LiveSmart: Crime Victims Can Find Healing, Community with Virtual Support Groups
[This story was written by Ryan Melone, MHC, Therapist/Prevention Educator, St. Peter’s Crime Victim Services] Perhaps the most alarming, unintended consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic was the rise in intimate partner violence. Across the United States, victim assistance programs, hotlines, and domestic violence shelters reported a sharp increase in the number of calls to assist survivors of physical and other forms of domestic abuse. The isolation of the pandemic made it much more difficult for survivors to receive support during and after these crimes, increasing their vulnerability to further violence as well as mental health concerns like anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress. In 2020, St. Peter’s Crime Victim Services (SPCVS) began offering a series of virtual support groups to help survivors of all crimes connect with and support one another through COVID-19. These groups enabled participants to form mutual connections, offer and receive peer support, and learn new skills from the security and privacy of their own homes. Participants in these groups expressed feeling safe, supported, and empowered in their healing journeys while engaging with […]
