A friend tells you that
their partner is abusing them. As you listen to their story, you wonder how you
can help them. You know you have to do something but you do not know where to
turn for answers.
Denton County Friends of
the Family is a resource in the Denton community that many UNT students do not
know about. Friends of the Family was founded in 1980 and is the sole provider
in Denton County for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence.
The Dean of Students
office at UNT is attempting to educate students about resources like Friends of
the Family by implementing awareness campaigns throughout the year that aim to
inform students about the resources available to them.
“UNT has a great relationship with Denton County Friends of the
Family,” UNT Survivor Advocate Renée LeClaire McNamara said. “They have many
members who sit on our committee, the Committee on Prevention & Education
on Sexual Assault & Intimate Partner Violence. They help plan different
events and do a lot of trainings around campus.”
The primary resource Denton Friends of the Family offers the
community is an emergency shelter for victims of violence. Along with the
shelter, Friends of the Family provides individual and group counseling for
survivors who are looking for help in overcoming their abuse.
“As a staff counselor at
Friends of the Family, I provide individual counseling, play therapy, and activity
therapy services to survivors of domestic violence and sexual
assault/abuse,” Staff Counselor Bissera Nitchovska said. “I work with children,
adolescents, and adults.”
In addition to after-care services, Friends of the Family
offers legal aid, community outreach programs, help with budgeting, financial
planning, and career planning and hospital accompaniment for victims of sexual
assault and domestic violence.
Not all of the services that Friends of the Family offers are
for survivors. The Violence Intervention and Prevention Program (VIPP) is a
27-week program geared toward helping individuals who are abusive in their
relationships. The program addresses the belief system of the abuser and
teaches new respectful behaviors to replace the abusive behaviors.
Friends of the Family also has several programs that teach
young people in the community about healthy relationships and domestic and
sexual violence. Community Education Specialist Nathan Richardson works to
implement education and awareness programs in schools and events throughout
Denton.
“Primarily, my job is to go into schools and teach about
domestic violence and sexual assault,” Richardson said. “We have programs that
teach kids how to have healthy relationships, setting boundaries, decision
making, and those sorts of things. With older kids, we start getting into
dating violence and gender socialization.”
There are several ways that students can get involved at
Friends of the Family. Volunteers are always needed in areas like advocacy,
shelter programs, office work and childcare.
“Volunteers are
crucial to Friends of the Family’s ability to deliver services from rocking
babies, painting shelter rooms, and giving presentations, to helping at our
Thrift Store or serving on our Survivors Advocacy Team,” Violence
Intervention & Prevention Program Counselor Taylor Cameron said. “Our volunteers make it possible for us to provide
services to individuals and families in our community impacted by violence.”
If you would
like to know more about volunteer opportunities, visit Denton County Friends of
the Family’s website at http://www.dcfof.org/pages/become.php.
If you or someone you know has been
impacted by domestic violence or sexual assault on campus, email SurvivorAdvocate@unt.edu or call Denton County Friends of the Family’s 24-hour crisis line at
940-382-7273 for more information on resources and what to do next.
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