{"id":1183,"date":"2022-06-21T11:27:36","date_gmt":"2022-06-21T11:27:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/breakthecycle.org\/help_friend\/"},"modified":"2023-11-28T14:28:08","modified_gmt":"2023-11-28T14:28:08","slug":"help_friend","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.breakthecycle.org\/help_friend\/","title":{"rendered":"Help a Friend"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"content\">\n<ul>\n<li><a style=\"font-size: inherit; background-color: var(--base-3); font-family: Arial;\" href=\"\/get_involved\/get_involved\/\">Get Involved<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/get_involved\/volunteer_opportunities\/\">Volunteer<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Help a Friend or Family Member<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"topnav\"><\/div>\n<h2>How Can I Help a Friend or Family Member?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"o877gxqusjkh4ofpr\">Read these suggestions for ideas on how to help a friend or family member<br \/>\nwho is experiencing abuse.<\/p>\n<dl>\n<dt>Don&#8217;t be afraid to let them know that you are concerned for their safety.<\/dt>\n<dd>Help them recognize the abuse. Tell them you see what is going on and you want to<br \/>\nhelp. Help them to recognize that what is happening is not &#8220;normal&#8221;<br \/>\nand that they deserve a healthy, non-violent relationship.<\/dd>\n<dt>Acknowledge that they are in a very difficult and scary situation.<\/dt>\n<dd>Encourage their strength and courage. Let them know that the abuse is not their fault<br \/>\n&#8211; the abuser, not the victim, is responsible for the abuse. Let them know they<br \/>\nare not alone.<\/dd>\n<dt>Be supportive.<\/dt>\n<dd>Listen to them. Remember that it may be difficult for them to<br \/>\ntalk about the abuse. Let them know you are available to help whenever they<br \/>\nneed it. What they need most is someone who will listen to and believe them<br \/>\nand who can help them decide what to do.<\/dd>\n<dt>Be non-judgmental.<\/dt>\n<dd>Respect their decisions. There are many complex reasons<br \/>\nwhy victims stay in abusive relationships. They may break up with and go back<br \/>\nto the abuser many times. Do not criticize them for doing that. They will need<br \/>\nyour support even more during those times. Do not make them feel bad for their<br \/>\nchoices &#8211; even if you think these choices are wrong.<\/dd>\n<dt>Encourage them to do things with others.<\/dt>\n<dd>Help them with spending more time with you and other friends and family and<br \/>\ntaking part in other activities outside of the relationship.<\/dd>\n<dt>If they end the relationship, continue to be supportive of them once they are<br \/>\nalone.<\/dt>\n<dd>Even though the relationship was abusive, they will probably feel sad<br \/>\nand lonely when it is over. They may be tempted to get back together with the<br \/>\nabuser, and will especially need your support at that time.<\/dd>\n<dt>Help them develop a safety plan.<\/dt>\n<dt>Encourage them to talk to people who can give them help and guidance.<\/dt>\n<dd>Offer to go with them to find a counselor or support group, or to talk to<br \/>\ntheir family, friends or teachers. If they are going to the police, to court,<br \/>\nor to see a lawyer, offer to go along, but make sure to let them do the talking.<\/dd>\n<dt>Remember that you cannot &#8220;rescue&#8221; them.<\/dt>\n<dd>Although it is difficult<br \/>\nto see someone you care about get hurt, ultimately the victim has to be the<br \/>\none to choose to do something about it. You should be there to support them<br \/>\nand to help them find their own way to escape the abuse and make themselves<br \/>\nsafe.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<p class=\"o877gxqusjkh4ofpr\">Have more questions about how to help someone you care about?<br \/>\n<a href=\"\/about_us\/contact_us\/\">Contact Break the Cycle<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Get Involved Volunteer Help a Friend or Family Member How Can I Help a Friend &#8230; <a title=\"Help a Friend\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.breakthecycle.org\/help_friend\/\" aria-label=\"More on Help a Friend\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.breakthecycle.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1183"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.breakthecycle.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.breakthecycle.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.breakthecycle.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.breakthecycle.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1183"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.breakthecycle.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1183\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3169,"href":"https:\/\/www.breakthecycle.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1183\/revisions\/3169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.breakthecycle.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}