When Stephanie left her abuser, she took only what she could carry and ran from her home with her newborn son.
When she found WIT, her life was in disarray.
“Every day, I was in survival mode. Figuring out where I was gonna live, dealing with the courts, I was blocked from my finances, it was crisis mode. I was living day to day,” explains Stephanie.
Stephanie brought her son with her for her counseling appointments at WIT, which she wasn’t able to do at some other organizations. She explains, “The fact that WIT offers childcare…it’s invaluable. As a mom, [having childcare means] I can actually focus on what I’m saying when I’m talking to the counselor. [WIT’s childcare] is why I’ve been able to consistently keep healing and going to WIT.”
Stephanie’s WIT counselor helped her to safety plan and focus on her goals. “Talking to [my counselor] was like talking to a friend who wasn’t judgmental, and she’s a lot smarter than an average friend!”
Her counselor quickly realized that Stephanie was in need of funding for a permanent place to live, after spending time in a shelter and temporary housing. They filled out the application together, and that very same day she got a call from WIT: “Stephanie, your check is here!” Stephanie couldn’t believe it, “it was such an amazing moment, I cried, I literally cried!” Just two weeks later, Stephanie moved into a permanent, stable home.
After Stephanie had been in counseling for six months, WIT began offering therapy to existing clients.
Stephanie jumped at the opportunity and became one of WIT’s very first therapy clients. “In counseling, you share your emotions, but it’s more goal oriented and focused on the bigger picture about what’s going on in your life. After a few months of counseling and healing, I wanted to get down to the nitty gritty, the internal stuff, and deal with the actual trauma.”
WIT’s strength-based, trauma-informed service was exactly what Stephanie needed. She continues, "At first it was kind of scary, but it was so worth it and so rewarding. I'm really proud of the progress I've made so far, in such a short amount of time, not just in healing the trauma but in understanding why this happened, really just going deep down to the core."
Now, Stephanie says that she can see the difference that WIT’s programs have had on her life. “I’m back to how I used to be before I met my ex-husband, but not just back to who I was, I’m a better person than I was, a better human, a better woman, a better mother. I found better ways to self-care, to process, my perspective on life has changed. The best thing I know is that I’m going to be a better mother [to my son].”