“I supported one young lad who told the family court there were only three adults that he trusted. I was one of them. You grow that trust by inviting a client to tell their story with different tools,” Anglicare Victoria family violence art therapist Karen Ryder said.
“Kids take time. Sometimes the young people we see are trying to balance between Mum and Dad’s relationship, or struggling to comprehend what is happening at home. Sometimes in sessions we don’t talk at all about what’s going on at home and just focus on building their confidence. There’s no pressure.”
Across six sessions Karen works with mums and children who are victim-survivors of family violence to process their experiences visually and verbally through Anglicare Victoria’s TRAK Forward program in Gippsland.
The approach is evidence-based and “person-centred” – that is – tailored to individual clients, looking at each person’s needs and interests as a starting point.
“I had two boys who were keen on Minecraft, so I brought in art therapy directives related to that and used them to ask questions and help the boys to get creative to process their experiences,” Karen said.
“The art therapy tools can be anything really. Paint, Lego, clay, collage or whatever is a person’s preference. We create an activity that supports them therapeutically in a way that works for them.”
Gippsland Local Government Areas of East Gippsland and Latrobe have the highest rates of family violence in the state, ranking 1st and 2nd per 100,000 people respectively.
Anglicare Victoria men’s behaviour change program facilitator Julie Marriott said changing the story in Gippsland started with addressing family violence with men who use violence in the home.
“Even if it’s a tiny, incremental shift in the way that these men think, that gives them pause for a moment to make a different choice, that hopefully makes a difference to somebody’s life,” Julie said.
Julie works directly with dads who use violence over 17 weeks throughout the Caring Dads program, using cognitive behavioural therapy techniques and other evidence-based models to challenge violent behaviour and gendered beliefs perpetrators may hold.
“We have a male and female facilitator, so we’re modelling a respectful relationships and communication between men and women. We look at their fathering, which is a really strong foundation to build change upon,” Julie said.
“It’s not excusing or making allowances for their choices to use violence, but it does work to get them into a reflective mind frame and one where we can talk about the things a good dad does.”
Family violence has a flow-on effect to the entire Gippsland community and isn’t an issue limited to certain demographics or family types, with nearly every family in the region affected or knowing someone affected.
With four of the six LGAs across Gippsland showing a significant jump in calls for family violence assistance to Victoria Police in the past 12 months, the work Julie and Karen does has never been more important.
“It’s about challenging those gendered beliefs that led to a dad’s actions and them understanding the choice they made wasn’t safe or respectful and put everyone at risk,” Julie said.
“Hopefully, we’re making a change for these kids. That they’re going to be safer and their mums are going to be safer.”
