{"273471":{"#nid":"273471","#data":{"type":"news","title":"When Relationships Become Abusive","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ELearning how to navigate the waters of a successful relationship is a common challenge for most people, especially if the relationship is unhealthy and turns abusive. The warning signs of an abusive relationship are often difficult to identify, because relationships exist on a spectrum and even the healthiest of relationships can sometimes have bad days. Unlike healthy relationships, abusive relationships have a pattern of harmful behaviors that are used by one partner to exert power and control over the other partner.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAbusive relationships are usually characterized by social isolation, extreme jealousy, and coercion. Abusive relationships can also involve emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, but it\u2019s important to note, that these don\u2019t have to be present in order for a relationship to be abusive. Some warning signs or behaviors that you might notice are: your student\u2019s partner is extremely jealous or possessive and may express that they don\u2019t want your student to spend time with friends or that your student should only spend time with their partner, unexplained marks or bruises, your student\u2019s partner emails or texts excessively, your student seems depressed or anxious or stops participating in activities they once enjoyed, or your student expresses concern over what would happen if they broke up with their partner (fear of the partner being angry or harming others or themself).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIf you think your student may be in an abusive relationship, it\u2019s important for you to know that there are resources at Georgia Tech and in the Atlanta community to support them. The VOICE initiative at Georgia Tech is one such resource. VOICE provides violence prevention education, as well as advocacy and support services for survivors of sexual violence, including survivors of intimate partner and dating violence. For more information about VOICE, visit \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.voice.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ewww.voice.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E. \u0026nbsp;Additionally, two off-campus and national resources are Love is Respect (\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.loveisrespect.org\u0022\u003Ewww.loveisrespect.org\u003C\/a\u003E) and the National Domestic Violence Hotline (\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.thehotline.org\u0022\u003Ewww.thehotline.org\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIf your student is in an abusive relationship, your support could be vital to their safety and ability to leave the relationship. The most important thing you can do to support your student is to believe them and to not question them about why they have remained in the relationship. There are some barriers to getting out of an abusive relationship that may feel particularly relevant to college students, including feeling trapped or being worried about judgment from their peers because of the small campus community\u0026nbsp;and feeling isolated from family and friend support, particularly if the student is living a long distance from home. Keep in mind that your student may be afraid to tell you what is happening to them because they could be concerned about your reaction, so try to remain calm and nonjudgmental about the decisions your student makes as they work to leave an abusive situation. In addition to believing their story you can provide support to your student by encouraging them to seek professional help on campus through the Georgia Tech Counseling Center or Women\u2019s Resource Center. These resources can work your student to safety plan, discuss reporting options, and provide them with additional resources.\u0026nbsp; If you are concerned about your student but aren\u2019t sure how to start the conversation, we encourage you to reach out to the Women\u2019s Resource Center Victim Advocate, Melanie DeMaeyer (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:melanie.demaeyer@vpss.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emelanie.demaeyer@vpss.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E) to schedule a time to talk.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt Georgia Tech, we believe that every student has the right to live and learn free of violence or the threat of violence. We work to educate our campus community about healthy relationships, violence prevention, and bystander intervention through the VOICE initiative, a collaborative effort between the Women\u2019s Resource Center and the Department of Health Promotion. From February 10-14, VOICE is hosting a week of training and programs dedicated to raising awareness about healthy relationships, and throughout the semester the initiative hosts trainings that teach students how to prevent violence and respond to a friend in need.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"27164","created_gmt":"2014-02-04 13:21:10","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:15:47","author":"Rachael Pocklington","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2014-02-04T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2014-02-04T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.counseling.gatech.edu\/","title":"Georgia Tech Counseling Center,"},{"url":"http:\/\/womenscenter.gatech.edu\/","title":"Women\u0027s Resource Center"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.voice.gatech.edu\/","title":"VOICE"}],"groups":[{"id":"1298","name":"Parent and Family Programs"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"8912","name":"domestic violence"},{"id":"3559","name":"relationships"},{"id":"4968","name":"VOICE"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMelanie DeMaeyer\u003Cbr \/\u003EAdvocate, Women\u2019s Resource Center \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:melanie.demaeyer@vpss.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emelanie.demaeyer@vpss.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["parents@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}