The Integration of Healing Rituals in Group Treatment for Women Survivors of Domestic Violence

Inspiring hope through social work practice

“…Relational practices extend to mutual aid group work, where social workers discuss hope as both a core goal and an outcome of any social work intervention program. Such groups are characterised by facilitated, structured and mutual support (Mancini et al, 2013), information sharing and problem-solving (Glaser and Glassman, 2014), healing (Allen and Wozniak, 2014), and connecting past experiences with present situations and future hopes to identify strengths and elicit new goals (Allen and Wozniak, 2014; Boddy et al, 2008; Long and Frederico, 2014). Groups are important in providing hope (Arndt et al, 2009), visualising a better future with a positive sense of self (Long and Frederico, 2014) and developing an inner sense of temporality and future (Nedderman et al, 2010).…”

Editorial Vol 18(1)

“…Over the past 35 years, our courage, compassion and skill in listening to the stories of our clients, bearing witness to unspeakable cruelties, assuring safety, restoring hope and demanding justice has begun to coalesce into a cohesive body of knowledge and empirically-tested interventions that promote healing (Allen & Wozniak, 2014;Najavits, 2002). Further, recognizing that to work effectively with traumatized clients practitioners must "face human vulnerability in the natural world and …the capacity for evil in human nature in order to bear witness to horrible events" (Herman, 1999, p. 7).…”