A counselling and support program for child witnesses of domestic abuse
The Healing the Bruises Fund allows Alice House, the largest second-stage housing organization in Atlantic Canada, to continue to assist children and their mothers impacted by family violence.
Healing the Bruises is designed to offer modified play and art therapy, toddler check-ins, one-on-one counselling for school aged children, STRAIGHTtalk for tweens and teens, workshops for mothers, and on-going parental support. In addition, Counsellor Advocates in schools and other agencies are involved with families to make sure the right service is being provided to the right child at the right time. Healing the Bruises helps children understand the violence from their past does not have to be their legacy or the frame of their future.
The program aims to:
- Provide therapeutic support for children to explore their feelings surrounding the violence they witnessed in an abusive home.
- Assist mothers of abused children to be proactive healers in their child’s recovery.
- Educate youth about violence and promote healthy home environments.