and a women’s group. One of her positive, new
friends was her previous mentor in the women’s group. As a person who was previously
incarcerated, Elizabeth also received the support of a reintegration chaplain through a Christian
church program. Although she no longer attends the chaplain’s service, they have remained good
friends and engage in fun activities together, such as attending community baking classes.
Elizabeth also mentioned a friend whom she lovingly calls Kookum Margot. While Elizabeth felt
alone during her abusive relationship, she eventually found herself surrounded by positive people
that impacted her life after her journey out.
Elizabeth knows that she has many qualities that helped her persevere and break free
from the cycle of abuse. Elizabeth cited her courage as a driving factor, as she stood her ground
once she made her decision to go no contact (NC) with her abuser. She was assertive and firm in
her decisions, which in itself was an act of self-love. Elizabeth would describe the love she felt
for herself and her family when she stuck to her boundaries and continued on her journey out of
the abuse. Wisdom from Elizabeth’s past experiences were also integral in influencing her
decisions to find a better life for her and her daughter. Resiliency is and was key to Elizabeth’s
ability to move on from her abusive relationship; she “doesn’t wallow” and knew she that had to
take action. Relentlessly, she would try again, committing to her plan to escape from the abuse.
Elizabeth engaged in a large variety of self-care activities, but mostly after she had finally
left her abuser and went no contact. As noted above, Elizabeth became connected to a women’s
support group, which she still attends today. There, she met her mentor and now friend. She

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attends this meeting once every two weeks and described feeling less alone when she hears the
stories of other women. After leaving her abusive relationship, she engaged in a lot of selfreflection and began taking care of her body and her mind. Elizabeth explained that she began
sleeping more, stopped drinking alcohol and using drugs, and severed ties with friends and
acquaintances that were not conducive to her recovery. Attending Alcoholics Anonymous
meetings was helpful to maintain her sobriety, as it surrounded her with like-minded people who
were also in recovery. Elizabeth kept keeping her promises to herself.
Elizabeth began to spend more time with her teenage daughter by engaging in her child’s
school work and extracurricular activities – she even met a new friend this way, connecting with
one of the other mothers at a summer camp. She and her daughter did some interprovincial
travelling once she severed contact with her abuser, visiting family and friends and just enjoying
themselves. Afterwards, she made a habit of staying in more and did not let people know where
she lived, which continues to bring her a significant level of peace. She enjoyed solitary
activities such as reading books and watching movies. Occasionally, she would pamper herself,
buying the things she needed and wanted, including new clothes, hair cuts, and manicures.
Elizabeth also looked towards self-improvement and began engaging in Indigenous ceremonies,
nurturing her spiritual self, and working towards her career goals. It was at this time that she
began actively working towards completing her apprenticeship in her trade. All of these positive
habits have made her more confident in herself, her goals and boundaries, and her continued
independence as a survivor of violence against women.
Elizabeth is a survivor of psychological, emotional and physical abuse within the context
of an intimate relationship. She reports that she is the survivor of child abuse, as well. Her past
experiences, in addition to her insight, influenced her to leave the relationship. She spoke about

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the terrifying thoughts that she had about her abuser murdering her and her body not being found
for several days until she missed a day of work. She states, “he took it too far… it didn’t have to
escalate to that… level of violence… I think… that his actions were the influence [to leave]”.
The fear that was associated with his quick escalation from verbal to physical aggression were a
strong motivator to escape the abuse once and for all.
In addition to all of the informal supports that Elizabeth had once she left the relationship,
she also engaged in the women’s support group and professional counselling to help her through
the significant trauma that she had endured; however, one formal support that she wishes she
would have accessed was the local police service. Given her previous lifestyle of “getting into
trouble” and engaging in illegal activities, Elizabeth was hesitant to call the police during violent
episodes because she was scared; this is something that she regrets. Elizabeth encourages women
that are experiencing violence within their relationships to reach out to anyone, even a
neighbour, about the abuse. Elizabeth said, “You just have to be honest – honest with yourself,
and honest with somebody else – somebody… it’s not just an argument… it’s a serious thing.”
She encourages those that know someone experiencing violence against women to offer them a
place to stay and a way out, if possible. As someone with the lived experience of violence
against women, Elizabeth encourages friends, family members and acquaintances of survivors to
help them flee the abuse in any way that they can – let them know that it is not okay.
Altogether, Elizabeth had a large support system, which included family, friends,
community, and spirituality. Elizabeth discussed the support from her mother, spiritual mentor,
community women’s group, friends, and the courage that she derived from parenting her
daughter. Elizabeth touted her courage, assertiveness, self-love, wisdom, and resiliency as pillars
to her success in escaping abuse. Her life was and is rich in self-care activities that she felt

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helped during and after she left the abusive relationship that she was in. Ranging from informal
to formal self-care activities, Elizabeth attended, and continues to attend, a women’s support
group engaged in self-reflection, slept and took care of her body, actively maintained sobriety,
spent more time with her daughter and family, surrounded herself with healthy people, met her
material needs, such as clothing and personal wellness, read, watched movies, kept her
residential address private, engaged in spiritual practices, began actively finishing her
apprenticeship, and, travelled. To this day, these factors have contributed to a happier and
healthier life free from abuse.
Mindy
While Mindy was experiencing violence against women, she had a small support network
that included several friends. She either had no family or they were not supportive to be included
in her inner circle. She was able to stay connected with her friends using the phone and internet,
which she would use while her boyfriend was sleeping; these were some of the only practical
resources she had to stay in touch with the world outside of abuse. While she owned a vehicle
and had access to it, her abuser used the vehicle, as well. She shared her home with a pet cat that
was important to her. Otherwise, Mindy had limited contacts and was confined to her apartment
most of the time, which her abuser had taken over by moving in with her.
Mindy discussed how her having an imagination, dissociating from the pain and ‘being
somewhere else’ made enduring the abuse more bearable. Mindy stated that she “just survived
it”. Mindy also had the desire to seek knowledge on her circumstances, who she was dealing
with, and what her next steps needed to be. She was resourceful and intelligent in this regard, as
she studied online resources about people who abuse their intimate partners and the behaviours
associated with this. She again channeled her resourcefulness and initiative to determine a way to

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regain control over her life by identifying the formal resources around her that she could use in
her particular situation, such as the RCMP and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
(IRCC). Given Mindy’s abuser’s status in Canada (the holder of an expired Work Permit), she
was able to use contacting these federal entities as leverage to convince her abuser to leave her
home and eventually her life. Unfortunately, her abuser continued to stalk her from hotels, but
eventually he left the country, and then harassed her virtually from his home country for some
time. Mindy states she would have used a women’s shelter but felt she did not have the
opportunity to escape due to his severe restrictions to her movements and rarely leaving her
alone in the apartment.
As mentioned, Mindy enjoyed talking to her friends and did this whenever she could.
Mindy reported some significant anxiety, depression and PTSD due to the abuse that she
endured, but self-care was minimal due to her circumstances. She focused on one day at a time,
and met her physical needs, such as food, toileting, and personal hygiene. Attending to her
activities of daily living was difficult but she did her best. Mindy discussed the benefits of
listening to podcasts when she was able to. She enjoyed listening to self-affirmations while lying
in bed and hypnotherapy podcasts, which helped her sleep and minimize her overthinking and
night anxiety. When asked what she wished she could have accessed, Mindy stated she would
have liked a safe gym that she could go to so she could both exercise and relax. She attempted
some exercise within the apartment, but had limited personal space and was experiencing the
mental and physical symptoms of depression, which made engaging in self-care activities
extremely difficult.
Mindy is a survivor who experienced emotional, psychological, social, and sexual abuse
at the hands of her former partner. In addition, her abuser would also purposefully restrict her

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sleep and would confine her to her apartment. Over time, Mindy understood what she was
dealing with and acted with self-preservation by attempting to be as non-confrontational as
possible. She assessed her level of danger and acted accordingly. For example, although she
knew otherwise, she acted like the abuse was “kind of okay” in front of his family in order to
avoid repercussions after they left. She felt safer in public than in private with this person, and
saw outings like grocery shopping trips and regular doctor’s visits as a relief. In the end, Mindy
did open up to her family doctor about the abuse, as they approached the topic with her. Mindy’s
abuser attended most appointments with her, and over time, her doctor noted the unusual and
controlling behaviour and was able to speak with her privately occasionally. Mindy’s story is a
great example of how health professionals can play a role in supporting women who are
experiencing violence within their relationships. Two of Mindy’s friends could tell something
was up, too, and voiced their concerns about her relationship with her abuser. Mindy knew that
she had to escape the relationship when his family began to hint to her that he had nearly killed
his first wife due to abuse. Her abuser had also begun to share what he did to his ex-wife, which
was terrifying to Mindy. His own actions and abuse towards her also confirmed her decision that
it was time to leave.
From Mindy’s lived experience as a survivor of violence against women, she had a few
pieces of advice for other women and the supportive people in their lives. First, she warns not to
let it escalate and to leave sooner than later. Mindy stresses that you should “… know what the
red flags are and as soon as you see them get out, because it does not get better. You cannot
change it with love.” In her opinion, couples therapy will likely not help your situation, as the
abuser tends to take over the sessions. She also warns women experiencing abuse to not give
themselves false hope; there is the possibility that you will sustain more damage the longer you

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stay and to not waste your time. She warned that you may be ‘future-faked’ by manipulation,
which means that you may be manipulated into thinking that the abuser will change, making you
stay in the relationship longer. If you are stalked once the relationship is over, as women often
are after leaving abusive relationships, go to the police. She also encourages women to have a
little bag packed somewhere in your home so that you can slip away at a moment’s notice and
stay at a friend’s house or access a shelter, if you can.
Her advice to those that know and love a woman who is being abused by her partner is:
“… if you have a family member or friend who’s going through this, don’t tell them they’re
strong, because that just enables the other person to abuse them… unknowingly or knowingly,
you have just somehow set up a dynamic to enable an abuser; you’ve made the person that’s
reached out to you, most likely, feel shamed or guilt[y], which is what is happening to them by
the abuser… please, everybody, stop giving false hope.” She wants people to stop telling people
the abuser will change. “… Stop… encouraging emotional hope in the abused person, because
you suffer from ‘euphoric recall’ as it is.” Euphoric recall is when an abused person focuses on
the small slivers of good in the relationship and looks past most of the abusive behaviours to
justify why they are still in the relationship; essentially, they long for the good times and see
potential for more, which may impair their judgment in deciding when it is time to escape the
abuse. Mindy encourages friends, family and others to help the woman who is being abused to
create boundaries and realize that they can go no contact (NC).
Overall, Mindy described an informal support group that consisted of a few friends and
her pet cat. She relied on resources such as an internet and phone connection and access to a
vehicle. Mindy’s personal attributes that contributed to her ability to cope with and flee the abuse
included having an imagination, dissociating from pain, maintaining a thirst for knowledge,

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tapping into her survival instincts, and, her initiative to identify and use the formal resources
surrounding her. For self-care, she would talk with her friends when she could, meeting her
basic, physical needs, and, listen to and sleeping with podcasts that contained self-affirmations
and hypnotherapy. Together, these elements allowed her to cope until she was able to escape the
abuse that she was suffering at the hands of her ex-partner.
Wanderer
Like many other women in abusive relationships, Wanderer did not share information
about her abuse to with her friends. Aside from her immediate family and her lawyer, no one else
in Wanderer’s life knows about her experiences of violence against women and her divorce from
her abuser. While she had the financial and practical support from her parents, Wanderer tried
many times, mostly unsuccessfully, to gain emotional support from her mother; however, in the
very end, her mother did validate her experiences of abuse when she pleaded to be taken in by
her parents. With them, she had a place to live while she realigned her life, which was helpful,
but she longed to go out on her own, away from her parents, due to existing family dynamics and
issues. Wanderer described being a part of the bigger, social community of her ethnic
background. At one time, she was involved with a lot of social activities and gatherings related to
this group, but has since detached herself from this group. During her time in that abusive
relationship, she heavily relied on the internet as way to connect with the outside world, whether
that was staying in touch with her loved ones or accessing important information and online
forums. Wanderer emphasized the importance of internet access as an informal support, as she
was rarely allowed to leave the home and had to be chaperoned by her abuser or his family.
Wanderer found it difficult to identify what personal attributes helped her flee her
abusive relationship and gave some insights into why; most notable was the rigid, cultural

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expectations that she felt dictated the goals, aspirations and trajectory of her life as an IndoCanadian woman. Despite these difficulties, she did note several personal qualities that made her
successful on her journey out of that relationship. She said that “[she] was fully controlled…
fully programmed, like a puppet…” and that “… in [her] culture, you’re not basically allowed to
think for yourself or even have your personal identity, you are controlled and dictated and
programmed heavily, heavily from a tiny age ‘til – until your parents die and they’re no longer
able to control you.” Of the qualities she did identify, Wanderer noted that she had an
adventurous spirit which helped her break out of her comfort zone. She engaged in selfreflection, used her ‘better judgment’, and acted with self-preservation to break herself out of the
situation she was in. Wanderer described her desire to seek further knowledge on her
circumstances and who/what she was dealing with, by accessing information in online forums
about other women who have been in abusive relationships and the intersectionality of people
who abuse others and have mental health issues. With this foundation, she utilized her survival
instincts, resiliency and intelligence to flee from her abuser and come back to her family in
Canada.
Wanderer acknowledged that she did not engage in a lot of self-care during the abuse, as
she had no ability to do so. She lived in a small space with a lot of people, all whom were active
in her abuse (these were family members of the abuser). She reported that they kept her captive
in the home most of the time. As mentioned above, she did read online forums about women in
abusive relationships to feel less alone and to learn more, as she had access to a computer and
internet. Following her escape, she did engage in self-reflection and meditation. She accessed
professional counselling, but she longed for a counsellor that was knowledgeable of her culture
and its intricacies, specifically in the context of patriarchy, conditioning, and violence against

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women. Well-intentioned professionals of Caucasian descent or other ethnic backgrounds were
not as effective if they did not have this base knowledge of her ethnic, cultural and social
identity. She continued to engage in peaceful, solitary activities such as reading books, walking
in parks, seeing monuments, and learning about the history of where she lived. Wanderer noted
that these self-care activities took time for her to explore and engage in following her return to
Canada and separation from her abuser.
Wanderer is a survivor of emotional, psychological, social, physical, and, sexual abuse.
In addition, she described being held captive in the apartment most of the time and was restricted
from the balcony without accompaniment by her abuser of his family; her in-laws were active
perpetrators of the abuse. Her abuser would threaten her life in addition to threatening to release
revenge porn, which was filmed without her consent throughout their marriage. She found it very
difficult to stay positive, as she felt negative and was in survival mode throughout all of these
traumatic experiences. Leaving an abusive marriage is difficult enough as is; however, Wanderer
had the stigma surrounding divorce in her cultural community to break through, as well. With
some practical support from her family and a divorce lawyer, Wanderer did achieve her freedom.
After returning to Canada from living abroad, Wanderer obtained a divorce and engaged in some
post-secondary education on topics she was passionate about.
Wanderer discussed what influenced her to leave her abusive marriage. First, she began
utilizing the internet to research the mental health issues that she felt her abuser may have had, in
addition to online forums and websites on violence against women. Of course, her own
experiences of abuse by her ex-husband and his family were the true catalyst to her realization
that she needed to escape – she knew that her life was in danger. Additionally, when her mother
agreed that she should end her marriage, which is taboo in their culture, she “just knew that [she]

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had to move on”. She made a clever excuse to ‘temporarily’ return to Canada and visit her
parents and just never returned to the country in which her abuser lived; to achieve this, she had
to trick him into letting her go alone. Unfortunately, he continued to harass her over the phone
from his home country for some time.
As a person with lived experience of violence against women in relationships,
Wanderer’s advice to women in similar situations is: “… don’t overthink, just get out
immediately and… just make use of whatever resources or support systems you may have…”
She acknowledges that this may be difficult, as Wanderer did not have many friends during the
abuse, and those that she did have were not aware of her situation. Her parents shamed her for
the abuse, insinuating that she deserved it and remained her biggest ‘nay-sayers’. Their
relationship was always strained, but her experience of being in an abusive relationship worsened
it. She described her parents as critical, frustrated and judgmental of her situation, which was
incredibly unsupportive, given her circumstances of being married to an abusive man while
living abroad with little to no support network. From her experiences, she has insights for those
who know and love a woman who is being abused by their intimate partner. She encourages
informal support networks to not be judgmental of the survivor. She says to “put your…
judgments aside and just… give unconditional love and support to this person, because… unless
you’ve walked a mile in their shoes, you are nobody to be critical of them… it is your duty and
your responsibility… not just as a… mother or a father, or a friend, or a relative, but even just as
a fellow human, to support someone who is in a bad situation. Support someone who is in a
negative situation and have empathy and… be kind.” An empathetic support network could mean
the difference between another attempt and the final escape for a survivor.

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In summary, Wanderer outlined an informal support network that included conditional
support from her parents, the shelter and financial assistance that they provided, and access to the
internet. While Wanderer felt that she had no identity at this time in her life, she credited herself
with her adventurous spirit, better judgement, self-awareness, resiliency, sense of selfpreservation, desire to seek knowledge, logical thinking, and, survival instincts as elements that
contributed to her escape from this abusive relationship. Wanderer noted that she could not
engage in self-care activities while she was with her abuser, aside from reading online forums
about other women in abusive relationships to feel less alone. Some time after her escape, she
described engaging in meditation, self-reflection, going for walks, exploring, reading books, and,
engaging in higher education. With time and self-love, Wanderer was able to piece together the
foundations of an independent life, free from violence against women in relationships.
Jennifer
While dealing with violence against women, Jennifer had the support of her family and
friends. She reported good relationships with her parents, brother and sister and that she could be
open and talk about her experiences. Her parents were not only supportive emotionally; they also
provided her with a safe place to stay when she chose to leave her abuser. In addition, she had
the support of her close friends, whom she could talk to and spend time with. These relationships
helped improve her experience of depression and gave her companionship. Outside of her
personal life, Jennifer also enjoyed working hard and volunteering, which she continues to do to
this day. She works full-time and spends one day a week helping people find their way around
one of the large hospitals in the area; she likes being able to help others in need.
To Jennifer, that this was all possible because she worked hard to maintain a positive
outlook and happiness. She takes joy in being busy, whether it be working, volunteering, or

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spending time with her friends and family. Jennifer spoke of travelling, going on hikes, or taking
daily walks on her own or with others to wind down. She described very close relationships with
her friends, whom she would talk to daily. It was not always easy to maintain her positive
attitude as she endured physical and emotional abuse from her boyfriend; however, the
unhappiness that she felt was the catalyst that made her realize it was time to leave. With
repeated physical abuse, she was deep in thought about her next steps until she realized that she
needed to escape the cycle of violence that she was caught in. To Jennifer, her lifeline was those
around her. She highly recommended being open with those in your life and letting them in on
what you are experiencing if you suspect or know that you are in a violent relationship. Jennifer
stressed the importance of those surrounding the woman who is experiencing violence to talk and
meet with them regularly and to give advice when it is sought. She also recommended that
survivors of violent relationships seek hobbies to improve themselves and focus on activities that
make them happy so that they can move forward in a positive way.
All in all, Jennifer outlined a supportive network of family and friends, the financial
resources of employment, and the feelings of accomplishment she obtained from regular
volunteering. Jennifer strongly advocates the benefits of maintaining a positive attitude, which
helped her transcend the abuse that she was experiencing. Jennifer engaged in self-care by
staying close to her friends and family, volunteering, going for walks and hikes, and travelling
when she could. Overall, these elements contributed to the realization that she deserved better
and nudged her towards a safer, happier life that is free from abuse.

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Chapter 5: Participant Findings and Discussion
As previously mentioned, there were four, core desired research outcomes for this thesis,
relating to the primary research question. This thesis’ purpose was to identify what informal
supports, self-care activities, and personal attributes were perceived as helpful by women who
have left and are coping with the effects of being in a violent relationship. First, in keeping with
the method of data analysis, thematic analysis, this thesis sought to demonstrate the themes
among women’s informal methods of coping with or leaving situations of intimate partner abuse.
The second purpose was to explore the perceived impact of informal supports, activities, and
personal attributes on resiliency (instead of the formal supports, which are important in their own
right). The third desired research outcome was to demonstrate a better understanding of the
potential activities that could be perceived as beneficial by women experiencing intimate partner
abuse (and the removal of barriers). Lastly, this thesis served as a platform to further promote the
use of person-centred and strengths-based practices with this population of women, both during
and after their experiences of violence within their relationships. Before diving into the
qualitative data gathered in semi-structured interviews, I will first explore the data from the
participant demographic forms and how the social location of the sample group may have
impacted the subsequent findings.
Sample Demographics
The sample for this thesis consisted of 7 women, all of whom were recruited from the
greater Edmonton Metropolitan Region (EMR) of Alberta. Once they agreed to participate, they
completed a questionnaire that gathered demographic information relating to their current age at
the time of the interview, age at the beginning and end of the abusive relationship in question,
their ethnic/cultural identities, their annual income, the length of their relationship, the nature of

70
their relationship, and, whether or not they cohabitated with one another during that time. This
data was depicted in the following charts and analyzed throughout the following section for their
potential significance.
The current age of the sample group was somewhat equally divided between the 25-35,
36-45, and 46-55 age ranges, with each group comprising of two women; there was a single
young woman between the ages of 19-24 that participated in the study (see Figure 1).
Unfortunately, there were no women between the ages of 56-65 that participated in the study,
which excluded a significant number of women who may have experienced violence in
relationships within the Edmonton Metropolitan Region (EMR). I have some ideas as to why
there were no older adult women over the age of 55 in the sample. First, there were unexpected
challenges with the planned recruitment process due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19)
pandemic, which first appeared in Alberta, Canada in February 2020. During that time, I had
posted physical recruitment materials in grocery stores across the region to reach all possible
research participants, with the mindset that all people need to eat, making grocery stores a
mutual ground with the potential for great recruitment turnout. Unfortunately, the province soon
descended into a public health emergency and lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic,
encouraging all Albertans and Canadians to only leave the home for essential needs, such as
employment, childcare, and shopping. While people were still entering grocery stores, the fear of
contracting COVID-19 and stores having reduced capacity to one person from each household
had people shopping as quickly as possible to purchase their goods and return to their homes,
with many not paying notice to the community billboards inside. I had only successfully
recruited two participants in this fashion before approaching the Research Ethics Board (REB) to
obtain approval to recruit the remaining participants online. With the shift in recruitment models,

71
I believe that the chances of recruiting women between the ages of 55-64 was decreased
significantly due to the predominantly online presence of the recruitment materials and how
some older people may be less inclined to use online technology, whether that be due to lack of
knowledge or inability to afford electronic devices or internet access; however, this is changing
all of the time as more technologically advanced generations age (Davidson & Schimmele,
2019).
Second, it may be possible that older women may have different life circumstances that
make disclosure or participation in research activities less accessible than it is for younger
survivors. For example, some older women may not feel comfortable to speak about their
experiences of violence within their relationships due to social stigmas or deeply held values
based on their generation or social cohort, such as keeping violence within the family or valuing
privacy (Brownell, 2015). Additionally, social views on violence against women from their
cohort may be deeply rooted. For example, before the 1970s, violence against women in
relationships was viewed as a common way of dealing with marital conflict or it was minimized
by those in positions of helping, such as police officers or the community at large (Clark, 2011),
likely deterring help-seeking behaviours. It is also possible that higher numbers of older women
remain in these abusive relationships long-term for these reasons, making them ineligible for this
research, which requested they be separated without contact for at least one year. Whatever the
reason was for the lack of 55+ year old women in this thesis, it left areas of further research to be
explored.

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Figure 1: Age of Participants

19-24

25-35

36-45
0%

46-55

56-65

14%

28.66%

28.66%

28.66%

The women involved in this study entered their respective, abusive relationships at a
variety of ages, ranging broadly from <18-45 years old. Two women entered their relationships
when they were under the age of 18, one entered between the ages of 19-24, two entered between
the ages of 25-35, and, two entered between the ages of 36-45. With the variance in ages when
the women entered their relationships, it was worth noting that just under half of the participants
fled the abuse between the ages of 25-35 (43%). One woman left her abuser when she was under
the age of 18, one left between the ages of 19-24, three left between the ages of 25-35, one left
between the ages of 36-45, and, one left between the ages of 46-55. With just under half of the
sample currently aged <35 (43%), this was not surprising, given that they were required to be
separated from that man and have no contact for at least one year prior to engaging in this study
and the fact that there were no women over the age of 55 involved in this research. Just over half
of the participants were aged >36 at the time of the interviews (57%).

73

4-6
Y E AR S

7-10
Y E AR S

0

2 -3
Y E AR S

0

6 -1 1
1 Y E AR
MO N TH S

0

0

1

2

2

2

Figure 2: Length of Participants’ Abusive Relationships

11-15
Y E AR S

16-20
Y E AR S

21+
YEARS

Interestingly, the data showed that the majority of the survivors involved in this research
were able to leave the abusive relationship within 11 months–3 years of entering the relationship
(6 of 7 women or 86%), with one woman experiencing violence within her relationship for 7-10
years (see Figure 2). There were no participants whom had endured 11+ years in an abusive
relationship with an intimate, male partner. These shorter relationships may have been due to the
overall younger age of the sample group (5 out of 7, or 71%, were <45), the societal factors that
influence how women of different generations may experience violence within their
relationships, and, the ever-changing social construct of the family unit (Ambert, 2012). For
example, older women may be more likely to stay in abusive relationships for longer periods of
time (or indefinitely) due to the potential social norms of their cohorts, which may or may not
place a higher value on the nuclear family, conditioned subservience to men and negative views
of divorce, despite the ongoing abuse (Ambert, 2012; Cronin, 2013). The above noted societal

74
values are and were most commonly associated with the Baby Boomer generation (those born
1946-1964), the Post War generation (those born 1928-1945) and the generations preceding them
(Beresford Research, 2021; Cronin, 2013). Alternatively, while girls and young women may be
more vulnerable to entering unhealthy and abusive relationships, there is often less stigma
surrounding being single later in life and divorce within younger generations (Johnson et al.,
2013), such as Generation X (those born 1965-1980), Millennials (those born 1981-1996) and
Generation Z (those born 1997-2015) (Beresford Research, 2021). In addition, opportunities for
the independence to free themselves from abuse are often more available and normalized among
younger women, such as employment outside of the home, access to finances and community
resources, the higher perception of choice to become a mother or not (Lucchetta, 2018; Kemeny
& Stobert, 2003), and, a more feminist society which communicates that our women deserve
better than to continue experiencing abuse by their partners. One cannot forget that Canadian
women in the 1970s and earlier were often under-employed and predominantly homemakers, and
often had no say in the household finances, as they were not even allowed to open a bank
account without their husband’s signature until 1964 (Public Service Alliance of Canada, 2015).
As for financial independence, social assistance was not created until 1969 (Public Service
Alliance of Canada, 2015). Straddled with the sole burden of child-rearing and little to no ability
to make financial capitol, the women of older generations simply did not have as many means or
the social location to flee abuse that are afforded to younger women today. While gender roles
still exist in modern Canada, we see more egalitarian partnerships, family structures of all kinds,
women whom out-earn their male partners, and, childfree couples (Ambert, 2012; Kemeny &
Stobert, 2003), all of which provide women with more independence than previous generations.

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Figure 3: Participants' Ethnic, Racial or Cultural Identities
Prefer Not to Say
14%

Black
14%

Asian
(Western/Central
/Southern)
14%
Caucasian or
European
29%
First Nations,
Métis, or Inuit
29%

The women whom participated in this research came from a variety of cultural and ethnic
backgrounds (see Figure 3). Of the seven women, two women identified as Caucasian/European,
two identified as Canadian Indigenous (First Nations/Metis/Inuit), one identified as Black, one
identified as Asian (West/Central/South), and, one preferred not to say. The resulting
multicultural and multiethnic sample group was beneficial to this research, as the recruitment
area, the Edmonton Metropolitan Region (EMR), is one of the most diverse populations in the
province of Alberta, consisting of people from many different backgrounds, including: North
American Indigenous, European/settler, Asian, African, Caribbean, Latin/Central or South
American, Caribbean, and, Oceanic peoples (Statistics Canada, 2020). The EMR is home to
many communities, including but not limited to the Indigenous nations of Treaty 6 territory,
Métis peoples, settler-origin families, international students, and, recently immigrated families.
The city of Edmonton itself and the greater EMR is built on Treaty 6 territory, whose original

76
inhabitants consisted of the Cree, Dene Suliné, Nakota Sioux, and Saulteaux Indigenous peoples
of central Alberta, which are recognized as 17 individual First Nations (The Alberta Teachers’
Association, 2017). People of many backgrounds are drawn to the city of Edmonton and its
surrounding areas due to the prevalence of government employment as the province’s capital, oil
field and agricultural industries, nationally recognized universities, it’s reputation as ‘Canada’s
Festival City’, and, the presence of diverse, ethnic communities (The Canadian Encyclopedia,
2019; The University of Alberta, 2021). This diversity was reflected in the sample group, and
provided some insight into the differences in each woman’s experience of violence within their
relationships, based on their respective cultures and race. For example, one woman, Wanderer,
detailed her experience of being in an abusive marriage and the shame, guilt and blame that she
received from her family members for her circumstances, which she perceived to be tied to her
Indian cultural background and their beliefs surrounding marriage, a woman’s role as a wife, and
the strong taboo associated with divorce. Another woman, Mary, described her distrust of police,
perceived ineffectiveness of the justice system, and the colonial attitudes displayed towards her
as she grappled with violence within her intimate relationships as an Indigenous woman. For
these two participants, their cultural standpoints were integral to their experiences as survivors of
violence against women in relationships.

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Figure 3: Participants' Annual Income
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0

Particpants' Annual Income

Of the seven participants, three made $0-$30,000 annually, three made $31,000-$60,000,
and one made $61,000-$90,000 (see Figure 4). According to Statistics Canada (2021), the
average female in the province of Alberta over the age of 16 made $45,000 in 2019. This data
indicated that at least three of the participants made under the provincial average income for their
social location; this may have included more participants depending on which end of the
$31,000-$61,000 income group they belonged to. Overall, the participants involved in this thesis
were of low- to middle-income status and represented what some would call ‘average
Canadians’, as the average Canadian made approximately $49, 000 annually in 2019 (Statistics
Canada, 2021). One participant, Georgina, whom had a wealthy parent, did describe an elevated
level of support from their informal network with their ability to assist them with finances,
shelter and other supports during their escape, which was not an option for many of the other
participants and their networks. Apart from this one participant’s experience, and the fact that

78
there were no wealthy participants in this thesis (making $91,000+ annually), there were few
conclusions that we could draw from the participants’ income levels. One theory could be that
women and informal support networks with higher incomes have more ability to mobilize
quickly and leave abusive relationships at the first sights of abusive behaviour. Regardless of
their socioeconomic status, all of these women were successful in escaping their abusive
relationships in order to move on and live safer lives.

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Figure 4: Nature of Participants' Relationships

Husband

2

Fiancé (Engaged)

0

Common-Law Partner

2

Boyfriend

3
0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

As seen in the figure above (see Figure 5), the participants in this study formed a variety
of different relationships with their abusers. Three participants described their abusers as their
boyfriend, two stated they were common-law partners, and two were married. While boyfriendgirlfriend relationships and marriages are easily identifiable, common-law relationships are more
complicated, as they are categorized differently by the federal and provincial governments in
Canada (Government of Alberta, 2021b; Government of Canada, 2021a). Within the context of
this thesis, the women were asked to self-report the nature of their relationship based on their
experiences and what they considered their partners to be, with their answers not being
categorized based on provincial/federal definitions. Despite this, it is important to clarify the two
recognized definitions for common-law partners in Canada and Alberta to gain a better sense of
the participants’ potential circumstances.

80
In Canada, a common-law relationship can be defined as two persons living together in a
conjugal relationship for at least twelve consecutive months, living together and sharing a child
by either birth or adoption, or, living together with the partner who has custody of your child
(Government of Canada, 2021a). In the province of Alberta, common-law relationships are
termed ‘adult interdependent partnerships’ under the Adult Interdependent Relationships Act
(2002). Adult interdependent partners are specifically defined as two people living in
interdependence for a period of at least 3 years, whom have a child together (if together less than
3 years), or, two people who have signed an adult interdependent partnership agreement
(Government of Alberta, 2021b). The Albertan definition is more detailed and requires more
involvement from both parties by either remaining in a conjugal relationship together for a
longer period of time (3 years provincially as opposed to 1 year, federally) or by having both
parties sign an adult interdependent partnership agreement (Government of Alberta, 2021b).
Federal and provincial definitions aside, some participants chose not to label their live-in
boyfriend as their common-law partners due to the brief periods of time they lived together, such
as less than 12 consecutive months. In Figure 6 below, we see that 5 out of the 7 participants
(71%) stated that they cohabitated with their partner for a period of time; however, only two
women identified as married and two identified as common-law partners. This left two
participants that had never cohabitated with their abusers, which highlighted the occurrence of
dating violence in addition to spousal violence, and the reasoning behind the decision to use the
inclusive term, ‘violence against women in relationships (VAWIR)’ in this thesis. Of these two
participants, one was identified as a survivor of Dating Violence Against Adolescent Women
(DVAAW), like myself (Margolin, 2019).

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Figure 5: Participants' Living Situations in Relation to Their Partners during Their
Relationships

29%

71%

Cohabitated

Did Not Cohabitate

Themes
Strong, Informal Support Systems
As recognized in much of the literature on survivors of violence again women (Edwards
& Sylaska, 2014; Feder et al., 2017; Tutty, 2015), strong, informal support networks were
identified as a theme as positive sources of coping among the participants. Every participant in
this thesis identified that socialization or informal social support either was or would have been a
positive resource in helping them cope with and leave abuse. The women discussed the
importance of being able to disclose the abuse to their close friends, family members, members
of their faith community, new intimate partners, and, other survivors, which in turn, often
provided them with the emotional and social support that they needed to make sense of their
situations and decide to leave. For example, one participant, Anne, elaborated on this, saying:
“when I was able to reach out for help with how I was feeling… [t]hat was like a big turning

82
point for me.” Jennifer and Georgina echoed these sentiments and discussed how their parents,
siblings, and friends remained close with them and allowed them to talk about the abuse. As per
Georgina, “… they never left me, they just let me do what I needed to do to get through it, and
then were there in the end when I was ready.” While she did not mention her family, Mindy felt
emotionally supported by speaking with her friends when she could sneak phone calls at night
without her abuser knowing. Elizabeth also stressed the importance of informal supports and
being able to speak with someone about the abuse, advising other women that:
I would say… just to reach out to that one person that they trust, even if they don't know
them and they see them a lot, like, maybe their neighbour… say hi to your neighbour,
like, just tell someone… you just have to be honest – honest with yourself, and honest
with somebody else, somebody.
Of the sample, the majority explicitly indicated that their informal support networks
influenced them to finally leave their abusive relationships by providing different perspectives on
the survivors’ situations and speaking out against their abusers’ actions. For example, Anne
described her current intimate partner, whom was her platonic friend during her abusive
relationship, as influential in her decision to leave, stating:
… [M]y boyfriend now, he knew about my ex or my boyfriend at the time and he just
listened to me and, you know, just told me, “Hey, what he’s doing isn’t right”; I just had
another point of view on that… it just helped me to see that he wasn’t the person that I
thought he was… [H]e lied to me a lot, so I never really knew the truth about anything…
Mary spoke of her mother and brother and their influence, as well:

83
My mom… you know, she’d call him Sponge Bob because he used to sponge off of us.
You know, like, he wouldn’t work or nothing. Work for two months and then get laid off,
and then – uh, he wasn’t a good provider… my brother kept saying, “Uh, he’s no good
for you”, and then, “I’m not gonna come over to your house”, and stuff, so he stopped
coming to my house.
Wanderer also received some support from her mother, albeit minimal from her
perspective, whom validated her reasoning for leaving wanting to leave her marriage, despite the
cultural stigmas of divorce assigned in their ethnic group. Elizabeth described a more indirect
influence from her daughter as a reason to end her relationship, who said, “I don’t want to…
keep going through that and having my daughter see that, and my family… it’s not worth it, you
know?” Similarly, Mary described this in terms of her daughter and grandchildren and wanting a
better life for them, free from witnessing abuse. Although this specific approach may not be
effective for some survivors, Georgina described the positive impact of her friend placing
boundaries on their relationship and being honest about how witnessing the abusive relationship
vicariously affected her, too:
… [S]ometimes walking away is the best thing you can do for that person. And it doesn’t
mean that you have to walk away forever, but it’s like what my friend said to me: “I love
you. I cannot stand by you and watch you be in this relationship anymore and I have to
walk away for myself, but when you’re ready, I will be there for you.” And like I said,
that is one of the biggest, most important things that I think… that someone said to me
that really helped, like, started that process for me, almost, in a sense.
Alternatively, Anne described a similar situation with her friend as harmful and isolating,
when asked what she would have wanted in order to cope better with her situation:

84
Probably have more friends and talk to people because… it was kind of isolating. Like,
my closest friend didn’t want to be around, or we didn’t do the same things like he
[abuser] did, so she would be distant.
Interestingly, despite all participants indicating that their informal support systems
influenced them to leave their abusers, the majority of participants also stated that they felt
unsupported by them in some way.
When the participants decided that they were ready to flee their abusers, the majority
were provided practical resources by their informal supports, making their escape possible or
more attainable. The practical supports provided by the participants’ informal networks included:
safe shelter, financial resources, facilitating access to a health professional, providing childcare
or maintaining temporary custody of their child until they were on their feet again, and,
providing items and appliances for their new, safe shelter. Practical supports were provided by
friends and family, mostly participants’ parents, with one mentioning the assistance of her
grandparents; however, one participant was the recipient of assistance from a kind citizen. Mary,
who spent time in both emergency shelters and second-stage housing, discussed how a shelter
worker went above and beyond her role as a formal support worker, arranging for her own
friends and partner to gather used items for Mary when she found her own apartment and
physically helped her move when she was off shift.
As evidenced in this thesis, disclosing abuse and reaching out to informal support
systems is important to those coping with and escaping violent relationships. In 2004, data
collected by Statistics Canada indicated that only 11% of women who were abused in the
previous five years had accessed shelter services, with only 7% residing in the shelter (Tutty,
2015), which indicated a large majority of survivors had not accessed these types of formal

85
supports, instead relying on their friends and family. Additionally, Campbell et al.’s study (2009)
showed that increased social and practical resources for women experiencing violence was
associated with improved health outcomes. This was congruent with the findings of Chan et al.’s
(2019) study on soothing and well-being, which indicated that women more often associated the
feeling of ‘soothe’ in relation to their affiliations, such as receiving social support from others as
opposed to being left to self-soothe.
As we could deduce from the participants’ experiences, informal support systems or lack
thereof, could both positively and negatively impact survivors of violence against women in
relationships. In Feder et al.’s (2017) comprehensive literature review on informal supports for
survivors of domestic violence, they found that satisfaction with one’s informal support systems
was correlated with increased self-esteem, emotional health, reduced loneliness, and an increased
quality of life. Similarly, for those who have experienced trauma, such as violence against
women, having little to no informal or practical supports, or the presence of unsupportive people,
could hinder resilience (Neria & Watson, 2013). Having someone safe and supportive to disclose
abuse to within their informal support systems could impact how women utilize their informal
networks, as well as if and how a survivor is connected to formal supports (Åkerström &
Boethius, 2020; Edwards & Sylaska, 2014; Evans & Feder, 2014). Helpful responses to
disclosures of abuse could include emotional support, allowing survivors to talk about their
experiences, and offering practical assistance, while unhelpful responses could include not
believing the survivor, minimizing the abuse, victim-blaming, avoiding the survivor, or,
pressuring the survivor to act a certain way, with conditions placed on helping them (Åkerström
& Boethius, 2020; Edwards & Sylaska, 2014; Evans & Feder, 2014). In this thesis, participants
recalled many of the helpful interventions noted above, while Wanderer recalled her negative

86
disclosure experiences with her mother, which contributed to her negative feelings towards her
informal support network:
… I used to talk to my mom and, you know, confide in her… because, really, there was
nothing else to do. I would confide in my mom and cry on her shoulder, but she would
respond most of the time in, really, a like, condescending manner or say to me, “Well,
that’s what you get if, you know, if you’re so defiant… you got what you deserved”, but I
still kept at it, I still kept crying on her shoulder and confiding in her, even though I
didn’t get anywhere by doing that… my biggest nay-sayers were my parents.
When asked what they would recommend to the informal supports of another survivor,
Anne stated, “… listen, no matter how much you probably know and hate how much it hurts you,
because that person hurts a lot more… like, make more time for them.” Mindy highlighted the
following advice for informal supports to consider:
… [I]f you have a family member or a friend who’s going through this, don’t tell them
they’re strong, because that just enables the other person to abuse them. If they’re at
home and they phone you and they’re like, “Oh man, this is what just happened to me…”
Don’t tell them, “Oh, you’re so strong, you just went through that”, that is so dangerous.
Unknowingly or knowingly, you have just somehow set up a dynamic to enable an
abuser; you’ve made the person that’s reached out to you, most likely, feel ashamed or
‘guilted’, which is what is happening to them by the abuser. So, all of this, “Oh, you’re so
strong, you withstood all of that, the abuse” – like, please, everybody: please stop it. It’s
unhealthy, all-round... [t]his individual, if they have shown evidence of having these
traits, no holiday, no gift, no new apartment is gonna change it, like, just, everybody,
really, stop enabling these abusive people… Like, stop… encouraging that emotional

87
hope in the abused person, because you suffer from ‘euphoric recall’ as it is. So, what I
would suggest to them is: if I had a friend that called me up, and went, “write down all
this shit that this person has done to you… if that’s real, like, that’s your diary. Are you
going to put up with that and then – like, how are you gonna set up a boundary? Give
them a chance to expect that these people don’t respect boundaries, they don’t take
accountability 90% of the time – like, just walk out and do no contact and do real no
contact.
Lastly, Wanderer shared her advice for informal supports to not judge survivors and to
just be there for them in any way that they can:
I would say to them, “Oh, for God’s sake, don’t be judgmental”; put your… judgments
aside and just… give unconditional love and support to this person, because, like, until –
unless you’ve walked a mile in their shoes, you are nobody to be critical of them, and it is
your duty and your responsibility as – not just as a, let’s say, mother or a father, or a
friend, or a relative, but even just as a fellow human, to support someone who is in a bad
situation; support someone who is in a negative situation and have empathy, and yeah,
just… be kind. Be kind, be empathetic, um, and, yeah, just give that person the best
support that you have and something that would… not only bring them out of that
situation, but also help them look forward to the next chapter of their life, that would help
them transition onto, uh, the next phase of their life in a positive way, because really that
could… really mean everything to them; that could really be everything that they need at
that time. And I mean, it doesn’t cost money to be… supportive and kind and
compassionate and empathetic, and it’s the least you can do for a fellow human…
support them unconditionally.

88
The experiences shared by the participants in this thesis may serve as a starting point for
informal supports to understand what interventions are perceived as helpful and unhelpful, in
addition to how formal support networks could assist by educating informal supports in the
community (Boodt et al., 2015; Edwards & Sylaska, 2020). Specifically, this theme highlighted
the importance of strong, informal support systems that provide social, emotional and practical
supports and speak out against the abuse, thus, potentially influencing the survivor to
successfully execute their escape.
Self-Care and –Improvement as a Trauma Response
In the search for commonalities amongst the self-care activities of survivors of violence
against women, several came to light. Several self-care activities were shared among the sample;
there was one shared among the majority, several that were recalled by a number of participants,
and a plethora of activities that were unique to each individual. In keeping with the desired
research outcomes, this only reinforced the idea of person-centred practice with this population
of women. In addition to those that engaged in the shared activities, it was noted that some
participants did not engage in self-care activities until after they escaped the abuse. Outside of
those participants, one woman, Mindy, described most of her self-care as simply being able to
manage her basic, personal needs, when asked:
Oh, [self-care] was a real challenge... [i]t was very basic, uh, just being able to get
groceries and eat was self-care. Um, being able to have laundry, being able to have access
to the bathroom – just very basic survival stuff, I didn’t have any way of getting out into
the community.
As mentioned, some participants discussed their inability to engage in self-care activities
during their abuse or the escape from the relationship. When asked about her self-care activities

89
during that time, one participant, Mary, disclosed the circumstances of her relationship that
restricted her ability to think about much more than survival, leaving self-care activities to the
wayside: “… [I]n the past, I lived in too much fear, you know, of the threats, of, oh, ‘I’m going
to kill you’, you know? … So, I basically, in the past, lived by threats and got hit lots.” Wanderer
recalled similar conditions:
I mean, at that time, you could say that I hardly did anything for myself, like, self-care…
you know, those nice things… I was in survival mode even then… I didn’t get to engage
in many activities… ‘cause while I was living with him, believe me, there was absolutely
no scope of any self-care activities, it was like a dingy, little, tiny living space with a ton
of people living in there and there was barely space to even move, let alone do any, uh,
self-care activities or anything… they were so enslaving and domineering, they wouldn’t
even let me go outside and stand on the porch on my own without their permission, that’s
how bad it was, so, self-care activities and stuff, I hardly got to do any.
Despite the challenges that Georgina faced, she eventually did engage in positive, selfcare activities, and stated that:
… [W[hen I was with him I didn’t - or when I was leaving, I didn’t do anything, I just got
out… the biggest thing was what I did after I left… I quit smoking, I started going to the
gym, I started to become active, I started to take care of myself – something I didn’t do
for years while I was with him.
Georgina’s recollections of being motivated to care for herself once she left the
relationship and began healing aligned with the concept of post-traumatic growth (PTG), which I
attributed to the participants of this thesis, like most survivors of violence against women (Neria

90
& Watson, 2013). Neria and Watson (2013) describe post-traumatic growth as the “positive
adaptation to traumatic stress and adversity” (p. 1), which can impact the sense of self, one’s
relationships and the “philosophy of life” (p. 1) held by survivors of trauma. In this sense, the
participants of this thesis, and likely many survivors of trauma, engaged in self-care and selfimprovement activities as a trauma response to soothe oneself and rebuild their lives afterwards.
Even those that engaged in self-care activities during the abuse described how they used these
activities to distract themselves from the ongoing trauma that they had endured and instill a sense
of self-compassion leading to growth after they had escaped their abusers. This aligned with
Gilbert’s model of Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), which is grounded in evolutionary
theory and outlines three steps to self-soothing after experiencing psychological distress and
improving well-being (Chan et al., 2019). First, the person’s threat-protection system detects a
threat and activates the ‘fight-or-flight’ response; then, the incentive system influences them to
obtain the resources they need for survival (Chan et al., 2019). Once those needs are met, the
soothing and contentment system creates a sense of soothe or peacefulness for that person (Chan
et al., 2019). Examples of these resources could include staying physically active, engaging in
spirituality or religious practices, and many more which were identified by the sample (Neria &
Watson, 2013).
In this thesis, many self-care and self-improvement activities were engaged in by the
participants; however, few were shared by several of the women. The most commonly discussed
self-care activity by those in the sample was engaging in physical activity, which was undertaken
by many of the participants, and was a desired self-activity for one participant that did not have
the ability to engage in it. When asked about what self-care activities she wished to have had
access to, regardless of barriers, Mindy stated: “Oh, the opportunity to go somewhere where it

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would be safe and… just exercise and relax, like a gym – a safe gym.” The physical activities
that the women participated in varied, including running, going for walks, attending a
gymnasium, skateboarding, and going on hikes. Georgina described the positive impact of
physical activity on her life:
… [F]or me, like I said, working out and becoming physical again was just something
that – it just – you know, we all know what physical activity does for us, like what it does
for your brain, what it does for your body – that is something that I would always
encourage doing, whether it’s walking, whether it’s dancing, or whatever the case may
be, it’s just finding something that makes you feel good… one thing for me was
running… I got into running and got really good at it.
Next, of equal importance to each other, were four self-care and self-improvement
activities, which consisted of engaging in educational activities, faith activities, tourism
activities/travelling, and, actively remaining sober from drugs, alcohol and tobacco. The
educational activities these survivors engaged in were post-secondary in nature, with them either
building on their existing skills, finishing programs that they had already started, or embarking
on new career paths. One participant, Georgina, recalled the following:
… [N]ot only did I go back to working out, I actually went back to school… I started to
go to school at the same time, and it was like a revamping, a ‘180’ of my life. I just
basically took charge and went forward and I haven’t looked back since.
The faith activities varied as well, including connecting with established faith
communities, praying, maintaining a belief in a higher power, and embarking on individual
journeys of spirituality. Mary described how God was on her side despite the abuse she endured,

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saying: “I made God my higher power… [a]nd so I pray lots… seriously, people don’t think
there’s a God; there is, because every time when I need something, it’s there.” Elizabeth
discussed her involvement in Indigenous ceremonies and Wanderer spoke about her movement
away from the organized religion she was born into towards a more individual, spiritual journey.
The tourism and travelling activities discussed by the participants were self-explanatory and
included travelling to new places and learning more about their surroundings if they were in an
unfamiliar place. For example, Wanderer was living in a foreign country when she experienced
her abusive relationship, although she is originally from Canada. Wanderer explained:
I would just, like, take trips within the city, [get] to know my city better, you know, like,
visiting, like, the monuments, learning more about the history and visiting, like, the
nature parks and stuff… I guess it’s these, uh, these wanderings and how that kind of was
the only thing that was on my mind… when I had free time, that was the only thing that
was on my mind and that was the only thing that I kind of engaged in.
Lastly, a number of women in this thesis discussed their ongoing engagement in sobriety
from alcohol, drugs and tobacco as forms of self-care and self-improvement. Georgina recalled
quitting smoking cigarettes, Elizabeth spoke of quitting alcohol and attending Alcoholics
Anonymous (AA) meetings, and Mary proudly discussed her sobriety from and alcohol for 54
weeks at the time of the interview. Mary recounted how actively engaging in sobriety impacted
her ability to cope with and understand the aftermath of her abusive relationship, saying: “…
[Y]ou know, this year and a couple of weeks of sobriety really opened my eyes to the life… that
I was living.”
As mentioned, there were vast differences in the way these women coped with and
eventually left their abusive relationships. While only one self-care or self-improvement activity

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was shared by the majority of the sample (physical activity), it was clear that these women
engaged in self-care in order to cope with the trauma that they had experienced in an effort to
self-soothe and grow, post-trauma (Chan et al., 2019; Neria & Watson, 2013). Although not a
common self-care activity among this sample, Anne detailed her love of the arts and how they
engaged her during that difficult time, and kept her mind off of the abuse that she had been
enduring:
Well, [with] painting, I’d kind of just got more focused on what I was creating and it was
relaxing for me - it’s something I’ve enjoyed since I was, like, 10. I started off with just,
like, drawing and then I started getting into art classes and it got a lot more interesting,
learning more and whenever I’m doing paintings or my drawings, I’m trying to do better,
so I’m focused on doing more techniques and strategies in my art, so it kept my mind
away from thinking of… other than what I was doing.
Mindy too shared her unique self-care activity that she utilized to qualm her anxiety that
she was experiencing in response to her traumatic, abusive partner, and recommended it to other
survivors, as well:
If at all possible… sleeping with those self-affirmations on a podcast, like, through
earbuds, if possible… if it gets that bad where you’re not allowed out of the house but
you can sleep and that individual will leave you alone for a few hours to sleep, I would
suggest listening to self-affirmations… [o]r listening to… professional, certified
hypnotherapists, who do hypnotherapy, like, you know, to help you feel safer… or
there’s some on there, like, how to sleep when you’re in intense pain or how to detach
from overthinking.

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The uniqueness of this sample was astounding and exceeded my expectations in
supporting the use of person-centered, strengths-based, and feminist approaches with survivors
of violence against women. Naturally, the vast differences identified in the sample’s self-care
and self-improvement activities were in itself evidence that a person-centred framework is
suitable when working with women who are engaged in or have escaped violent relationships.
Among the 7 participants, 23 unique self-care and self-improvement activities were identified.
The strengths-based perspective could guide our work with survivors of violence against women,
and shift away from a problem focus and support survivors to use their own strengths and
resources to reach their individual goals for healing and growth after leaving an abusive
relationship (Slabbert, 2014). This could allow them to be at the centre of planning their own
next steps for self-care, while informal and formal supports could work at removing any barriers
to the same.
Utilizing these theoretical frameworks could support practitioners in harnessing these
qualities in their clients and their informal support systems for positive change; but, when
engaging in self-care activities in response to trauma feels out of reach for survivors, how can
we, as both formal and informal support systems, increase access to these necessary activities
and encourage post-traumatic growth (PTG)? As suggested by Baum et al. (2009),
socioeconomic status may play a large part in individuals’ ability to engage in enjoyable leisure
activities, which indicates that a lower-socioeconomic status could negatively impact their health
and well-being. Of course, this could be due to limited finances to spend on non-essential items
or experiences; however, it could also be due to people of lower-socioeconomic status not having
the time to do the same, perhaps due to working long hours or even multiple jobs. For survivors
that are parents, childcare could be a barrier requiring removal so that they too can engage in

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self-care activities. More specific to this population, as highlighted by Mindy, could be the lack
of known, safe spaces for women to engage in their self-care activities without the threat of their
abusers. Allocating the funding to both provide free or low-cost self-care activity programming
and host it in safe, secure buildings with childcare facilities could provide the opportunity for
more survivors of violence against women to engage in self-care activities and network among
other survivors. In the organizational context, this could mean fostering partnerships with other
businesses in the community (such as gyms, art spaces, or retail stores), creating separate selfcare activity or multi-purpose rooms in women’s shelters, or, sponsoring individual women to
participate in their desired self-care activities after identifying what informal and practical
supports they do have and engaging in person-centred care planning.
Self-Preservation and Meeting Basic Needs
A theme identified among this sample was the attribute of self-preservation and a strong
impulse to meet their basic needs. As identified in the previous section, some women were
unable to engage in self-care activities during the abuse because they were instinctually focused
on surviving and finding a way out of their abusive environments. While some participants were
able to engage in self-care activities, they were still fixated on self-preservation and physical
survival. Participants explicitly stated they were influenced to leave their relationships because
of the abuse they were experiencing, fears of death, and their own instincts. Focusing on meeting
their basic needs out of self-preservation was identified by many of the participants until they
were able to obtain a safe environment for themselves (and their children). These women were
focused on avoiding further abuse and meeting their basic needs, such as food, personal hygiene,
sleep, and finding safe shelter, which helped them survive their experiences, one day at a time.
Unsurprisingly, access to safe shelter was identified by the majority of the women as helpful to

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their escape, which was largely provided by informal supports, in addition to formal supports.
Engaging in self-preservation, naturally, trumped self-care activities for many of the women and
aided in their resilience.
As detailed in the participants’ individual stories, they all experienced varying types of
violence against women, including physical, psychological/emotional, sexual, social, and
economic abuse, so it is not surprising that the majority of them specifically cited the abuse itself
as what influenced them to leave. What is more troubling is that many of the participants
referenced their genuine fears of death as an influence to them fleeing their abusers out of selfpreservation. These experiences ranged from their abusers uttering death threats, the steadily
increasing levels of violence, learning about the abuser’s past behaviours with intimate partners,
having the intuition that their life was in danger, and, receiving life-threatening physical abuse,
such as strangulation and drugging one participant without her consent. Such abuse and fear of
death may have triggered a self-preservation response in these women, which influenced them to
eventually leave their abusers. Mary recounted the life-threatening abuse that she experienced:
… I haven’t felt like ‘me’ for the longest time, but now I am starting to feel like ‘me’,
and finding me. So, in the past, I lived in too much fear, you know, of the threats…. ‘I’m
going to kill you’, you know? … with [my abuser] he just, he really scared me, because,
you know, the choking…
Elizabeth recalled a similar occurrence of physical abuse that caused her to acknowledge
how much her life was in danger:
… I just knew, like, the last time that there was an abusive situation, I could have died,
and I would have been alone in my basement suite. So, my landlords lived above me, and

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they were gone for the weekend, so I just kept thinking, like, “what if – what if something
would have happened that night? No one would know until they came back or my
workplace would be calling” … I had enough, yeah…. I think because he took it so far…
it was to the point where I thought I was going to die that night, so I think he took it too
far, um, for what we were arguing about; it didn't have to escalate to that… level of
violence, so, I think… that his actions were the influence [to leave].
Wanderer discussed fearing for her life and begging for her parents to help her return to
Canada from abroad to escape her abuser, the death threats she received, and the intuition that he
might kill her:
… I mean, at that time, I just knew that I had to escape for my life… what had made me
escape from that was – I wouldn’t really, like, attribute it to, like, personal qualities, it
was more like… a threatening situation and even my life at risk, and it was more like… I
have to protect myself. I have to protect myself, which is more like a flight-or-fight kind
of response, and so I knew I had to escape from this guy, otherwise, I might not get out of
there alive. This guy is a con-man and a criminal and even after, like, I got away from
him, like, uh, every so often, he would, like, text me and threaten to… kill me…
While she did not discuss overt death threats made by her abuser, Mindy did mention she
experienced fears of death when she learned of the past behaviour of her abuser with another
partner. She began to fear for her life when her abuser and his family hinted to the fact that he
had nearly killed his first wife, and he detailed his abuse towards her, which frightened Mindy.
These experiences shared by the participants highlighted a shared attribute of self-preservation
and its role in their escape from their abusive relationships. This instinct to survive was powerful
and was noted by some of the women. When asked about certain personal attributes that they felt

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helped them escape their abuser, Wanderer stated: “… it was survival instinct that made me
come out of there, nothing else”, while Mary said: “… I guess a lot of my instincts helped me get
out. That’s what I think helped me the most.”
In the mean time, taking care of their basic needs was a means of survival, as well as a
form of self-care for some of the women. Mindy discussed her experience:
Oh, [self-care] was a real challenge… It was very basic, uh, just being able to get
groceries and eat was self-care. Um, being able to have laundry, being able to have access
to the bathroom – just very basic survival stuff, I didn’t have any way of getting out into
the community… like, I think, just, the basic: trying to keep my personal hygiene up and
trying to keep fed and those type of basic things, trying to do laundry – they were all
really challenging.
Elizabeth shared that she slept a lot to cope with the abuse. One participant, Anne,
detailed her struggle to maintain her basic needs due to the abuse and what she wished she would
have done to take care of herself:
I would, just, with more time, probably [do] more self-care, because I lacked a lot of
that… I would want to get more sleep, ‘cause I was always tired… probably just feed
myself and, like, wash my face and actually, you know, take a shower, because I didn’t
do a lot of that.
Similarly, Davis’ (2002) study on the inner resources of women whom had experienced
violence within their relationships identified strength and survival and self-protection as themes,
as well. This thesis’ findings, in addition to meeting basic needs as a form of self-care for some,
reminded me of Abraham Maslow’s 1943 Hierarchy of Needs (Desmet & Fokkinga, 2020),

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wherein individuals were theorized to experience great difficulty in meeting their higher-level
needs unless their lower-level, basic needs were met. Although he did not intend for it to be a
strict hierarchy, Maslow famously asserted that one would likely need to meet their basic
physical needs, safety needs, and social needs before their esteem and self-actualization needs
could be attained (Desmet & Fokkinga, 2020). In the context of survivors of violence against
women, it is not outlandish to suggest that having their basic, safety and social needs met by
their informal (and/or formal) support networks could act as the foundation to feeling positively
about themselves, and achieving independence, self-fulfillment, and post-traumatic growth
(Desmet & Fokkinga, 2020; Neria & Watson, 2013).
What does this mean for survivors of violence against women and how can we have a
positive impact on their ability to cope with and leave abusive relationships? First, informal (and
formal) support networks could initiate or continue to help their loved one meet their basic,
survival needs so that growth and healing can occur. This could entail providing emotional,
social and practical resources, as detailed in the theme, ‘Strong, Informal Support Systems’.
Responding to disclosure of abuse appropriately by providing or assisting a survivor to gain
access to shelter, food, clothing or other practical resources may promote better health outcomes,
physically and mentally, and contribute to increased resiliency (Campbell et al., 2009). This
could meet their basic physical and safety needs by removing the fear for their lives and fostering
predictability (Desmet & Fokkinga, 2020). Of course, providing positive social and emotional
support to survivors would meet their social needs, allowing them to focus on their higher-level
needs, such as esteem and self-actualization (Desmet & Fokkinga, 2020); this would likely
provide a foundation for women to better cope with and leave their abusive relationships. As
found by Feder et al. (2017), some women may solely rely on their informal supports, never

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seeking formal support, making these positive responses to disclosure even more important.
Lastly, by removing the all-consuming fear of violence and the preoccupation with meeting their
basic needs, survivors of violence against women may be better equipped to engage in self-care
activities, grow, and work towards rebuilding their lives (Anderson et al., 2012). Support systems
could remove additional barriers by inviting survivors to engage in soothing activities with them,
offering childcare so they can engage in solitary self-care activities, and/or, financially assisting
them to engage in these activities if socioeconomic barriers are present. Formal supports could
provide these interventions as well, should the survivor have little to no informal network.
Resourcefulness
It would be difficult to discuss resiliency in survivors of violence against women without
talking about resourcefulness. No matter how different the circumstances were for each of the
participants, all of them were able to exude resourcefulness and escape their abusers. While
resourcefulness was not explicitly named by the participants as a personal attribute, I noted it due
to their descriptions of independence and interdependence, their use of informal resources, their
ability to pierce through social isolation and shortcomings in support, and, how nearly all of the
participants engaged with formal support networks when their needs were not met by their
informal support systems. As suggested by Slabbert (2014), resourcefulness can go
unacknowledged by survivors of violence against women, and they may need help to
acknowledge their own strengths and resources to achieve own goals, whether this be through
informal or formal support systems.
To better understand resourcefulness, Akgün (2004) explored the link between learned
resourcefulness theory and one’s coping mechanisms. Learned resourcefulness can be defined as
“an acquired repertoire of behaviours and skills (mostly cognitive) by which a person self-

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regulates internal responses (such as emotions and cognitions) that interfere with the smooth
execution of a target behaviour” (Jaffe & Rosenbaum, 1983, p. 216, as cited in Akgün, 2004).
These resourceful behaviours and skills could include self-regulating emotions, applying
problem-solving techniques (such as existing coping strategies), and believing in self-efficacy
(Akgün, 2004). In their study, a positive correlation between learned resourcefulness and
confidence in one’s abilities to cope with negative circumstances was found (Akgün, 2004). In
this thesis, the participants were able to use the coping mechanisms and resources that they had
and apply a problem-solving approach to become more resourceful when they realized that they
required additional assistance, such as reaching out to their informal and/or formal support
networks.
Despite all of the participants having stated that they received some type of support from
their informal support networks, the majority of the participants also discussed feeling isolation,
whether it was from not seeking or not receiving all the necessary supports from their informal
networks. To make up for this real or perceived lack of support, the same number of participants
demonstrated resourcefulness by indicating that they engaged with formal supports to escape
from their abusive relationships. As mirrored in the existing literature, many of the participants
stated that they did not tell anyone or told very few people what was happening to them within
their relationships, and sometimes waited until they were out of the relationship to disclose, so
support was not available to them for that reason (Åkerström & Boethius, 2020; Edwards &
Sylaska, 2014; Evans & Feder, 2014). This is not uncommon, due to feelings of fear, shame and
embarrassment, which was also noted among this sample (Edwards & Sylaska, 2014). To
illustrate the gap in her informal resources, Mary indicated: “… I had no friends in Cold Lake
[Alberta], so, it was like… it was all me.” She went on to independently engage with formal

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supports such as emergency women’s shelters and second-stage housing, and eventually obtained
her own apartment. Anne described her use of a therapist to process her emotions and manage
her mental health when her friends and family were not able to adequately support her during her
abusive relationship:
Um, it was my parents but they didn’t know much about it, they just kind of helped me
through, like, my depression at the time and I was talking to my therapist about how to
cope with my stress and my anger and how to communicate better, so, I started there with
all that, but I never really reached out for any help with what I was going through… my
parents didn’t do so much of the listening, they just told me he wasn’t a good person
because they had talks with him to, and they didn’t like him much at all, um, so they
didn’t want to hear anything about that, so it was mostly, like, my boyfriend now and my
kind of friend then… but she wasn’t really there are at the time. Like, she would hang out
with me sometimes and I would talk to her about stuff and she wouldn’t really be there.
She didn’t keep in contact...
The women in this study accessed a variety of formal supports once they realized that it
was necessary for them to cope with and leave their abusive partners, and demonstrated learned
resourcefulness (Akgün, 2004). Though not an exhaustive list, participants in this study
discussed accessing women’s support groups, sobriety support groups, family doctors, therapists,
the police, shelters, federal bodies, and, legal assistance; they encouraged other survivors to do
the same. With minimal informal supports at her disposal, Mindy described how her family
doctor confronted her about their suspicions of abuse and coached her to use the resources at her
disposal to remove the abuser from her home:

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… [M]y doctor began to realize there was something wrong…he had taken me to the
doctor and she’s like, “Uh, there’s something not right there”. She could tell he was
abusive… two of my friends could, too. They didn’t want to say too much. My friend’s
husband was very scared of him. But my doctor was like, “How are you going to get
away from him?” and then we knew he had a [work] Visa and that he was almost gonna
be here illegally… he stayed in the country and I was able to kick him out of my place
because I told him I’ll call the RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] … he thought
maybe it wouldn’t matter to him, that it was worth it to stay, even if it messed up his
passport and Visa... Immigration Canada [Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship
Canada, IRCC] was a resource that helped me get him out of the country. Uh, he was
here somewhat illegally near the end, so Immigration Canada and RCMP did help. Uh, I
could threaten him and his family with RCMP and Immigration Canada and it would
carry some weight. Uh… I didn’t really have an opportunity to get away from him
enough to use the resources of any women’s shelter…
Despite the differences in experiences for the women in this thesis, two types of
resourcefulness were shown by the participants: personal self-help and social help-seeking
(Engelbrecht, 2014). With personal self-help, survivors of trauma use the existing tools that they
have to improve their quality of life, while social help-seeking entails recruiting the help from
others (Engelbrecht, 2014), such as informal or formal supports. As stated in Slabbert’s (2014)
study on strengths exhibited by survivors of violence against women, women who stayed in
these types of relationships acquired personalized mechanisms to cope with their circumstances.
Should women feel the need to reach outside of their informal support network, formal services
should avoid a problem-focus and help women identify their strengths and the resources that they

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both have and require to improve their situation (Slabbert, 2014). With their success stories of
escaping abuse for happier, healthier lives, the participants in this study clearly exhibited the
attribute of resourcefulness as a positive coping mechanism.
Self-Reflection
The ability to engage in self-reflection may encourage resilience among those whom have
experienced adversity or traumatic events, such as violence against women (Crane et al., 2018).
Crane et al. (2018) defined self-reflection as “a meta-cognitive approach to learning involving
the development of self-awareness and evaluation of one’s thoughts, feelings and behaviours that
allows one to develop self-insight” (p. 2), which allows one to evaluate and adapt their coping
strategies. To highlight how resilience is associated with self-reflection, they developed the
‘Systemic Self-Reflection Model’, which details five self-reflective tasks that strengthen resilient
capacities, such as coping methods and resources, and emotional regulation (Crane et al., 2018),
which I found relevant to these findings. They assert the following self-reflective practices as
resilience-building: self-awareness of the body and mind, trigger identification, a reappraising or
reframing the adverse or traumatic event(s), the evaluation of their experiences, and, an
engagement in a future focus to strengthen future resilience (Crane et al., 2018). In this thesis,
some of the participants either directly referenced their engagement in self-reflection or selfreflective activities, or, were observed doing it. For example, Elizabeth reflected on being a
survivor, her feelings of self-compassion, her triggers, and the effectiveness of her coping
behaviours after her abusive relationship:
… [T]hat relationship happened, I would say, like, around the end of 2014, so, I started to
drink more, I started to use drugs… and I was working - so, six months later, I lost my
job and, uh, a tragedy happened, so it kinda set me back to going back to counselling,

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looking at my patterns, looking at my lack of communication with my family and my
support group, so… yeah, I guess I had to admit to myself to seek counselling again from
that… I’ve been in abusive relationships before that… so I had to look at, like, the
triggers and also because I was abused as a child and didn’t say anything for many years,
that was another pattern that I had to look at, so, being honest and just letting it out and
not blaming myself… and also, like, taking responsibility for my actions.
Similarly, Georgina reflected on her abusive relationship:
… [E]ven in healthier relationships, you do lose a part of yourself; it happens, right? But
that doesn’t mean that’s a bad thing, and I don’t want to say, ‘lose a part of yourself’,
like, you alter a part of yourself – we all do for relationships. But… when you start to
recognize, that you’re not only altering yourself, but it’s altering all aspects of you –
that’s when you need to take a step back and be like, “is this a good thing to be in?”
On the other hand, Wanderer directly referenced her self-reflection:
Yeah… I took on a more spiritual path and I healed, uh, quite a bit. I started, uh,
meditating, reflecting, and I really kind of got a sense of what I really want in life and
what I don’t want and I realized that that is really different from the way I had been, like,
leading my life, uh, all these years, and so… I came out of all that…
By engaging in self-reflection, some of the participants were able to process their
emotions and reframe their experiences, which allowed them to experience feelings of self-worth
and self-compassion and focus on their own post-traumatic growth (Neria & Watson, 2013). The
role of self-reflection in post-traumatic growth is that it may allow survivors of trauma to
acknowledge their current coping mechanisms, their strengths and limitations, and motivate them

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to search for additional ones (Crane et al., 2018). Similar findings were discussed in Harrington
and Loffredo’s (2010) study, which administered the Self-Reflection Scale and Insight Scale to
121 college students. Their data showed that having a conscious awareness of one’s thoughts,
feelings and motivations had a positive effect on overall well-being (Harrington & Loffredo,
2010). After such self-reflection, some of the participants highlighted the self-compassion and
self-worth they possessed and how they were then able to move forward with their lives. Mary
stated: “… I don’t want to go down that path anymore. And then I just really empowered myself
in the sense where I said to myself, ‘no man is gonna treat me like shit again’.”
Georgina remarked on self-love, forgiveness and her growth:
I just think it’s because I didn’t love myself and I can say that now, and it took me years
to realize I needed to love myself… [b]ecause you’re never going to be happy, no matter
who you’re with or where you’re at in life unless you love yourself… I think that was a
big piece for me, to just be like, “I want more and I deserve more”, almost, and I knew
that I wanted to get my education, I knew I wanted more life… I had to forgive myself.
Finally, Anne shared compassionate words to herself and other survivors of violence
against women: “Just know it happened and that it wasn’t your fault – [there’s] lots of reasons to
be here. I wish I had [known] that.” This theme of self-reflection among the sample showed that
resilience is not a personality trait, it is an active process that people engage in after facing
adversity to positively adapt and “create a life worth living despite adverse circumstances”
(Łuczak & Tsirigotis, 2018, p. 203). The act of self-reflection or self-reflectiveness could be
viewed as both a self-care activity and a personal attribute that may have a positive effect on
survivors of violence against women. To support survivors, informal supports could respond to
disclosures of abuse positively and encourage them to reflect on their relationships by providing

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different perspectives, which was identified as a tactic that influenced many of the participants in
this sample to leave their abusers.
Supported and Unsupported Research Outcomes
Supported Research Outcomes
Overall, this thesis was able to support most of the desired research outcomes. It
effectively identified themes among the participants’ informal supports, self-care activities and
some personal attributes; however, further research on these topics would be beneficial to
survivors of violence against women, their informal support systems, and, the fields of social
work, shelter support workers, and mental health professionals.
As per the desired research outcomes, the data indicated that the participants and their
methods of coping were very different from one another, promoting the use of the personcentered approach with this vulnerable population when care planning or making next steps to
achieve safety and effective self-care methods. In keeping with another theoretical foundation for
this thesis, the application of a strengths-based perspective was demonstrated to be an
appropriate framework, as it is rooted in acknowledging the innate strength and resources
possessed by survivors of violence against women (Slabbert, 2014).
Despite the few themes discovered among the participants’ self-care activities, this thesis
was helpful in identifying ones that could be beneficial to other women experiencing similar
circumstances, another desired research outcome. Similarly, the data suggested that engaging in
self-care activities, or the inability to engage in them until after they have fled their abusers, may
be a trauma response for survivors as they focus on basic survival in addition to self-soothing.
Among the participants, self-care activities varied greatly. As identified within the themes,

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turning to their informal support networks for company and talking with one another was
important to their healing journeys. Informal support systems were identified as positively
impacting their ability to cope with and leave their relationships overall. Apart from human
connections, many of the participants detailed habits and activities that they partook in either
during or after their abusive relationships that improved their overall well-being, such as: deep
breathing exercises and meditation, engaging in faith activities, such as ceremonies, prayer and
group functions, attending post-secondary education, shopping, keeping a daily routine, reading
books, travelling, spending time outside or in nature, remaining present, maintaining sobriety
from drugs/alcohol/tobacco, caring for an animal, attending professional counselling, engaging
in physical activity, such as skateboarding, running, going for walks, and, hiking, creating art,
such as drawings and paintings, listening to music, regularly attending a women’s support group,
engaging in self-reflection, sleeping more and taking care of basic, physical needs, watching
movies, listening to hypnotherapy and self-affirming podcasts, volunteering, working, and,
reading online forums of other women whom have gone through similar experiences to find
answers and feel less alone. In addition, one participant, Mindy, stated she wished she had access
to a safe, comfortable gym where she could exercise, while Wanderer specified her unmet need
for a culturally competent counselling practitioner as a person of colour from a distinct cultural
background. As evidenced by this expansive list of self-care activities the participants engaged in
or longed for, it was clear that healing after an abusive relationship could take many forms and
cannot employ a uniformed approach, supporting a person-centred approach when care planning.
In terms of personal attributes, participants, Mary, Mindy and Wanderer, described their
self-preservation and the ability to instinctually understand when they were in serious danger so
that they could make quick decisions to preserve themselves and/or their families, such as fight-

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or-flight responses and appeasing their abusers when they knew it would lessen the amount of
abuse that they sensed they were at risk of enduring. Further, some of the women described
themselves as independent people whom fulfilled their own needs and escaped with little help
from informal supports, realizing that they could not always rely on their families and friends to
help them. As a result, they utilized their own independence and resourcefulness to flee their
abusers. After self-reflection, several of the participants discussed the feelings of self-worth they
possessed, which enabled them to cope with and leave their abusive relationships. They stated
that they did not deserve to be treated with abuse, while Georgina went on to discuss the
increased self-worth she derived from engaging in self-care activities after leaving her commonlaw partner. Lastly, several of the participants discussed the self-compassion they held during
that difficult time in their lives. They encouraged women not to assign blame to themselves for
the abuse, to love and forgive themselves, and, to strive for a better life.
Unsupported Research Outcomes
Before embarking on this thesis, I held the assumption that there would be a large
collection of clear themes among the personality traits, or personal attributes, within the majority
of the sample, which would help us understand the traits or personality types most associated
with resiliency in escaping violence against women in relationships. The participants varied
greatly and several stated they could not think of any personal attributes that helped them cope
with and leave their abusive relationships. Some participants were able to vocalize the impact of
some personal attributes, but there were little similarities explicitly self-identified by the women.
Naturally, the personal attribute of ‘resiliency’ was noted by many of the participants - I also
observed it, given the nature of this thesis and the survivor status of those in the sample.
Otherwise, only some of the participants discussed other, shared personal attributes. Several of

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the women discussed shared personal attributes such as independence, being instinctual or selfpreserving, and, having self-worth, and self-compassion, some of which were discussed within
the themes section of the findings. I observed the majority of the sample engaging in selfreflection and resourcefulness; however, the participants did not self-identify this way. While
these findings were valuable, I had expected more self-identified themes among outward
personality traits, such as optimism, confidence or humour, which are more surface-level traits
that are noticeable when meeting someone or can be attributed to personality types; however,
this expectation was not met. If this study were to be completed in the future in a different
manner, a survey with a list of personal attributes that participants could choose from may be
beneficial.
Unanticipated Findings
Several unanticipated findings were discovered, including factors that were perceived as
helpful or unhelpful to the participants during their time in abusive relationships and the nature
of their experiences. For example, despite the involvement of informal support networks for
every participant, a staggering amount also described how truly isolated they still felt. This was
for a variety of reasons, including: choosing not to share their experiences with others, not living
close enough to their loved ones to receive practical support, feeling their informal support
networks were either unavailable or unsupportive, and, having their social interactions and
physical movements restricted by their abusers. For many of the participants, it was not until
after they escaped the abuse that they felt able to tell their loved ones what had been going on
and what they experienced.
In addition to these feelings of isolation, some of the participants also identified feelings
of shame, guilt and self-blame during that time, which contributed to their abilities to confide in

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their informal supports. One woman stated that: “it was, like, an embarrassment, having to, you
know, tell people that this was happening… so I didn’t really communicate with anybody about
it”. Another said:
[I]t was great in a lot of ways, having these people there, because I know they were there
to help me, but I also felt I had a lot of shame and guilt from the choices I made in my
life, and that was… something that played a part in the healing process and accepting the
support and help from people”, adding that she held “… those feelings of shame and guilt
during that time and-and for years after. Um, and even during the time… that’s why I
stayed so long.
A third participant discussed how her abusive marriage and subsequent divorce were her
“best kept secrets” that only her parents and lawyer knew about, due to the cultural implications
and social stigma attached to divorce, regardless of what abuses were experienced within the
relationship. These factors made it significantly difficult for these women to decide to flee their
abusers, let alone reach out to their informal supports for help.
Despite developing a strengths-based interview schedule that did not inquire about the
type of abuse these women endured, this information was readily shared by the participants
throughout the semi-structured interviews. What surprised me was that many of the participants
were sexually abused by their intimate, male partners, including sexual assault, the creation of
and threats of exposing revenge pornography, and, drugging a person in order to sexually assault
them. The most common experiences that were explicitly shared were emotional and
psychological abuse. Otherwise, many participants described experiences of physical and social
abuse by their ex-partner, with one mentioning financial abuse. Another participant described her

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abuser purposefully deprived her of sleep, which has been considered a form of torture by the
Geneva Convention for decades (Allison, 2011).
In addition, there was a pervasive and genuine fear of death felt by some of the
participants, whom received explicit death threats from their abusers. One of these women,
whom identified as Indigenous, shared that her abuser threatened to kill her and then told her that
the police “ain’t gonna believe a s***w” when she threatened to report him; her experience of
colonial violence reflects the dangerous realities for Indigenous women and girls, whom are
notoriously targeted by both strangers and intimate partners in this country, as detailed in the
National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls’ (MMIWG) (2019)
final report.
It is worth noting that the majority of the participants accessed some type of formal
support in their journey. While this thesis’ purpose was to explore the informal support networks,
self-care activities and personal attributes, the participants felt formal support was helpful to their
coping and escape from violence against women in relationships. This included a broad range of
supports offered by non-profit organizations, private services, and, services funded and provided
by the three tiers of government: municipal, provincial and federal. The women in this study
described accessing women’s emergency shelters and second-stage housing, women’s support
groups, counseling professionals, healthcare professionals, lawyers, municipal and federal police
services, such as the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
(RCMP), and, federal bodies such as Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
While many of these supports are to be expected, I was surprised to learn that some of the
participants referenced the importance of their family doctors and their role in escaping and
healing from their respective situations. For example, Anne discussed her family doctor’s role in

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arranging the appropriate mental health supports for her when she and her family reached out for
help, while Mindy’s family doctor spoke to her alone and inquired if she was experiencing
abuse; from there, her family doctor played an active role in assisting her escape, by providing
her with information on how she could make her partner to leave her home. The doctor assisted
Mindy by speaking out against the abuse and providing information on how to initiate having her
abuser deported from the country, due to his expired work permit; she was then counselled to
report him to the IRCC and likely Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). This speaks to the
importance of education regarding family violence or violence against women for professionals
that are not typically involved in identifying or responding to abuse. One successful, Canadian
example of this practice is the ‘Cut it Out: Salons Against Domestic Abuse’ awareness campaign
and the educational opportunities geared towards hairdressers, as they often have unique,
friendly relationships with their clients (Western Centre for Research and Education on Violence
Against Women and Children, 2020), hair appointments may be one of the only times they are
allowed to leave the home, and, there is an added possibility of being left alone with a
hairdresser. Additionally, hair dressers conduct their trade with close physical proximity, making
the identification of bruises, other injuries, or the use of excessive makeup or hair to cover up
physical abuse more plausible (Western Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against
Women and Children, 2020).
Strengths, Weaknesses and Limitations
Strengths
Although there were challenges engaging in research during the global, coronavirus
(COVID-19) pandemic, there were many strengths to the overall execution of this thesis. First,
with the social distancing safety guidelines in place to prevent virus transmission between

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households, I was able to maintain absolute physical safety for themselves and the participants,
due to the requirement to conduct nearly all interviews via phone calls and Zoom conference
calls. Only one interview was completed in person prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic
in the province of Alberta. The impact of social distancing during the data collection process
transcended the safety implications surrounding the transmission of COVID-19 – it also
protected the participants and me from the myriad of safety and privacy concerns that may be
present when completing in-person data collection, especially regarding sensitive research topics
and vulnerable populations, such as survivors of violence against women in relationships. The
majority of participants were able to stay within the comfort and privacy of their own homes to
complete the interviews via Zoom videoconferencing or by phone, minimizing the risks of their
private data being overheard by an uninvolved party or the potential for their prior abuser to see
them in the community. Not having to meet in a public domain, such as a room in a library or
university, may have given the participants more confidence to reach out and express interest in
this thesis. Once recruitment and data collection methods went virtual and by phone, I was able
to obtain the remaining participants in quick succession.
The data collected for this thesis provided insight into the emotions, behaviour and
individuality of the participants’ experiences due to its qualitative nature. Conducting this thesis
with a qualitative-exploratory approach allowed me into the private world of women with lived
experience that cannot be duplicated in quantitative research. The results of this thesis invite you
into the lives of survivors of violence against women in relationships and relate to them as
human beings instead of distant statistics. Qualitative, semi-structured interviews, along with the
data collected through the use of a demographic sheet, illustrated both the diversity and
similarities shared among the sample. Using these methods, more latent data was gathered than

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expected, providing me with a more individualized context to the data (Almeida et al., 2017).
This excess of individual data shared by each participant is also what inspired me to provide
summaries of their lived experiences, to give life to the information gathered.
In addition, obtaining a small sample of participants made the qualitative data collection,
coding and analysis more manageable for a novice researcher, such as myself, without a research
assistant. If this were a larger study, this method may have been quite time-consuming and
expensive to staff if research assistants were involved. Given the small size of this thesis, I had
the ability to conduct all aspects of the research and become intimately familiar with the data by
engaging in data collection, interview transcription, coding, and, data analysis. As a result, each
set of data was analyzed in a uniform manner by a single researcher, making the identification of
themes, differences and latent data a less time-consuming and daunting task than a group
analysis.
The choice to include member-checking in the data analysis process was in keeping with
a desired, feminist research approach, which aimed to give the participants some ownership over
the data they provided for this thesis. Member-checking was somewhat successful, with 3 of the
7 women responding in support of the preliminary analyses of the data that was collected being
included. The remaining four participants did not respond to the attempts to reach them for
member-checking. Nonetheless, the act of member-checking served its purpose to include the
women in the research process and not treat them as outsiders to their own data.

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Weaknesses
In hindsight, there was a weakness identified in the method and execution of this thesis.
The research question may have been better explored with a different data analysis method. It
was noted throughout the coding process that another method of data analysis, such as content
analysis, may have better captured the uniqueness of each participant and their experiences of
violence against women in relationships. For this reason, I felt it necessary to share the
individuals’ stories in addition to the themes to provide a richer account of each woman’s lived
experience. With so many differences among the sample, naming themes was challenging, as
some codes applied to nearly all, some to less than half, some to less than a third, and, some
applied to single participants only. While themes were still identifiable, it was worth noting that
the women varied greatly in their informal support networks, approaches to self-care, and, their
opinions of their positive attributes that helped them cope with and leave with their abusive
relationships.
Limitations
As previously noted, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic hampered some of the
recruitment tactics that would have potentially attracted older participants, such as having the
ability to continue safely distributing physical posters to grocery stores in the Edmonton
Metropolitan Region (EMR). While I was able to distribute physical posters in each of the
recruitment cities (Edmonton, Sherwood Park, St. Albert, Spruce Grove, Fort Saskatchewan,
and, Leduc, Alberta), it was deemed unsafe to continue recruiting in this method; thus, the move
to online recruitment was made. In addition, even if I had been able to continue safely
distributing the recruitment materials in this manner, the general consensus has been that many

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older adults and seniors had not left their homes whatsoever during the pandemic, having their
informal supports pick up their essentials or have them delivered; this factor may have also
impacted the visibility of the recruitment materials for those that it was intended for. Given this
limitation, future attempts to research this topic with an older cohort would have to be carefully
arranged in a time outside of a global pandemic and perhaps with recruitment efforts that focused
on geographical areas and amenities that attract older adults, such as senior’s centres,
organizations, and alternate level of care facilities, granted that potential participants have the
cognitive ability to consent to and engage in research regarding violence against women in
relationships.

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Chapter 6: Conclusions
Violence against women in relationships is a pervasive social issue in Canadian society
and around the world, and is the subject of thousands of studies and articles; however, there is
much to learn about how women cope with and leave their abusive partners. By conducting this
thesis, I was able to further explore the often-forgotten aftermath of such traumatizing
experiences. Understandably, much of the research and public knowledge focuses on averting
immediate crises and obtaining shelter for women and children that is safe from abuse. In
contrast, this thesis aimed to better understand the impact of informal supports systems, self-care
activities, and personal attributes on women’s coping mechanisms, resiliency and ability to free
themselves from abuse.
As expected, human connection and informal supports were an overwhelming source of
support for the women when they were experiencing violence within their relationships. They
often referenced the importance of positive responses to disclosure on their emotional health and
sense of belonging, how providing different perspectives and speaking out against the abuse
helped them leave, and, how, overall, their informal supports influenced them to leave. Informal
supports are integral to one’s support network and can provide the milieu for healing and posttraumatic growth. The women in this study highlighted the positive impact of having someone to
talk to about what they were experiencing and the practical supports provided by their informal
networks, including safe shelter, financial resources, access to healthcare professionals,
childcare, and items for their new lives. Despite the positive impact of informal support
networks, they cannot always meet all of one’s needs, reiterating the benefits and necessity of
formal services for violence against women, such as shelters and their staff, police and legal
professionals, counsellors, support groups, and healthcare professionals. In this thesis, nearly all

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of the participants utilized formal supports in addition to their informal supports; however, those
with limited supports could not access formal networks to meet the majority of their needs. Of
course, there is still a need for more public awareness of how to support women in abusive
relationships in order to facilitate safer disclosures, a knowledgeable community, and informal
support networks that are better equipped to help in a meaningful way. This could lessen the
overall stigma, isolation, and feelings of guilt, shame, and, embarrassment that silences women
and keeps them in abusive relationships longer.
Many of the participants only began participating in self-care activities once they were
out of their abusive relationships, as they were unable to while they were experiencing trauma.
As a result, they were focused on mere survival. For these women, it appeared that they began
engaging in self-care and self-improvement activities as a response to trauma. Of those that were
able to engage in self-care activities during their abusive relationships, the most commonly
shared self-care activity was engaging in physical activity, closely followed by engaging in
educational activities, faith activities, tourism activities or travelling, and, actively remaining
sober from drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. Among the small but diverse sample, 23 different selfcare activities were identified.
After analyzing the data, self-preservation, resourcefulness, and self-reflection were
identified as key, personal attributes of resiliency among these survivors of violence against
women in relationships. As many faced fears of further abuse and potential death, engaging in
instinctual survival and meeting their basic needs were how they survived. The participants all
demonstrated resourcefulness by engaging in help-seeking behaviours, such as using their
intrinsic resources and reaching out to both their informal and formal networks. Those that felt
isolated or unsupported by their formal supports, demonstrated independence by involving

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formal supports to meet their needs and facilitate resiliency. Self-reflection or being selfreflective, allowed some of the participants to reflect on the well-being of their bodies and
minds, identify their triggers, reframe their traumatic experiences, evaluate their coping
mechanisms, and, focus on developing current and future resilience.
As detailed throughout this thesis, strong, informal support networks that surround the
survivor are integral to coping and resilience. Further, facilitating person-centred, self-care plans
after basic, physiological and safety needs are met may increase resiliency and the quality of life
for survivors of violence against women. By allowing women to engage in care planning and
gain control of their lives, those in helping professions can foster resilience, acknowledge their
inner strengths, and encourage post-traumatic growth. Once the initial threat has subsided, there
is great potential for women to move beyond coping with and escaping abuse – there is the
opportunity to heal and flourish.
Implications
Practice
The results of this thesis could implement changes in practice for both informal support
networks and helping professional that engage directly with survivors of violence against women
in relationships, such as social workers, shelter workers, and mental health professionals. By
removing barriers and providing more avenues to self-care activities, survivors could begin
focusing on self-soothing and growth after their personal crises are averted and basic, safety
needs are met. This could be achieved by engaging in person-centred self-care planning with
survivors. In addition, helpers could actively include informal support networks in formal
interventions as much as possible, providing a wrap-around community that could support the
survivor within multiple different contexts, including different environments and relationships.

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Doing this, in addition to educating informal support networks and the community at large about
violence against women in relationships, could promote safer and more empathetic responses to
disclosures of abuse.
Theory
The findings of this thesis further evidenced the notion that both strengths-based and
person-centred approaches to social work are both effective and appropriate with survivors of
violence against women. A strengths-based approach further demonstrates the abilities of
survivors to exude resiliency by harnessing their own personal resources, in addition to engaging
in help-seeking behaviours that helped them cope with and leave their abusive relationships. In
addition, it acknowledges the inner strengths that survivors possess, aiming to contradict and
combat the negative narratives that survivors of domestic abuse may hold about themselves or
that have been assigned to them by their abusers. Asking women to reflect on their positive
attributes may either help them realize these positive traits that contributed to their resiliency, or
at least cause them to start contemplating the same. Similarly, supporting a survivor with a
person-centered approach acknowledges that we as professionals do not always have the
answers; instead, it allows survivors to equally, if not predominantly, lead the care planning
process to determine what their next steps are for safety and post-traumatic growth. It also
highlights the overwhelming uniqueness in survivors and how a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach is
not appropriate with this population if our goal is to transcend safety needs and focus on growth
and healing from trauma.
While rudimentary, I believe the findings of this thesis indicated that it would be a
positive contribution to the theoretical base on violence against women to look to Maslow’s
Hierarchy of Needs (Desmet & Fokkinga, 2020) and develop a model specifically for the needs

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of survivors. This easy to digest, visual model could help both informal and formal support
networks by providing a guide to helping survivors of violence against women after their basic
needs are met by fleeing their abusers. This could be used to educate helping professionals that
are less familiar with best practices associated with this population or simply as a training tool
for newer professionals or informal supports. In keeping with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs,
lower-level needs could remain physiological and safety needs, such as safe shelter, food, safety
from abuse, stability in their environments, etc. (Desmet & Fokkinga, 2020). Social needs, or
love/connection needs, could maintain the same level of importance, but could delve deeper into
what types of positive responses are required from informal and formal support networks to
assist survivors (Desmet & Fokkinga, 2020). Furthermore, the higher-level needs of esteem and
self-actualization could be tailored to detail how engaging in self-care activities, formal
interventions, and goal-setting may contribute to the self-esteem and post-traumatic growth of
survivors of violence against women (Desmet & Fokkinga, 2020).
Further Research
Although this thesis highlighted the informal supports, self-care activities and personal
attributes helpful to women coping with and leaving their abusive relationships, there are several
options for further research on this topic that could provide greater depth to the knowledge-base
on violence against women. First, it could be beneficial to broaden the eligibility criteria to all
types of violence against women and not just within the context of intimate partner relationships.
For example, one woman contacted me hoping to discuss her coping mechanisms and how she
was able to escape from the abuse that she was receiving from an in-law, but not her intimate
partner. Additionally, one woman responded to the recruitment materials about her abusive,
same-sex partner; however, this thesis sought to examine violence against women who were in

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heterosexual relationships. Valuable data could be derived from such a study being conducted
with same-sex couples, as their informal support networks and self-care activities may differ
from heterosexual participants. As previously noted, this thesis was not successful in recruiting
older women, with no participation from women in the 56-65 age range (despite their eligibility).
This remains an under-researched group in the realm of violence against women, and more so in
terms of who they trust to lean on for informal support and what self-care activities they engage
in.
Despite the recruitment materials indicating that potential participants had to live within
the recruitment area, women from other provinces contacted me asking to participate; for this
reason, it could be possible that there may be a nation-wide interest in this type of research,
opening the doors to a national study. Broadening future research opportunities to include a
larger number of women could help us identify more solid themes and differences, possibly
allowing us to develop broader generalizations or even statistics, should a quantitative or mixed
method be used.
Developing a quantitative element to this study’s design for future use is an attractive
idea, especially the use of surveys for data collection relating to participants’ personal attributes.
The responses to the semi-structured interview questions relating to personal attributes were at
times vague and some participants struggled to identify these positive qualities in themselves. It
may be possible that participants would be better able to choose personal attributes from a list
that they identify with than to brainstorm options themselves. This could also allow for their
answers to be quantified into broad, statistical data, which could be used to make generalizations
about the greater population of survivors in Canada.

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While considering further research on this topic is vital, there was much for me to reflect
upon as a first-time researcher and what I had learned throughout this experience. Undertaking
this thesis has been one of the most novel, exciting, and humbling experiences of my academic
and personal life so far. First, I learned a few things about myself. I learned that taking smaller
steps would still bring me to my goals and that it was somewhat normal to experience ‘imposter
syndrome’ as a novice researcher. Imposter syndrome is generally described as “intellectual selfdoubt” (Weir, n.d., para. 6) which leaves people wondering if they have the skills needed to
complete the task at hand and anxious feelings that perhaps they do not belong. While I found
research challenging, I thoroughly enjoyed it, which solidified to me that I do belong in the field
of research and maybe one day academia. Research was something I scrunched my face at in my
undergraduate studies, never imagining that I would one day conduct a qualitative thesis on a
topic that I am so passionate about: violence against women in relationships. Studying,
developing and executing this thesis with the support of my supervisor and committee has shown
me that my research interests are not only valuable to me, but to the fields of social work,
counselling, and to the women whom may be experiencing violence.
The new skills that I learned throughout the research process have been invaluable to me
as a researcher and practitioner. I experienced countless firsts, including developing a research
proposal, obtaining Research Ethics Board (REB) approval, recruiting participants, coding data
and developing themes, and even writing a paper of this size and caliber. In addition, I learned to
change my course as needed and to work within my locus of control, especially as the global
coronavirus (COVID-19) impacted the research process. Completing this research also taught me
a lot about accepting both constructive criticism and praise with grace and appreciation. These
are skills that will complement my front-line practice and future involvement with academia.

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Recommendations
By conducting this thesis, we now have a clearer picture of how informal supports, selfcare activities (or lack thereof), and personal attributes may impact survivors of violence against
women in relationships. Our knowledge-base can only improve from here. Further study into this
topic would strengthen our knowledge on this population, their coping mechanisms and
resiliency, and build on the proposed recommendations. Below, I will discuss the impact and
logistics of removing barriers to self-care activities for survivors, further educating informal
support networks and providing them with tangible, real-world tools, increasing the general
public’s understanding of violence against women in relationships through education and
improved research, and, involving one’s informal supports at every step of formal interventions,
with clients’ consent, should they access this type of help.
While the immediate safety of women and children is of utmost importance for both
informal networks and formal, family violence services, more attention and community
resources should be allocated to increase access to self-care activities and foster post-traumatic
growth in women who are or have been in violent, intimate relationships. It is my opinion that
several funding options could be pursued to create barrier-free, self-care programming or
organizations for survivors of violence against women. With the submission of briefing notes
and applications for federal or provincial grants, funding could be obtained to provide varied
self-care programming in a stand-alone organization, women’s shelters, or other community
venues. This could mean funding a safe space for this cause or having a dedicated, multi-purpose
or self-care room in women’s shelters where programming could be held on a regular basis;
similarly, community centres or venues could hold recurring and guest workshops or programs
for those that have not accessed shelter services. Ideally, these programs would remove barriers

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to survivors by providing childcare, supplementing or covering the cost of self-care activities,
and, providing an environment where women can feel safe to attend. Additionally, partnerships
with local businesses or organizations in one’s community could be forged to provide either
monetary or practical resources that could support the facilitation of such programs. For
example, a local yoga studio or musical instrument store could pledge their services,
merchandise, or money to an organization, providing increased access to niche self-care
activities or to partially fund workshops, groups, or individual activities. Another option could be
to sponsor individual survivors of violence against women to pursue their self-care activities of
choice after engaging in person-centred care planning to determine what resources they have at
their disposal, what the barriers are, and how to remove them.
Second, the establishment of educational workshops for informal supports and
improvement of existing research methods could increase the level of understanding and
community response to violence against women in relationships. The workshops could be
presented as single-day events that focus on harm-reduction, warning signs, the cycle of
violence, and, creating safety plans for survivors, similar to the format that we see for mental
health first aid or suicide intervention courses; these could be funded via federal or provincial
grants, donations, and/or by charging fees to participants. These workshops, based on best
practices, could be offered as a guide to informal support networks or they could be used to
supplement the working knowledge of helping professionals from all sectors. Next, there is still a
greater need for more public awareness of how to adequately and empathetically support women
in abusive relationships, to combat myths and stigma, and, to reduce feelings of guilt, shame,
embarrassment in survivors when engaging in help-seeking behaviours. This, in part, could come
from advertisements, announcements, or events leading up to and during existing occurrences in

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Canada, such as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in November (MacDonald, 2020) and the
National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women on December 6
(Government of Canada, 2021b).
In addition, future research practices on resiliency within this population could include
lists of positive, personal attributes for participants to reflect on and choose from, increasing their
awareness and recognition of their strengths. As mentioned, many of the participants in this
thesis struggled to credit positive, personal attributes to their resiliency and success in escaping
their violent relationships. Supporting and seeking this type of data in social work research could
help raise consciousness of the resiliency within participants, in addition to informing the greater
population about the experiences of violence against women in relationships. Increased
accessibility and participation in future studies may also be achieved by providing women more
flexibility and control over the data collection methods. For example, if some participants feel
safer and more comfortable providing data virtually or through telecommunication than in
person, I think we should let them to make those decisions, allowing researchers to meet
survivors where they are at and empowering them to share their experiences.
Finally, it is important that we acknowledge the role of informal support networks in the
lives of survivors, even with the provision of formal interventions. Most women who access
formal services to help them cope with and escape abusive relationships have informal supports,
as well, and it is integral to a holistic response that they be included at each step of their healing
journey, as long as women consent to this. Involving informal networks in formal interventions
may provide ‘wrap-around’ services, strong, detailed safety plans and care plans, direct guidance
to informal supports, and, foster a sense of community for women during an often-isolating

128
experience. Using person-centered approaches to care planning, survivors may formulate a path
to healing and post-traumatic growth with their entire network on the same page.
With the adoption of the above-mentioned recommendations, it is my vision that we can
create a society that supports survivors of violence against women, their informal support
networks, and service providers to not only save, but improve, lives. By acknowledging the
impact of utilizing women’s informal supports, engaging in self-care activities and reflecting
one’s inner strengths in the face adversity, we can build a more knowledgeable and empathetic
nation that responds to violence against women safely, appropriately, and without instilling guilt
or shame. By helping our women heal, our communities learn, and our practices evolve, we can
set a new standard for responding to violence against women in Canada: one that is traumainformed, person-centered, forward-thinking, and, resilient.

129
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Appendices
Appendix 1: Information Letter/Consent Form

Information Letter/Consent Form

Study: “Coping with Violence Against Women in Relationships: Exploring the Impact of Informal
Supports, Self-Care Activities, and Personal Attributes on Resiliency”
Note: This graduate thesis study is a partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree, Master of
Social Work (MSW), at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC).
Researcher:

Leanne Jones-Bowen, BSW, RSW
University of Northern British Columbia
Email: ljones@unbc.ca or leannejones@live.ca
Phone: 1-587-784-0817

Purpose of Project
You are being invited to take part in this research study because of our desire to learn more about the
resources and coping methods of women who have been in and left abusive relationships with men. You
are eligible to participate because: (1) you are female; (2) you are between the ages of 19 – 65; (3) you
had been in an abusive relationship with a man for at least 6 months, and have had no contact with them
for at least one year; and, (4) you live in a city or town within the Edmonton Metropolitan Region (EMR)
of Alberta, Canada, with a population of at least 20,000 people. Due to the size and scope of a graduatelevel thesis, the researcher would like to aim for six to eight participants.
This study has 3 objectives:
1. To examine the impact of informal supports, self-care activities, and, personal attributes on
resiliency for women who have experienced and left abusive relationships with men.
2. To demonstrate themes and variances among women’s methods of coping with and leaving
abusive relationships with men.
3. To determine if there are differences in how women coped with and left abusive relationships
with men based on the social information provided by participants.
Data from this study may contribute to a better understanding of the informal supports, self-care
activities, personal attributes, and, perspectives of women who have experienced violence in relationships
with male partners. This data may be useful to people engaging with this population of women, such as
social workers, counsellors, support workers, other community health workers, and, the informal supports
surrounding these women.

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What will happen during this project?
If you engage in this study, you will be asked to participate in a semi-structured, audio-taped interview
(using a Sony 4GB Mono Digital Voice Recorder), and complete a form with questions regarding your
current age; age when you entered your abusive relationship; ethnic or racial background(s); length of
time in an abusive relationship; the nature of your relationship (i.e., married, dating, etc.); whether or not
you and your partner had cohabitated; and, your estimated annual income. Due to the ongoing
coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, interviews may be completed by phone or Zoom, and audiorecorded. See ‘Confidentiality, Anonymity, and Data Storage’ section below.
This information collected in interviews will be used to determine any trends among participants. The
interview will take approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour and will focus on your informal support networks;
resources; self-care activities; and, personality traits that you thought contributed to your well-being as
you dealt with and left your abusive, male partner (boyfriend/common-law partner/fiancé/husband). You
will receive the $25 gift card of your choice, or an e-transfer, following the interview, regardless of
whether you continue to participate in the study. Afterwards, you will be contacted to verify that the
preliminary analysis of your information accurately reflects your experience. If you would like to make
changes, please let the researcher know by phone or email.
Potential Risks and Benefits of Participation in this Study
Participation in this study may have potential risks. Speaking about the sensitive topic of abusive
relationships with survivors may produce different emotional reactions for different people. Every person
may be at a different stage of their healing journey and thinking back may upset some participants. To
manage this risk, all participants will be provided a document with the counseling and women’s resource
services available in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region (EMR) of Alberta, Canada. These resources will
be provided due to the researcher’s role in the project as a researcher, and not a counsellor. And lastly,
you have the right to be aware of the duty to report, which mandates the researcher to contact the proper
authorities if you express an intent to harm yourself or others.
On the other hand, there are also potential benefits to participating in this study. First, those who
participate in this research may feel positive about contributing to the scholarly knowledgebase on women
who have experienced abuse by their male partners. Second, the positive, strength-based nature of the
interview questions may cause participants to positively reflect on their coping skills, personal attributes,
and resourcefulness while dealing with and leaving an abusive relationship. And finally, completing the
interview process may be beneficial to individuals with a desire to discuss their experiences, triumphs,
and resources to simply process and share what they have overcome.
In terms of academia, this study may contribute to a better understanding of the informal supports, selfcare methods, personal attributes, and, perspectives of women who have been in and left abusive
relationships with men. This research study will aim to provide a glimpse of each participants’ sources of
internal strength, and the variance in informal supports and activities which are identified as beneficial by
them. The results of this study may be useful to professionals engaging with this population of women,
such as social workers, counsellors, support workers, and, other community health workers. Similarly, the
results of this study may also be useful for women experiencing violence in their relationships, their
family, and their friends who wish to help.

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Confidentiality, Anonymity, and Data Storage
If you participate in this study, your anonymity and confidentiality will be respected and protected.
Information that discloses your identity to the public will not be released at any time. The only
individuals that will have access to your collected information during the research process are: myself
(Researcher, Leanne Jones-Bowen), my graduate supervisor (Dr. Joanna Pierce), and, my committee
members (Dr. Indrani Margolin and Dr. John Sherry). Your text- and audio-based data will be kept on an
encrypted, password-protected USB device (Kingston Digital 8GB Traveler Locker + G3), which will be
stored in a key-locked safe at my residence when it is not in use. Your physical data (forms) will also be
kept in a key-locked safe. Your data will be kept for five years after the final copy of the research report is
completed and successfully defended in front of my academic superiors, and then destroyed via electronic
deletion and paper-shredding. Throughout the entire research process, a pseudonym of your choice will
label your data, not your name (i.e., Sarah, Betty, etc.).
Due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, interviews may be completed by phone or Zoom,
and audio-recorded. Before beginning an interview, ensure you are in a private room with the door closed
and use a headset or earphones to protect your privacy. The researcher will follow the same security
guidelines to protect your information, completing the interview in a private room within their home,
using headphones. Participants who choose to use Zoom will have their privacy protected using numerous
settings within the application. First, the researcher will access the Zoom application through the
University of Northern British Columbia’s (UNBC) website only, which has enhanced security settings.
In addition, meetings will be accessed by passcode only; a waiting room will be enabled so uninvited
attendees cannot enter the meeting without being admitted by the researcher; the meeting will be locked
by the researcher once you have joined so that no one else can join; and, meetings will be audio-recorded
using an external Sony 4GB Mono Digital Voice Recorder, not the Zoom application. If you choose to
complete your interview via Zoom, please advise the researcher beforehand via email or phone so that the
passcode to the meeting can be provided to you. For additional protection, you can give yourself a
nickname in the meeting instead of your real name (if your email address matches the one given) and you
can disable the video function.
If you choose to complete your interview via Zoom, download the Zoom application to either your cell
phone, tablet, laptop, or computer. Sign into your account and join the following meeting at the date and
time agreed upon between yourself and the researcher:
Zoom Meeting ID: 328 661 5015
The passcode will be given to you in advance via phone or the email address provided. A waiting room
will be in place for security purposes – after you input the passcode, the researcher will manually grant
you access.
Study Results
The results of this study will be reported in the form of a graduate thesis; defended in the presence of
university professors, students, and, the public; and, has the possibility of being published in journal
articles or books. As a participant, you will be either emailed a final copy of this thesis, or, physically
mailed a hard copy of the results/discussion section (due to the large size of the document). A hard and
electronic copy of this graduate thesis will be available to students at the University of Northern British
Columbia (UNBC) through the Geoffrey R. Weller Library at the Prince George, British Columbia (BC)
campus, in addition to the online access for other post-secondary institutions.

149
Questions or Concerns
If you have any questions or concerns about this study, please contact my graduate supervisor:
Professor Joanna Pierce, PhD, MSW, RSW
School of Social Work
University of Northern British Columba (UNBC)
Prince George, BC
Phone: 1-250-960-6521
Email: joanna.pierce@unbc.ca
Note: If you have any concerns or complaints about your rights as a research participant and/or your
experiences while participating in this study, contact the UNBC Office of Research at 250-960-6735 or by
e-mail at reb@unbc.ca
Participant Consent and Withdrawal
Participation in this study is entirely voluntary, and you are in no way obligated to participate in this
research. You have the right to decline answering any questions that make you feel uncomfortable and are
free to withdraw from this study at any time without penalty; this means you will still receive the $25 gift
card of your choice or e-transfer for your participation. If you decide to withdraw from this study, your
data and personal information will be removed from the study and destroyed to maintain confidentiality.
You will receive the $25 gift card or e-transfer for your participation after the interview is completed.
Signature of Consent
1. I have read or been described the information presented in the information letter about the
project:
YES

NO

2. I have had the opportunity to ask questions about my involvement in this project and to receive
additional details I requested.
YES

NO

3. I understand that if I agree to participate in this project, I may withdraw from the project at any
time up until the report completion, with no consequences of any kind. I have been given a copy
of this form.
YES

NO

4. I agree to be audio-recorded during the interview process.

150

YES

NO

5. I understand how Zoom, the videoconferencing application, will be used in this study, and I
consent to its use, should I wish to complete the interview using it.
YES

NO

6. Follow-up information (e.g., transcription and study results) can be sent to me at the following email or mailing address:

YES

NO

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Participant
Name:
Participant
Signature:
Date:

151
Appendix 2: Recruitment Poster

Receive a
$25 gift card
or e-transfer!

Image Credit: Freedom by. Xenia Rassolova (2012).

We are searching for 6-8 participants that are interested in contributing to a shortterm research study.

Women, aged 19-65, who had been in a relationship with
an abusive man for a minimum of 6 months. You must also have
no contact with that man for a minimum of 1 year, and
reside in a city within the Edmonton Metropolitan
Region (EMR) of Alberta, Canada, with a population of 20,000
people or more.

Interested or in need of more
information? Please contact the
Researcher:
Leanne Jones-Bowen, BSW, RSW
Graduate Student
School of Social Work
ljones@unbc.ca or leannejones@live.ca
1-587-784-0817

We are interested in the social and practical supports;
self-care activities; and, personality traits that women
perceived as helpful during or after leaving their abusive,
male partner (boyfriend/common-law/fiancé/husband).

Participants will be asked to engage in one, semi-structured
interview (approx. 30 min. to 1 hour) and complete a demographics
sheet. Interviews will be conducted by phone or Zoom due to the ongoing, coronavirus
(COVID-19) pandemic.

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Appendix 3: Interview Schedule

Interview Schedule
Study: “Coping with Violence Against Women in Relationships: Exploring the Impact of Informal
Supports, Self-Care Activities, and Personal Attributes on Resiliency”
Researcher: Leanne Jones-Bowen, BSW, RSW
Email: ljones@unbc.ca or leannejones@live.ca
Phone: 1-587-784-0817
Questions

1.
Who would you say is in your informal support group? These people are those who are not
being paid or employed to help you.
Prompts:
a) What about your family and friends?
b) Are you involved in any social or religious groups?
c) What was the impact of your informal supports’ involvement on your healing journey?
2.
What practical resources do you believe helped you during your experience? These could be
items, shelter, or access to certain resources.
Prompts:
a) How did they support you?
b) What did they provide for you during your time in an abusive relationship? It can be emotional,
practical, financial, or anything that you can think of.
c) In what way did these resources help you?
d) What was the impact of having these specific resources provided to you during that time?
3.
During your time in an abusive relationship and your journey out, what self-care activities
did you utilize? These can be any activities that increases your well-being.
Prompts:
a) How often did you utilize these self-care activities?
b) What was the resulting impact of these activities on your well-being during and/or after ending
the abusive relationship?
c) Which self-care activities would you recommend to other women experiencing violence against
women in relationships?

153
d) What self-care methods did you wish were available to you, that weren’t? Imagine there are no
barriers to accessing them.
4.

What else gave you enjoyment during that period of your life?

Prompts:
a) What gave you relief, leisure, or a sense of purpose during or after ending the abusive
relationship?
b) How did you manage to see positivity during such a difficult time?
5.
What personal attributes do you have that you believe helped you cope with and leave your
abusive relationship?
Prompts:
a) What personality traits, behaviours, or habits do you think helped you cope with and leave your
abusive relationship?
b) What is something about you that helped you through that difficult time?
6.

Who or what influenced your decision to leave that relationship?

Prompts:
a) What event occurred that influenced your decision to leave that relationship?
b) Other than your own, whose opinions and/or actions influenced your decision to leave that
relationship?
c) At what point did you realize that you needed to leave the relationship?
7.

Regarding all that we’ve talked about, what do you think helped you the most during or
after ending your abusive relationship? It doesn’t have to be one thing.

Prompts:
a) What would you recommend to other women who may be experiencing and wanting to leave an
abusive relationship?
8.
Is there anything else, from your perspective, that you would like to attribute to your strength
and resiliency?
Prompts:
a) Is there anything you would like to say or suggest to other women in abusive relationships? What
about the people in their informal support networks?

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Appendix 4: Participant Demographic Form

Participant Demographic Form
Study: “Coping with Violence Against Women in Relationships: Exploring the Impact of Informal
Supports, Self-Care Activities, and Personal Attributes on Resiliency”
Researcher: Leanne Jones-Bowen, BSW, RSW
Email: ljones@unbc.ca or leannejones@live.ca
Phone: 1-587-784-0817
The purpose of this demographic form is to document the themes and variances among the participants in
this study. Any identifying information, including this form, will be kept confidential, locked in a safe,
and will not be connected to you in the resulting research report. You will be asked to create your own
pseudonym to represent your data in the study (please advise the researcher before your interview). The
seven questions on this form reflect that all participants are females that have been involved with abusive,
male partners. Please read the options below carefully and fill in and circle the ones that best represent
you.
Questions
1. Which of the following age groups do you belong to now?
a) 19 – 24
b) 25 – 35
c) 36 – 45

d) 46 – 55
e) 56 – 65

2. Please provide the age you were when you entered the abusive relationship and the age
when you exited the abusive relationship: __________________________________________

3. Which racial, cultural, or ethnic group(s) do you identify with? Please specify:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
j)

Unknown
Mixed Race/Biracial: _________________________________________________________
Black: _____________________________________________________________________
Caucasian/European: _________________________________________________________
Latin/Hispanic: ______________________________________________________________
First Nations/Métis/Inuit (Canada): ______________________________________________
Other Indigenous peoples (International): _________________________________________
Asian (Eastern): _____________________________________________________________
Asian (Western, Central, Southern): _____________________________________________
Other: _____________________________________________________________________

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k) Prefer not to say

4. Which gross annual income bracket do you estimate that you belong to as an individual?
a)
b)
c)
d)

$0 - $30, 000
$31, 000 - $60, 000
$61, 000 - $90, 000
$91, 000 - $120, 000

e) $121, 000 - $150, 000
f) $151, 000 or more

5. What was the length of the relationship with your abusive, male partner?
a)
b)
c)
d)

6 – 11 months
1 year
2 – 3 years
4 – 6 years

e)
f)
g)
h)

7 – 10 years
11 – 15 years
16 – 20 years
21 years or more

6. What was the nature of your relationship with your abusive partner?
a) Boyfriend
b) Common-law partner

c) Fiancé
d) Husband

7. Did you and your abusive partner live together during or at one point during the
relationship?
a) Yes

b) No

Participant Name: _______________________________________________________
Participant Signature: ____________________________________________________
Date Completed: ________________________________________________________

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Appendix 5: Resources for Participants Living in Edmonton, Alberta
Resources for Violence Against Women in Relationships
Outreach/Referral/Support
× Changing Together - A Centre for Immigrant Women - Family
Violence Prevention Workshops (Edmonton), 780-421-0175
× Edmonton John Howard Society - Family Violence Prevention
Centre (FVPC), 780-423-1635
× Elder Abuse Resource and Supports, 780-477-2929
× Elizabeth Fry Society of Edmonton, 780-421-1175
× Mediation and Restorative Justice Centre - Building Safer Ground,
780-423-0896
× Shaama Centre for Seniors and Women, 780-465-2992
× The TODAY Family Violence Help Centre, 780-455-6880
× Government of Alberta - Prevention of Family Violence and
Bullying
o Bullying Helpline (24/7), 1-888-456-2323
o Family Violence Info Line (24/7), 310-1818
o Online Resources, www.familyviolence.alberta.ca
Shelter/Housing
× Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters, 1-866-331-3933
× Alberta Shelters Lookup, www.acws.ca/shelters
× Alberta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (A-SPCA), Pet Safekeeping
Program, www.albertaspca.org
× Edmonton Women’s Shelter Ltd. (women with or without children; 24/7, 780-479-0058
× Lurana Shelter Society (women; 24/7), 780-424-5875
× WIN House, 780-471-6709
× Hope Mission - Women’s Emergency Shelter, 780-422-2018
× Wings of Providence, 780-426-4985
× Women’s Emergency Accommodation Centre (WEAC), 780-423-5302
× Catholic Social Services - LaSalle (second-stage housing, Edmonton region), 780-3913174
× Seniors Association of Greater Edmonton (SAGE) - Seniors’ Safe House, (men/women;
60+yrs), 780-702-1520
Court Preparation/Legal/Protection
× Elizabeth Fry Society of Edmonton – Courtworks program, 780-422-4775
× The Family Centre - Safe Visitation Services (co-parenting), 780-917-8248
× Legal Aid Alberta (low-income) - Legal Services Centres, 1-866-845-3425
× Government of Alberta
o Emergency Protection Order (EPO) Program, 780-422-9222
o Restraining Order Without Notice, https://www.alberta.ca/get-a-restrainingorder.aspx

154

×
×
×
×
×
×
×
×
×

o Family Law Information Centre, 780-415-0404
o Family Justice Services - Family Mediation, 780-427-8329
o Maintenance Enforcement Program, 780-422-5555
Edmonton Police Service’s (EPS) Victim Services Unit, 780-421-2217
Edmonton John Howard Society
o Family Violence Prevention Centre (FVPC), 780-423-1635
o Domestic Violence Complainant Program, 780-422-0721
Edmonton Community Legal Centre, 780-702-1725
Alberta Family Mediation Society, 1-403-233-0143
Alberta Arbitration & Medication Society, 780-989-3797
Law Society of Alberta - Lawyer Directory Service, 1-800-661-9003
Dial-A-Lawyer and Lawyer Referral Service, 1-800-332-1091
OakNet: Older Adult Knowledge Network, www.oaknet.ca
WillowNet: Abuse and the Law in Alberta, www.willownet.ca

Group Programs
× Aboriginal Consulting Services Association of Alberta - Circle of Safety,
780-448-0378
× Lives in Transition - Careers in Transition (30 weeks; women/employment/
education/training supports), 780-496-9224
× City of Edmonton Citizen Services, 780-496-4777
o Drop-In Support Group (women; free childcare)
o Making Connections Group (women; free childcare)
× Islamic Family and Social Services Association - Serenity Group Sisters Helping Sisters
(women; verbal translation, transportation, childcare available), 780-462-0772
Crisis (Call 911 if in immediate danger)
× Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) - Distress Line (24/7), 780-482-HELP
(4357)
× Family Violence Crisis Line, 1-877-252-7233
× Government of Alberta - Child Abuse Hotline (24/7), 1-800-387-5437
× Alberta Health Services - Mental Health and Addictions 24/7, 780-424-2424
Sexual Assault Supports
× Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton, 780-423-4102
24 Hour Sexual Assault Crisis Line, 780-423-4121
× Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services – One Line for Sexual Violence text-talk
line, 1-866-403-8000
× YWCA Edmonton - Counselling Centre, 780-970-6501
Counselling
* if you are interested in accessing more private counsellors or practitioners, additional
information can be provided at your request
×
×

City of Edmonton Citizen Services, Individual and Family Well-Being, 780-496-4777
YWCA Edmonton, 780-423-9922 x222

155
×
×
×
×
×
×
×
×
×
×

The Family Centre, 780-424-6103
Pride Centre of Edmonton, 780-488-3234
Catholic Social Services, 780-420-1970
Cornerstone Counselling Centre (faith-based), 780-482-6215
The Salvation Army (faith-based), 780-424-9222
University of Alberta - Faculty of Education, Clinical Services (September-April),
780-492-3746
Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services, University of Alberta, Faculty of
Education, 780-492-0772
Jewish Family Services, 780-454-1194
Momentum Walk-In Counselling, 780-757-0900
Stop Abuse in Families (SAIF) Society (St. Albert, AB), 780-460-2195

For more counselling options available in your area, dial 211
Mental Health Support Groups
× Alberta Health Services (AHS) - Family Matters Support Group, 780-710-7370
× Anorexics and Bulimics Anonymous, 780-443-6077
× Co-Dependents Recovery Society, 780-436-6853
× Eating Disorder Support Network of Alberta, 780-729-3376
× Emotions Anonymous (depressed, anxious, etc.), 780-436-2951
× Momentum Walk-In Counselling, 780-757-0900
o Healthy Living with Bipolar Diagnosis
o Steps to Wellness for Anxiety and Depression
× Organization for Bipolar Affective Disorders, 780-451-1755
× Schizophrenia Society of Alberta – Edmonton, 780-452-4661
Mental Health Assessment/Testing/Treatment
× Edmonton Community Mental Health Clinic, 780-342-7700
× Alberta Health Services – Mental Health and Addictions 24/7, 780-424-2424
× University of Alberta Hospital Psychiatric Treatment Clinic, 780-407-6501
× Psychologists’ Association of Alberta - Psychologist Referral Service, 780-428-TALK
(8255)
× University of Alberta - Faculty of Education: Clinical Services (September-April), 780492-3746
Inner City Mental Health Services
×
×
×
×

Bissell Centre - Mental Health Supports, 780-423-2285 ext. 166
Boyle McCauley Health Centre, 780-422-7333
Boyle Street Community Services, 780-424-4106
Hope Mission - Health Centre – Psychiatrist, 780-422-2018 ext. 278

Financial
× Government of Alberta

156
×
×
×

×

Alberta Supports Centre (info line), 780-644-9992
Emergency Income Support (24/7), 780-644-5135
Income Support / Employment Information:
o Edmonton City Centre (105th Street Office), 780-415-4900
o Edmonton North (Northgate Centre), 780-422-9440
o Edmonton South (Argyll Centre), 780-644-2888
o Edmonton West (Meadowlark), 780-415-8116
Service Canada - Employment Insurance (EI), 1-800-206-7218

Women’s Health and Sexuality
× Alberta Health Services (AHS):
o Birth Control Centre (and pregnancy testing), 780-735-0010
o Health Link (24/7), 811
o Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) Clinic, 780-342-2300
o Lois Hole Hospital for Women, Royal Alexandra Hospital, 780-735-4111
× Woman’s Health Options (pro-choice; abortion services), 780-484-1124
× Women’s Health Clinic of Edmonton, 780-421-4728
× Boyle McCauley Health Centre (low income; inner city) - Women's Health Promotion
Program, 780-422-7333
× Compass Centre for Sexual Wellness (pro-choice), 780-423-3737
× The Elizabeth Fry Society of Edmonton - STI Testing (women only, inclusive of trans
women), 780-784-2205
× Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services, 780-492-0772
× Multicultural Health Brokers Co-op, 780-423-1973
× Pride Centre of Edmonton, 780-488-3234
Addictions Counselling/Crisis Support
× Alberta Health Services - Addiction Services
o Addiction Helpline (24/7), 1-866-332-2322
o Adult Counselling, 780-427-2736
o Opioid (Opiate) Dependency Program, 780-422-1302
o Adult Detoxification program, 780-427-4291
× Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) - Distress Line (24/7), 780-482-HELP
(4357)
Adult Residential Programs
×
×
×
×
×

Alberta Health Services (AHS) - Adult Residential: Henwood Health Treatment Centre
(men/women; alcohol, drugs, gambling), 780-422-4466
Catholic Social Services - Alpha House (men/women in recovery; 18+yrs), 780-473-5957
Hope Mission Edmonton - Wellspring Recovery Community (women; 18+yrs; wait list),
780-422-2018
McDougall House Association (women in recovery; 18+yrs), 780-426-1409
Oxford House Foundation of Canada (men/women in recovery from addictions), 780455-5517

157
×
×

Poundmaker’s Lodge Treatment Centre (men/women; 18+yrs; alcohol, drugs, gambling),
780-458-1884
The Salvation Army, 780-423-2111

Emergency Shelters for the Intoxicated
× Hope Mission, 780-422-2018

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Appendix 6: Resources for Participants Living in Sherwood Park, Alberta
Resources for Violence Against Women in Relationships
Outreach/Referral/Support
× Strathcona County Family and Community Services (FCSS)
(Sherwood Park, AB), 780-464-4044
× Government of Alberta - Prevention of Family Violence and Bullying
o Bullying Helpline (24/7), 1-888-456-2323
o Family Violence Info Line (24/7), 310-1818
o Online Resources, www.familyviolence.alberta.ca
Shelter/Housing
× Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters, 1-866-331-3933
× Alberta Shelters Lookup, www.acws.ca/shelters
× A Safe Place (Sherwood Park, AB), 780-464-7233
× Alberta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(A-SPCA), Pet Safekeeping Program, www.albertaspca.org
Court Preparation/Legal/Protection
× Government of Alberta
o Emergency Protection Order (EPO) Program, 780-422-9222
o Restraining Order Without Notice, https://www.alberta.ca/get-a-restrainingorder.aspx
o Family Law Information Centre, 780-415-0404
o Family Justice Services - Family Mediation, 780-427-8329
o Maintenance Enforcement Program, 780-422-5555
× Alberta Family Mediation Society, 1-403-233-0143
× Alberta Arbitration & Mediation Society, 780-989-3797
× Law Society of Alberta - Lawyer Directory Service, 1-800-661-9003
× Dial-A-Lawyer and Lawyer Referral Service, 1-800-332-1091
× Legal Aid Alberta - Legal Services Centres, 1-866-845-3425
× Strathcona County Victim Services, 780-449-0153
× OakNet: Older Adult Knowledge Network, www.oaknet.ca
× WillowNet: Abuse and the Law in Alberta, www.willownet.ca
Group Programs
× Strathcona County Family and Community Services (FCSS), 780-464-4044
o Women’s Group
o Understanding Emotions group
o Mindfulness and Self-Compassion group
Crisis (Call 911 if in immediate danger)
× Government of Alberta - Child Abuse Hotline (24/7), 1-800-387-5437
× Family Violence Crisis Line, 1-877-252-7233

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Sexual Assault Supports
× Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services – One Line for Sexual Violence text-talk
line, 1-866-403-8000
× Saffron Sexual Assault Centre (Sherwood Park, AB), 780-423-4121
Counselling
* if you are interested in accessing more private counsellors or practitioners, additional
information can be provided at your request
×

×
×
×
×
×

Strathcona County Family and Community Services, 780-464-4044
o Walk-in counselling (sliding scale, $0-90, 2001 Sherwood Drive Sherwood Park,
Alberta)
o Groups:
▪ Understanding Emotions
▪ Mindfulness and Self-Compassion
▪ Women’s Group
▪ Developing Trust
▪ Next Steps for Support
Howard & Associates Psychological Services, 587-805-3943
Sojourn Psychology, 780- 449-1196
Element Counselling Services, 780-570-1144
Evolution Psychology, 780-570-5709
SunRise Psychology Centre, 780-416-4060

For more counselling options available in your area, dial 211
Mental Health Assessment/Testing/Treatment
× Strathcona Community Hospital, 780-449-5380
× Psychologists’ Association of Alberta - Psychologist Referral Service, 780-428-TALK
(8255)
Crisis (Call 911 if in immediate danger)
× Alberta Health Services (AHS) - Mental Health Help Line (24/7), 1-877-303-2642
× Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) - Distress Line (24/7), 780-482-HELP
(4357)
× Government of Alberta - Mental Health Act, 780-422-1812
Financial
× Government of Alberta
o Alberta Supports Centre (info line), 780-644-9992
o Emergency Income Support (24/7), 780-644-5135
o Sherwood Park Alberta Supports Centre, 780-464-7000
× Service Canada - Employment Insurance (EI), 1-800-206-7218
Women’s Health and Sexuality
× Alberta Health Services (AHS), Health Link (24/7), 811

160
×

Synergy Women’s Wellness Centre, 780-467-4343

Addictions Counselling/Crisis Support
× Alberta Health Services - Addiction Services - Addiction Helpline (24/7), 1-866-332-2322

×

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Appendix 7: Resources for Participants Living in St. Albert, Alberta
Resources for Violence Against Women in Relationships
Outreach/Referral/Support
× Stop Abuse in Families (SAIF) Society (St. Albert, AB),
780-460-2195
× St. Albert Family and Community Support Services (FCSS),
780-418-6000
× Government of Alberta - Prevention of Family Violence and Bullying
o Bullying Helpline (24/7), 1-888-456-2323
o Family Violence Info Line (24/7), 310-1818
o Online Resources, www.familyviolence.alberta.ca
Shelter/Housing
× Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters, 1-866-331-3933
× Alberta Shelters Lookup, www.acws.ca/shelters
× Alberta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(A-SPCA), Pet Safekeeping Program, www.albertaspca.org
Court Preparation/Legal/Protection
× Legal Aid Alberta (low-income) - Legal Services Centres, 1-866-845-3425
× Government of Alberta
o Emergency Protection Order (EPO) Program, 780-422-9222
o Restraining Order Without Notice, https://www.alberta.ca/get-a-restrainingorder.aspx
o Family Law Information Centre, 780-415-0404
o Family Justice Services - Family Mediation, 780-427-8329
o Maintenance Enforcement Program, 780-422-5555
× St. Albert Victim Services, 780-458-4353
× Alberta Family Mediation Society, 1-403-233-0143
× Alberta Arbitration & Medication Society, 780-989-3797
× Law Society of Alberta - Lawyer Directory Service, 1-800-661-9003
× Dial-A-Lawyer and Lawyer Referral Service, 1-800-332-1091
× OakNet: Older Adult Knowledge Network, www.oaknet.ca
× WillowNet: Abuse and the Law in Alberta, www.willownet.ca
Group Programs
× City of St. Albert, 780-459-1500
o SAIF (Stop Abuse in Families Society) Education Program
o Community Liaison Program
Crisis (Call 911 if in immediate danger)
× Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) - Distress Line (24/7), 780-482-HELP
(4357)
× Government of Alberta - Child Abuse Hotline (24/7), 1-800-387-5437

162
×

Family Violence Crisis Line, 1-877-252-7233

Sexual Assault Supports
×

Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services – One Line for Sexual Violence text-talk
line, 1-866-403-8000

Counselling
* if you are interested in accessing more private counsellors or practitioners, additional
information can be provided at your request
×
×
×
×
×

Stop Abuse in Families (SAIF) Society (St. Albert, AB), 780-460-2195
St. Albert Family and Community Support Services (FCSS), Community Intake
Counsellor (up to age 24), 780-470-2059
Lumina Counselling Services, 780-902-1700
Rivers Edge Counselling Centre, 780-460-0022
WJW Counselling & Mediation, 780-460-1037

For more counselling options available in your area, dial 211
Mental Health Assessment/Testing/Treatment
× Sturgeon Community Hospital, 780-418-8200
× Psychologists’ Association of Alberta - Psychologist Referral Service, 780-428-TALK
(8255)
Crisis (Call 911 if in immediate danger)
× Alberta Health Services (AHS) - Mental Health Help Line (24/7), 1-877-303-2642
× Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) - Distress Line (24/7), 780-482-HELP
(4357)
× Government of Alberta - Mental Health Act, 780-422-1812
Financial
× Government of Alberta, Alberta Supports Centre (info line),
780-644-9992
o Emergency Income Support (24/7), 780-644-5135
o St. Albert Alberta Supports Centre, 780-419-3907
× Service Canada - Employment Insurance (EI), 1-800-206-7218
Women’s Health and Sexuality
× Alberta Health Services (AHS) - Health Link (24/7), 811
Addictions Counselling/Crisis Support
× Alberta Health Services - Addiction Helpline (24/7), 1-866-332-2322

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Appendix 8: Resources for Participants Living in Spruce Grove, Alberta
Resources for Violence Against Women in Relationships
Outreach/Referral/Support
× Spruce Grove Family and Community Support Services (FCSS),
780-962-7618
× Government of Alberta - Prevention of Family Violence and
Bullying
o Bullying Helpline (24/7), 1-888-456-2323
o Family Violence Info Line (24/7), 310-1818
o Online Resources, www.familyviolence.alberta.ca
Shelter/Housing
× Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters, 1-866-331-3933
× Alberta Shelters Lookup, www.acws.ca/shelters
× Alberta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(A-SPCA), Pet Safekeeping Program, www.albertaspca.org
Court Preparation/Legal/Protection
× Legal Aid Alberta (low-income) - Legal Services Centres,
1-866-845-3425
× Government of Alberta
o Emergency Protection Order (EPO) Program, 780-422-9222
o Restraining Order Without Notice, https://www.alberta.ca/get-a-restrainingorder.aspx
o Family Law Information Centre, 780-415-0404
o Family Justice Services - Family Mediation, 780-427-8329
o Maintenance Enforcement Program, 780-422-5555
× Alberta Family Mediation Society, 1-403-233-0143
× Alberta Arbitration & Mediation Society, 780-989-3797
× Law Society of Alberta - Lawyer Directory Service, 1-800-661-9003
× Dial-A-Lawyer and Lawyer Referral Service, 1-800-332-1091
× Victim Services Society of Stony Plain, Spruce Grove & District, 780-968-7272
× OakNet: Older Adult Knowledge Network, www.oaknet.ca
× WillowNet: Abuse and the Law in Alberta, www.willownet.ca
Group Programs
× Spruce Grove Family Community Services (FCSS), 780-962-7618
o 10 Habits of Successful Relationships
o Wellness Recovery Action Plan – WRAP
o Nature for Mental Health
o Mess with Stress

164
Crisis (Call 911 if in immediate danger)
× Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) - Distress Line (24/7), 780-482-HELP
(4357)
× Government of Alberta - Child Abuse Hotline (24/7), 1-800-387-5437
× Family Violence Crisis Line, 1-877-252-7233
Sexual Assault Supports
×

Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services – One Line for Sexual Violence text-talk
line, 1-866-403-8000

Counselling
* if you are interested in accessing more private counsellors or practitioners, additional
information can be provided at your request
×
×
×
×
×
×
×
×
×

Spruce Grove Family and Community Support Services (FCSS), 780-962-7618
Stepping Stones Counselling (Spruce Grove, AB), 780-643-7224
A Sacred Journey Psychological Services, Inc. (Spruce Grove, AB), 780-960-1616
Art Can Heal (Spruce Grove, AB), 780-916-6615
Insight Psychological Services (Spruce Grove, AB), 780-962-3310
Highlander Counselling and Mediation (Spruce Grove, AB), 780-903-3961
Parkland Turning Points Society (Stony Plain, AB; specializing in violence against
women in relationships),
780-963-8774
Immanual Counselling Centre (Stony Plain, AB; Christian-based), 780-690-2375
Balance Psychological Services (Parkland County, AB), 780-937-8109

For more counselling options available in your area, dial 211
Mental Health Assessment/Testing/Treatment
× Psychologists’ Association of Alberta - Psychologist Referral Service, 780-428-TALK
(8255)
× Adult Mental Health Clinic (Westview Hospital, Stony Plain, AB), 780-963-6151
Financial
× Government of Alberta
o Alberta Supports Centre (info line), 780-644-9992
o Emergency Income Support (24/7), 780-644-5135
o Parkland Alberta Supports Centre, 780-962-8681
× Service Canada - Employment Insurance (EI), 1-800-206-7218
Women’s Health and Sexuality
× WestView Women’s Health Clinic, 780-960-9533 ext. 221
× Alberta Health Services (AHS) - Health Link (24/7), 811

165
Addictions Counselling/Crisis Support
× Alberta Health Services - Addiction Helpline (24/7), 1-866-332-2322
× Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) - Distress Line (24/7), 780-482-HELP
(4357)

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Appendix 9: Resources for Participants Living in Leduc, Alberta
Resources for Violence Against Women in Relationships
Outreach/Referral/Support
× RiseUp Society Alberta (Leduc, AB), 780-739-7473
× Leduc Family and Community Support Services, 780-980-7109
o Family Violence Support
× Government of Alberta - Prevention of Family Violence and Bullying
o Bullying Helpline (24/7), 1-888-456-2323
o Family Violence Info Line (24/7), 310-1818
o Online Resources, www.familyviolence.alberta.ca
Shelter/Housing
× Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters, 1-866-331-3933
× Alberta Shelters Lookup, www.acws.ca/shelters
× Alberta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(A-SPCA), Pet Safekeeping Program, www.albertaspca.org
Court Preparation/Legal/Protection
× Legal Aid Alberta (low-income) - Legal Services Centres, 1-866-845-3425
× Government of Alberta
o Emergency Protection Order (EPO) Program, 780-422-9222
o Restraining Order Without Notice, https://www.alberta.ca/get-a-restrainingorder.aspx
o Family Law Information Centre, 780-415-0404
o Family Justice Services - Family Mediation, 780-427-8329
o Maintenance Enforcement Program, 780-422-5555
× Alberta Family Mediation Society, 1-403-233-0143
× Alberta Arbitration & Medication Society, 780-989-3797
× Law Society of Alberta - Lawyer Directory Service, 1-800-661-9003
× Dial-A-Lawyer and Lawyer Referral Service, 1-800-332-1091
× Leduc & District Victim Services, 780-980-7232
× OakNet: Older Adult Knowledge Network, www.oaknet.ca
× WillowNet: Abuse and the Law in Alberta, www.willownet.ca
Group Programs
× City of Leduc, 780-980-7177
o Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) workshop, 780-342-7686
Crisis (Call 911 if in immediate danger)
× Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) - Distress Line (24/7), 780-482-HELP
(4357)
× Government of Alberta - Child Abuse Hotline (24/7), 1-800-387-5437
× Family Violence Crisis Line, 1-877-252-7233

167
Sexual Assault Supports
×

Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services – One Line for Sexual Violence text-talk
line, 1-866-403-8000

Counselling
* if you are interested in accessing more private counsellors or practitioners, additional
information can be provided at your request
×
×
×
×
×
×

RiseUp Society Alberta, 780-739-7473
City of Leduc, $20-50, 780-980-7109
Family Counselling Centres, 780-612-8577
Triple R Counselling Services, 780-908-5331
HopeWell Psychological - Online Therapy, 780-298-9401
Tansem Psychology, 780-718-1788

For more counselling options available in your area, dial 211
Mental Health Assessment/Testing/Treatment
× Addiction and Mental Health Community Clinic, 780-986-2660
× Psychologists’ Association of Alberta - Psychologist Referral Service, 780-428-TALK
(8255)
Financial
× Government of Alberta
o Alberta Supports Centre (info line), 780-644-9992
o Emergency Income Support (24/7), 780-644-5135
o Leduc Alberta Supports Centre, 780-980-0557
× Service Canada - Employment Insurance (EI), 1-800-206-7218
Women’s Health and Sexuality
× Alberta Health Services (AHS) - Health Link (24/7), 811
Addictions Counselling/Crisis Support
× Alberta Health Services – Addiction Helpline (24/7), 1-866-332-2322
× Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) - Distress Line (24/7), 780-482-HELP
(4357)

168
Appendix 10: Resources for Participants Living in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta
Resources for Violence Against Women in Relationships
Outreach/Referral/Support
× Families First Society of Fort Saskatchewan, 780-998-5595 ext. 222
o Fort Saskatchewan Family Violence Prevention Program
o Dawn: Educational/Support Group for Women of Abuse
× Fort Saskatchewan Family and Community Social Services
(FCSS), 780-922-6267
× Government of Alberta - Prevention of Family Violence and Bullying
o Bullying Helpline (24/7), 1-888-456-2323
o Family Violence Info Line (24/7), 310-1818
o Online Resources, www.familyviolence.alberta.ca
Shelter/Housing
× Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters, 1-866-331-3933
× Alberta Shelters Lookup, www.acws.ca/shelters
× Alberta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(A-SPCA), Pet Safekeeping Program, www.albertaspca.org
Court Preparation/Legal/Protection
× Legal Aid Alberta (low-income) - Legal Services Centres, 1-866-845-3425
× Government of Alberta
o Emergency Protection Order (EPO) Program, 780-422-9222
o Restraining Order Without Notice, https://www.alberta.ca/get-a-restrainingorder.aspx
o Family Law Information Centre, 780-415-0404
o Family Justice Services - Family Mediation, 780-427-8329
o Maintenance Enforcement Program, 780-422-5555
× Alberta Family Mediation Society, 1-403-233-0143
× Alberta Arbitration & Medication Society, 780-989-3797
× Law Society of Alberta - Lawyer Directory Service, 1-800-661-9003
× Dial-A-Lawyer and Lawyer Referral Service, 1-800-332-1091
× Legal Aid Alberta - Legal Services Centres, 1-866-845-3425
× Fort Saskatchewan Victim Services, 780-992-6126
× OakNet: Older Adult Knowledge Network, www.oaknet.ca
× WillowNet: Abuse and the Law in Alberta, www.willownet.ca
Crisis (Call 911 if in immediate danger)
× Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) - Distress Line (24/7), 780-482-HELP
(4357)
× Government of Alberta - Child Abuse Hotline (24/7), 1-800-387-5437
× Family Violence Crisis Line, 1-877-252-7233

169
Sexual Assault Supports
× Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services – One Line for Sexual Violence text-talk
line, 1-866-403-8000
Counselling
* if you are interested in accessing more private counsellors or practitioners, additional
information can be provided at your request
×
×
×
×
×

Fort Saskatchewan Family and Community Social Services
(FCSS), 780-922-6267
City of Fort Saskatchewan, sliding scale, 780-992-6267
ACADA Services, 780-997-0450
Life by Design Psychology, 587-414-0950
Niki Hardick Healing Family Matters Counselling, 587-744-0240

For more counselling options available in your area, dial 211
Mental Health Assessment/Testing/Treatment
× Fort Saskatchewan Community Hospital, 780-998-2256
× Psychologists’ Association of Alberta - Psychologist Referral Service, 780-428-TALK
(8255)
Financial
× Government of Alberta
o Alberta Supports Centre (info line), 780-644-9992
o Emergency Income Support (24/7), 780-644-5135
o Fort Saskatchewan Alberta Supports Centre, 780-417-2497
× Service Canada - Employment Insurance (EI), 1-800-206-7218
× Salvation Army, 780-352-2416
Women’s Health and Sexuality
× Alberta Health Services (AHS) - Health Link (24/7), 811
Addictions Counselling/Crisis Support
× Fort Saskatchewan Clinic, 780-342-2388
× Alberta Health Services - Addiction Helpline (24/7), 1-866-332-2322
× Crisis Services, 780-427-4491
× Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) - Distress Line (24/7), 780-482-HELP
(4357)