Stacey is a young parent with two boys aged one and six months. During her first pregnancy, Stacey found herself in an abusive relationship. She suffered verbal abuse and was often threatened with physical violence. The arguments got worse as the pregnancy progressed. During these arguments, her partner would subject her to relentless verbal abuse, telling her that she treated him badly and he’d be better off in a relationship with one of her friends. Due to this constant barrage of verbal abuse, she lost all her self-confidence. When a friend noticed what was happening, they supported Stacey to leave her partner. Fortunately for Stacey, her family really pulled through for her, and she felt supported.
After the split, her ex-partner tried to initiate relationships with Stacey’s friends. Having confided in them about some of the details of her relationship, including the verbal abuse she endured, her friends ignored him. When he found out she had shared details of their relationship, including the verbal abuse, he started spreading malicious rumours. It took Stacey a while to recover from the upset this caused, the lingering effects of the verbal abuse and the overall trauma of the relationship.
Initially, Stacey was supported by the Valley House Young Parent Floating Support service. She was really worried about malicious reports that were being sent to social services and how they could affect her and her child, a direct consequence of the escalating situation exacerbated by the verbal abuse she had experienced. Staff provided reassurance, and Stacey then moved into accommodation at Valley House for her safety.
Valley House has supported Stacey in all areas of life, helping her rebuild after the trauma of the verbal abuse and the overall abusive relationship. Teaching her about parenting, money, and budgeting, she is proud of the fact that she is now able to pay rent and council tax on time. Stacey also joined the Life Skills course at Valley House. Occasionally, she struggled to attend these sessions due to social anxiety, which stemmed from the emotional abuse, including the constant verbal abuse, experienced in her relationship. However, when she couldn’t make it to a session, her support workers would complete a 1-to-1 session to help her catch up. Stacey is much more confident and would love to help others who are going through a similar situation, having learned from her own experience of escaping a relationship marked by verbal abuse. She feels that she’d be able to give them advice on where they can get help from and how they can help themselves. Stacey is proud of herself, saying that despite the fact her pregnancy was ‘absolute hell’ due to the verbal abuse and other forms of abuse she suffered, she’s happy now.
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