WomenSV Testimonials
Welcome to the WomenSV Testimonials page, where we share messages of hope from domestic violence survivors in our community.
Names have been changed to protect the identities of survivors.
"I was trapped for 20 years, thinking there was no way I could ever get out. WomenSV was the catalyst I needed."
-Lou Anne
"WomenSV saved me from a life of abuse and mistreatment. This group allowed me to identify the behavior that was happening and helped me find a way and the courage to leave. I couldn't be more thankful to them!"
-Margaret
"Prior to working with WomenSV, I was struggling to find help for myself and my child. Most agencies only deal with physical abuse and if there aren't bruises (or recent bruises) they can't help you. This 'no bruises, no problem' approach that most agencies have keeps women and families from getting the support they need. WomenSV provides a much needed service that fills this gap.
Thanks to WomenSV I was able to educate myself, find a lawyer that understood my situation and get my child and myself free from our abusive home life.
Knowing there is a network of people who understand what you are going through and are here to help is invaluable! Most of us have become very isolated because of the abusive situations we live in ... WomenSV provided excellent suggestions on how to keep my child and myself safe. Working with WomenSV gave me the wisdom to know what steps to take and the confidence to take them.
WomenSV is a valuable resource to those impacted by any type of abuse, but especially those impacted by "non-traditional", non-physical abuse which is just as damaging but less visible and less supported in our society and legal system.
I'm so grateful for WomenSV's support!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!"
-Melissa
"Thank you WomenSV for helping me fly free. Thank you for helping me get my life back."
-Patricia
"Ruth Patrick's group, WomenSV has helped me in so many ways. I can't even imagine my life right now without it. I came in feeling isolated and struggling, but I have gained the tools and support to move forward. Ruth is an impassioned educator. She teaches us how to recognize domestic violence and abuse and gives us the language to talk about it. This allows me to heal from my past, protect myself in the present, and plan for a healthy future. I use this knowledge and language to help my children understand what we've been through and have happier and healthier lives."
-Anne
"Now that I have found WomenSV, I don't feel alone anymore."
-Mary
"Thanks to you and the courageous women of WomenSV, I am planning my future instead of being the victim of the ghastly plans my former husband had for me. I found safety and people who are willing to help me on my road to freedom from my tormentor.
Where others show willful ignorance of the darkness that descends on the families where abuse is hidden, Ruth is a fearless champion of the abused and shines a light on the path toward healing. In this way, we are given the opportunity to thrive and help others around us do the same ...
Ruth, your generous gift of a compassionate ear, your precious time, a caring heart, and a wealth of information helped me to remember my worth and to help myself and others out of the darkness and into the light. You are a blessing and a Godsend to those in need. Thank you for all that you do... and with a smile."
-Renee
"Meeting Ruth and being involved with WomenSV was literally a lifesaver. Living in a world of covert deception and abusive tactics is soul squashing and WomenSV allowed me to find validation and resources while I try and be a mother in an intense dynamic. I am able to learn to find joy again, self care, and most importantly stop the cycle of violence in raising up the next generation by having peace in our home now."
-Laura
"WomenSV has been a God-send to me ... Going through the trauma of a domestic abuse situation left me feeling weak and unable to cope with everyday issues. Weekly, Ruth shares important topics, and has a treasure trove of domestic violence-specific resources and speakers to help us all address very important issues needed to rebuild our lives. Finding all that information in one place would have taken me years to find on my own.
Also, the support group approach makes me feel important and understood. The women I have met there have become great friends and we have all helped each other. Overall, an excellent place to help you heal and take back your power."
-Martha
"WomenSV has been a tremendous support system. It is comforting to be in a group that 'gets it.'
WomenSV has helped keep me sane through the insanity. Just being able to be part of a group of all ages and backgrounds and yet feeling like I’m with sisters is so comforting. We speak the same language and understand the ups and downs of the constant roller coaster ride. It’s often said that it’s like we all married the same person."
-Beth
"There have been times when I felt like this group was the only place I could be truly understood and I'm so grateful to have that.
I felt so alone before I joined this group. It's helped me to understand my experiences in the past and to plan for the future. This was the thing I didn't know I needed ... Almost everyone in my life acted like once the relationship was over, things would all be totally fine, and told me that I should just relax. It really helps to have concrete support in managing the things that have continued to happen."
-Natasha
"It was miraculous to find a group of people who understood me when everyone else made me feel crazy."
-Jessica
"When I first met Ruth, I was in a state of shock and trauma ... I escaped, but I was completely wrecked in every way a human being can be. Ruth, with her infinite kindness, stepped in to help me begin picking up the pieces. With her wonderfully astute insights into the unique plight of victims of affluent and powerful predators, she offered guidance, comfort and validation ... Step by step, Ruth Patrick and WomenSV are helping me repair my life. Words cannot express the ocean of gratitude I have for this woman and this organization."
-Sally
"I met Ruth when desperate, facing an incredible reality that did not make any sense, suddenly stripped of everything that mattered to me but also of what I did not even realize yet I had lost during past years.
I was at a very sad end of a seemingly normal but in reality abusive relationship. With the help of Ruth and her group, I slowly started to understand and realize what happened and how. It opened my eyes to reality and past years, explained the mechanisms of what till now I had considered the very 'special character' of my husband.
It helped me realize how many red flags I had missed, how many obvious patterns, behaviors and "tricks" I did not recognize and had partially ignored, partially felt unable to deal with, slowly and silently sinking in the worsening spiral where I could not see the way out ...
I hope every woman hears about what an abusive relationship is, how to avoid it, recognize it in time, and how to get help.
Ruth is a devoted, honest, knowledgeable and active advocate ... She is a real gem for the community. I am forever glad I met her."
-Jane
"WomenSV helped me stay out of the abusive relationship by giving me a community of women who supported me through the difficult phases of leaving. It gave me words for what had happened and taught me that abuse is not only physical."
-Laurene
"Here's how attending the weekly WomenSV support group helped me: I needed support, education and encouragement in order to even see the abusive behavior in my marriage as legitimately unacceptable. I needed the community of women who were in various stages of identifying, and leaving abusive situations. If they could act in their own interests, maybe I could as well. And so I have done just that, one small step followed by another, then another, and on and on, it continues. I will be forever grateful!"
-Rebecca
"People think when you have money or live in a nice neighborhood, somehow that means you don't need help. They judge you. They blame you. I was so ashamed. My abuser took all our money. We still lived in a nice house. My kids still attend good schools. But if you opened my purse - you would see the truth. I was trapped. No one seemed to understand or care. And then a friend told me about WomenSV. I found people who understood what was happening to me - and even more important, what to do about it."
-Tina
"Before I begin my story, I'd like you to imagine that you're driving or walking down a street. Maybe this is a street that you're very familiar with... maybe it's completely imaginary. As you look around this street, perhaps to check your blind spot, think about the types of road signs you often see in everyday life. I'd like to tell you about my journey and my road signs.
After years spent at a red light, I found a green light when I met Ruth ... I was comforted and validated from her wisdom. Her expertise in DV is priceless. I learned that I was on a windy road with many twists and turns, and that I needed to proceed with caution. I was preparing to leave my 31-year marriage as safely as possible just like the other educated professional women Ruth continues to help ...
For 2 hours each week, WomenSV creates a safe rest stop for us in the support group. I hear the cries for help but also the calm encouragement during this forum where women navigate their path to safety and sanity... While I know my personal journey has been forever changed because of Ruth, I hope you know that there are so many more women like me who need Ruth's green light - to merge and move forward. I'm so grateful for Ruth and for your personal support of your work. Thank you, Ruth!"
-Mimi
"A dear childhood friend sent me an article about WomenSV and said, 'Please call this woman named Ruth Patrick. I love you and hope that you will not be angry at me, but I believe that you are a victim of domestic violence.'
At first, I was taken aback because I had always believed, as he said, that it was 'my fault' or the 'children's fault' that he got angry.
I went to my very first meeting thinking, I am not one of these women ... However, after listening to Ruth talk and wondering how she knew my soon-to-be-ex-husband so well without ever having met him, I realized that 'yes' I AM one of those women who lived in a DV marriage for 27 years.
Ruth not only opened my eyes to finally face and see the DV in my life and my children's lives but also to find the strength to 'change my situation'! She has also helped me continue to heal and re-open my heart to know that I am worthy of feeling safe, loved, herished and trusting again. She has shared her wisdom, love, strength, compassion, and insight and helped me find my power again. Ruth inspires us all each day with herf presence and grace that NO ONE deserves to live with DV in their lives ever. We all deserve peace. Thank you, Ruth!"
-Tess
"I am so grateful to find WomenSV. WomenSV brought me HOPE, when I thought that I lost it. I was hopeless and living in fear.
Before finding WomenSV, I was living in fear to speak up about what I went through in my marriage with years of domestic, sexual, financial and verbal abuse. Nobody it seemed was understanding what was going on with me about the abuse that I was going through, until I met Ruth at WomenSV and spoke with her about what was going on. Ruth patiently listened to me, embraced my worries and fears, and comforted me saying: 'Dear, I believe you. You are not alone.'
At WomenSV I am getting support about how to protect myself from my abusive husband. For 7 years I was living with a person that put me down, criticized me whatever I did, physically, emotionally and sexually abused me. Now that I am living far away from him, he still tries to control me.
But not anymore.
At WomenSV I am learning to break this invisible chain that was holding me with my abuser, and set myself free. I am getting back my confidence, little by little. I have inside of me invisible wounds that people can't see. Just those who went through the cycle of domestic violence can understand and see these wounds.
I found support, love and care at WomenSV to help me heal those invisible wounds inside of me. I still fear him, but now I know that I am not alone, I have WomenSV to help me in my journey to get back strength to deal with my abuser."
-Juanita
"WomenSV taught me that I am not ‘useless’ or ‘ridiculous.’ I deserve a peaceful life. I deserve to be free and safe in my own home."
-Susan
"When I called WomenSV, it was the first time I felt like I was talking to someone who 'gets it.'"
-Dorothy
"Ruth is a walking-talking encyclopedia on safety planning and how to identify and tackle abusive personality types. She has her fingers firmly on the pulse of these types and provides us survivors with a roadmap on how to navigate this minefield of being in an intimate relationship with an abuser. Thank you, Ruth!"
-Claire
"The expertise that WomenSV has in domestic violence is priceless."
-Rita
“It was such a relief to define the treatment I was subject to and be connected to others.”
-Melinda
“I feel very fortunate... And when you encounter women who really want you to succeed and are so connected to so many resources it’s life saving. It really is.”
-Andrea
"Being able to share with other women, who understand nuanced details of what I've been through, who aren’t family or friends, helps greatly decrease isolation and imparts a feeling of validation and being seen."
-Paula
"Ruth and her team are uniquely qualified to understand the nature of this devastating problem... Without Ruth and her team I honestly think I would have given up hope long ago."
-Felicity
"Thank you so much. Just knowing you are there makes a huge difference, but it’s more than that. I have tools and have met people that care."
-Melanie
"WomenSV are already amazing and doing so much for survivors! I know they are already talking to therapists, as well as [legal advocates] in the Family Court system. The more outreach they are able to have here, the better educated these groups of professionals will be, and the more it will help assist survivors in the long run. Keep it up!"
-Amanda
"WSV has been a life saver to me, I wouldn't be where I am today without your help! HUGE THANK YOU to all the woman warriors and trailblazers!"
-Julia
"This group has been invaluable and literally may be the reason I am surviving what’s happened to me."
-Charlotte
"If it wasn’t for the support of Ruth and the advocates I would not be free today."
-Miranda
"Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me and for others, and to get the word out about what covert abuse is, how it works, and how serious it is. If I hadn’t gone through it and had WomenSV to help me understand, I’d likely still be blaming myself and not have made as much progress as I have towards having a life worth living."
-Sabrina
"Being heard by a supportive inspiring team of advocates dedicated to imparting wisdom and resources walked with me during one of the most difficult situations of my life. I went from thinking I can’t leave, to thinking I might be able to leave with a step by step blueprint created by me, to finally leaving! Although [my] divorce still isn’t resolved, and I still have a ways to go in healing myself, this last stage of my journey is only possible because of WomenSV. Endless gratitude to WomenSV. Thank you."
-Betty
"I was granted a lifetime order of protection! Thanks to your advice years ago, I had documented and saved important evidence in a storage unit away from our house. ...
I have tremendous gratitude for you and for all the wonderful advice and support over the last three and a half years. It's been difficult at times but you'd always been a rock star I could talk to and who'd help me understand and manage what I was up against. …
I am excited to see that education in coercive control is being applied and used by court officials and they take it seriously.
I know there is still much to be done. I appreciate your continuing efforts to make coercive control understood and applied by officials. ... I'm looking forward to continue the safe space for sharing you built which helped me so much.
Thanks again, Ruth!"
-Jolene
Has WomenSV helped you or someone you know? Share your story here!