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This is to certify that the
dissertation entitled

AN EXPLORATION OF AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN’S
EXPEREINCES WITH A CULTURALLY SPECIFIC
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE INTERVENTION

presented by

TAMEKA LYNETTE GILLUM

has been accepted towards fulfillment
of the requirements for the

Ph.D. degree in Ecological-Community
Psycholgy

 

_ Major Professor’s Signature

74,7, 07
Date

MSU is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution

 

 

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PLACE lN RETURN Box to remove this checkout from your record.
TO AVOID FINES return on or before date due.
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AN EXPLORATION OF AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN’S EXPERIENCES WITH
A CULTURALLY SPECIFIC DOMESTIC VIOLENCE INTERVENTION

By

Tameka Lynette Gillum

A DISSERTATION

Submitted to
Michigan State University
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
Department of Psychology

2004

ABSTRACT

AN EXPLORATION OF AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN’S EXPEREINCES WITH
A CULTURALLY SPECIFIC DOMESTIC VIOLENCE INTERVENTION

By
Tameka Lynette Gillum

Despite over thirty years of tremendous progress addressing domestic violence,
intimate partner violence still remains a serious problem. It remains the single greatest
cause of injury to women in the United States. However, until recently, very little
attention has been devoted to women of Color and women from disadvantaged
backgrounds as distinct populations in the domestic violence research and literature. In
general, research on intimate partner violence within families of Color remains sparse.
This dissertation: 1) highlights the limited attention that has been given to examining
intimate partner violence in the African American community; 2) defines and exemplifies
culturally appropriate interventions and highlights the need for such interventions to
address intimate partner violence within communities of Color; 3) argues for a qualitative
investigation of African American women’s experiences with the only culturally
appropriate domestic violence intervention in existence that targets the African American
community, and 4) presents the results of this investigation and discusses its implications.

There is limited research on intimate partner violence in the African American
population and scarce attention has been paid specifically to the experiences of Afi’ican
American women who have been battered. A number of researchers and theorists have
identified some of the culturally specific factors that may contribute to intimate partner
violence in African American interpersonal relationships. In light of the evidence and

theorization on culturally specific factors contributing to domestic violence in African

American relationships, several authors have indicated a need for culturally appropriate
domestic violence interventions for African American survivors and perpetrators in order
to adequately deal with the issues of intimate partner violence within the African
American community. The purpose of this current study was to qualitatively investigate
how helpful a culturally specific domestic violence program (Asha Family Services),
which targets the African American community, has been to African American female
survivors of intimate partner violence. The study also examined how women’s
experiences with this culturally specific agency differed from their experiences with
mainstream services. Fourteen African American female survivors of intimate partner
violence who received domestic violence services from the Asha and three staff members
from the agency were interviewed in order to define the agency and explore survivors’
experiences with it. Results suggest that this agency does indeed provide culturally
specific domestic violence services which target the African American community and
that survivors benefit greatly from these services. Survivors articulated many things that
they found helpful about the services offered at Asha. In addition, survivors indicated
that they benefited more from the culturally specific services provided by Asha than they
had from mainstream domestic violence interventions. Implications for practice and

research are presented.

Copyright by
Tameka Lynette Gillum
2004

This dissertation is dedicated to all women who are survivors of intimate
partner violence and all those who have lost their lives at the hands of abusive partners.
It is dedicated to all Women of Color survivors who have had to deal with the impact of
racism in addition to dealing with their abusive experience. This work is done in hopes
of improving services to survivors and the ultimate goal of a society free from violence

against women and girls.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

There are a number of people I wish to thanks for their assistance throughout the
process of completing this dissertation. I will start with my dissertation committee. I
want to thank my chair, Dr. Cris Sullivan, for her assistance in the conceptualization of
this research project and for her guidance and support throughout the process of
conducting this research. I wish to also thank Dr. Deborah Salem for her assistance in the
creation of the measures and the data analysis process, which included long discussion
meetings and reading and providing feedback on numerous coding schemes, and for her
support throughout this process. I wish to thank Dr. NiCole Buchanan for her valued
input in the planning stages of this research. I wish to thank Dr. Steve Gold also for his
advice in the planning of this research, including advice surrounding the preliminary site
visit.

I wish to thank my research assistant, Jillian Henry, for her assistance in the
conducting of this research. Jillian assisted with a wide variety of things including
transcription, data verification, coding, and obtaining references, among other things.
Her dedication to this work was well demonstrated and appreciated.

I wish to thank the F ounder/CEO of Asha Family Services for allowing me to
conduct this research at her agency and Asha’s staff for their assistance in recruitment of
participants and providing space at the agency, which sometimes included their office
space, to conduct interviews. I most importantly wish to thank all of the survivors who

shared their experiences with me in order to make this research possible.

vi

I wish to thank my daughter, Shanae, for her support and patience throughout
these seven years that I have been here at Michigan State working toward this ultimate
degree. I hope I have provided a wonderful example for you and what you can obtain in

life if you dedicate yourself to it.

Lastly, I wish to thank my partner, Jaki, for her support and understanding during

this intense last year of this process.

vii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES

INTRODUCTION
Domestic Violence in the African American Community
Culturally Appropriate Interventions
The Current Study

METHODS
Setting
Procedures

RESULTS
Research Question Number One
Research Question Number Two
Research Question Number Three
Research Question Number Four

DISCUSSION
Asha as a Culturally Specific Domestic Violence Agency
Asha as a Helpful Resource for Survivors
Limitations
Implications and Recommendations for Practice
Implications for Research

APPENDIX A

APPENDIX B

APPENDIX C

APPENDIX D

REFERENCES

viii

158

162

166

178

TABLES

Table 1: Components of Culturally Appropriate Interventions 10
Table 2: Demographics of Survivor Sample 30
Table 3: Culturally Specific Components of Asha Consistent with Those Identified In the
Literature 51
Table 4: Elements of Asha that Survivors Find Helpful 53
Table 5: Common Themes Identified as Helpful by Both Survivors and Staff 109

Table 6: Mainstream Services Compared With Asha 111

ix

INTRODUCTION

Despite over thirty years of tremendous progress addressing domestic violence,
intimate partner violence still remains a serious problem. It remains the single greatest
cause of injury to women in the United States, more common than car accidents,
muggings, and rapes combined (Huang & Gunn, 2001; Russo, Koss, & Goodman, 1995;
Thomas, 2000). It has been estimated that anywhere from 3 to 4 million women annually
are physically abused by their partners, costing the US. health care system an estimated
$5 - $10 billion yearly (Russo, Koss, & Goodman, 1995; Thomas, 2000). Domestic
violence often results in injury, chronic health problems, heightened stress, and other
mental health problems (Russo et al., 1995; Sutherland, Bybee, & Sullivan, 1998, 2002),
as well as puts women at increased risk of poverty, divorce and unemployment (Browne,
Salomon, & Bassuk, 1999; Russo et al., 1995).

Intimate partner violence is a problem that cuts across all races, cultures and
social classes (Coley & Beckett, 1988; Gillum, 2002; Huang & Gunn, 2001; Williams,
1993, 1994). However, until recently, very little attention has been devoted to women of
Color and women from disadvantaged backgrounds as distinct populations in the
domestic violence research and literature (Asbury, 1987; Hampton, 1989; Gillum, 2002;
Harrison & Esqueda, 1999; Sorenson, 1996; Thomas, 2000; Thompson, Kaslow, Kingree,
Rashid, Puett, Jacobs, & Matthews, 2000). In general, research on intimate partner
violence within families of Color remains sparse (Thomas, 2000). Bearing this in mind,
this dissertation: 1) highlights the limited attention that has been given to examining
intimate partner violence in the Afi'ican American community; 2) defines and exemplifies

culturally appropriate interventions and highlight the need for such interventions to

address intimate partner violence within communities of Color; 3) argues the need for a
qualitative investigation of Afiican American women’s experiences with the only
culturally appropriate domestic violence intervention in existence that targets the African
American community, and 4) presents the results of this investigation and discuss its
implications.
Domestic Violence in the African American Community

There is limited research on intimate partner violence in the African American
population and scarce attention has been paid specifically to the experiences of Afi'ican
American women who have been battered (Gillum, 2002; Harrison & Esqueda, 1999;
Huang & Gunn, 2001; Thomas, 2000; Williams, 1992, 1993). Due to the limited amount
of available research, it is difficult to specifically assess the prevalence of intimate
partner violence within the Afiican American community. However, from what research
does exist we can assess that African American women experience incidence and
negative affects of intimate partner violence at least at levels comparable to women in the
general population (Brice-Baker, 1994; Thomas, 2000). Though early research on
intimate partner violence within the Afiican American community asserted that rates
were higher within this community (Straus, Gelles, & Steinmetz, 1980), subsequent
research has dispelled this myth, validating that once socio-economic status is controlled
for, African American families are no more violent, and may even be less violent, than
their white counterparts (Cazenave & Straus, 1979; Coley & Beckett, 1988; Hampton,
Gelles, & Harrop, 1989). However, more recently West (2002) has argued that Black

women experience an alarmingly high rate of intimate partner violence.

A number of researchers and theorists have identified some of the culturally
specific factors that may contribute to intimate partner violence in Afiican American
interpersonal relationships (Asbury, 1987; Brice-Baker, 1994; Brown, 1985; Cazenave &
Straus, 1979; Collins, 1991; Hampton, 1980; Hampton, 1989; Hine, 1989; Willis, 1989).
Staples (1982) was one of the first to do this. He suggested that Black families are under
greater stress because of a belief held by many Black husbands that their wives will seek
sexual satisfaction outside of marriage if they are not satisfied at home. He argued that
jealousy, in conjunction with community norms that encourage extramarital affairs and
regard marriage as a license to physically dominate women, contribute to violence in
African American relationships.

Asbury (1987) was another early pioneer in this work. She utilized an Afrocentric
perspective to examine the experiences of African American women in violent
relationships. From a review of the literature she identified many factors that may be
contributing to violence in African American relationships. These factors included 1)
flexibility and fluidity with the roles of African American males and females, 2)
economic difficulty, which is pervasive in many African American families, 3) early
exposure of children to violence in some Afiican American communities, 4) substance
abuse, 5) arguments over children and pregnancy, and 6) questions about the wife’s
fidelity and sexual problems. Asbury also identified factors that influence an African
American woman’s decision to seek help or not, which included 1) feelings of social
isolation, 2) feelings that they may not be understood or welcomed at shelters, and 3)

reluctance to seek help because of internalized common stereotypes about African

American women including that of sexual temptress, ugly mammies, bridges that hold the
family together, and/or emasculating matriarchs.

Willis (1989) proposed that when the African American male meets the African
American female he sees someone whom he has been told is dominant in the family, “a
castrating black woman (the matriarch)” He argued that Afiican American males and
females have been programmed from an early age, by society, to be destructive of each
other, and as a result mate selection in the African American community is predicated on
negative stereotypes, which increases the likelihood of problems in the relationship.

Patricia Hill Collins (2000) identified stereotypes of African American women
(e. g., mammies, matriarchs, jezebels and welfare mothers) as controlling images that
cause Afiican American men to objectify African American women. Collins (2000)
contended that these images, created by White Americans during the slave era and
beyond, have served to control and oppress African American women and reflect the
dominant group’s interest in maintaining Black women’s subordination. With this in
mind it is not difficult to conceive that a belief in these images by Afiican American men
may also prompt a desire to control, oppress, and subordinate African American women
in relationships, especially since it is believed that some African American men may wish
to become “masters” in their relationships by fulfilling traditional, Eurocentric, white
defined definitions of masculinity. Collins (2000) also argued that if these Afiican
American men are blocked from doing this they may become dangerous to those closest
to them, implying that attitudes formed from a belief in these stereotypes increases the

risk of violence in relationships between African American men and women.

More recently, other authors have begun to take a much Closer look at the links
between cultural issues specific to the African American community and intimate partner
violence. Brice-Baker (1994) examined domestic violence in African American and
Afiican Caribbean families. The author began by presenting factors that interfere with
researchers being able to get an accurate estimate of the prevalence of domestic violence
and then presented some theories that have been proposed to explain family violence.
She indicated that a societal tolerance for violence against Blacks in this country, as well
as the myth that violence is an acceptable and condoned part of Black culture and Black
family life, contribute to intimate partner violence in Afiican American communities.
Also highlighted was the impact of the harsh realities of institutional and internalized
racism experienced by African American men and their contribution to low-self esteem (a
characteristic often attributed to batterers) of African American men. Economic distress
in Afiican American communities was discussed as a possible contributor to the infliction
of violence on Afi'ican American women by African American men as well as a possible
reason why Afiican American women stay in these abusive relationships. The impact of
stereotypes about African American women was also identified as a contributing factor.
Brice-Baker argued that Afiican American women have been stereotyped as l)
unattractive, 2) the glue that holds the family together, 3) matriarchs, and 4) love objects
and sexual temptresses. These images suggest that African American women are
somehow at fault for the violence they experience.

Thomas (2000) also theorized about cultural factors that contribute to intimate
partner violence within the Afiican American community. He cited the tolerance for

violence against Blacks in this country and the myth of violence as an accepted and

condoned part of African American family life. He also suggested that environmental
factors, including but not limited to unemployment, economic difficulties, racism, racial
stereotyping, and economic inequalities, all of which disproportionately affect African
Americans, sustain environments which promote or allow interpersonal violence.
Thomas also asserted that racial stereotypes of African American women can serve to
undermine their self-esteem and must be addressed in any type of intervention designed
to assist African American female survivors of intimate partner violence.

Most recently, Gillum (2002) provided evidence for a link between stereotypes
about African American women and intimate partner violence in the African American
community. She found that Afi'ican American men’s beliefs in the matriarch and jezebel
stereotypes were positively related to their belief in the justification of intimate partner
violence against African American women.

In light of the evidence and theorization on culturally specific factors contributing
to domestic violence in African American relationships, several authors have indicated a
need for culturally appropriate domestic violence interventions for Afiican American
survivors and perpetrators in order to adequately deal with the issues of intimate partner
violence within the African American community (Brice-Baker, 1994; Coley & Beckett,
1988; Gillum, 2002; Gondolf & Williams, 2001; Sorenson, 1996; Uzzell & Peebles-
Wilkins, 1989; Williams, 1992; Williams, 1993, 1994a, 1994b). Thomas (2000)
indicates that while services for survivors have necessarily been gender specific, they

have not generally been culturally specific.

Culturally Appropriate Interventions

Culturally appropriate interventions are those designed specifically for a target
population (Alcalay, Alvarado, Balcazar, Newman, & Huerta, 1999; DeLamater,
Wagstaff, & Havens, 2000; Robinson, Uhl, Miner, & Bockting, 2002; Young, Gittelsohn,
Charleston, Felix-Aaron, & Appel, 2001). They utilize language and settings familiar to
the culture of the target population as well as staff that represent that culture. They are
designed in collaboration with members of the target population and take into account
their culture-specific values, norms, attitudes, expectations and customs (Alcalay et al.,
1999; DeLamater et al., 2000; Nicholson & Kay, 1999; Peterson & Mar'in, 1988; Pruett,
Davidson, McMahon, Ward, & Griffith, 2000; Robinson et al., 2002; Thompson, Davis,
Gittelsohn, Going, Becenti, Metcalfe, Stone, Harnack, & Ring, 2001; Young et al., 2001).
These interventions are delivered in synchrony with the participants’ cultural framework
(Gregg, Narayan, Kumanyika, & Agurs-Collins, 1998).

Researchers have identified culturally appropriate interventions as important for a
number of reasons. Mainstream interventions have often failed to reach certain
racial/ethnic minority populations for various reasons from language barriers to isolation
of these populations from mainstream American society due to cultural differences,
prejudice, and racism. Many mainstream interventions fail to diverge from their standard
modes of operation and dissemination, which often are not effective in reaching minority
populations (Alcalay et al., 1999; Peterson & Mar'in, 1988).

Pruett et al. (2000) have indicated that in order for an intervention to be
acceptable to a target population, it must be culturally sensitive and appropriate and

developed in collaboration with the population being served. Erickson & El-Timimi

(2001) have argued that in order to effectively work with “culturally different”
populations one must use culturally appropriate interventions. Nicholson & Kay (1999)
also see culturally appropriate interventions as important for the purposes of re-
connecting those they serve to their own cultural values, beliefs, and networks.

Gondolf and Williams (2001) point out that African Americans are often
suspicious of mainstream social services because they tend to be dominated by whites
and they tend to see whites as unfamiliar and unsympathetic to their social reality and
experiences.

So, what are the components of a culturally appropriate intervention? Many
researchers have suggested components for the development of such interventions. One
important component is that they should be developed in collaboration with members of
the target population and relevant stakeholders (Alcalay et al., 1999; Pruett et al., 2000;
Thompson et al, 2001; Young et al., 2001). Next, they must use language that is familiar
to the target population (Alcalay et al., 1999; DeLamater et al., 2000; Young et al., 2001).
For example, if an intervention is targeting a population of whom the majority speak
Spanish as their first language, materials and instruction should be made available in
Spanish as well as English. If an intervention is targeting an adolescent population,
language should be used that is consistent with the adolescent lingo of that generation.
Also, channels of information dissemination must be used that will actually reach the
target population (Alcalay et al., 1999; Peterson & Mar’in, 1988). If a target population is
more likely to watch television or listen to the radio than pick up and read literature, an
intervention must utilize these forms of media to successfully reach the population.

Further, staff implementing the intervention should be representative of the target

population, persons with whom the recipients can identify (Alcalay et al., 1999;
DeLamater et al., 2000; Nicholson & Kay, 1999; Robinson et al., 2002; Thompson et al.,
2001). Participants are more likely to feel comfortable in an environment where they see
and interact with staff members that are “like them.” This is especially true for people of
Color who may typically interact with predominantly White staff in service provision
agencies and feel invalidated or disempowered in those interactions, or for youth who are
used to adults “telling them what to do.”

In addition, interventions should be conducted in an environment that feels
comfortable and safe to participants. This type of environment may take more time and
effort to build for racial/ethnic minority groups who may be distrustful of social services
in general or come from cultures where it is frowned upon to discuss or share “family
business” or personal issues with “strangers” or “outsiders” (Al-Krenawi & Graham,
2000; Erickson & Al-Timimi, 2001; Gondolf & Williams, 2001; Nicholson & Kay, 1999;
Young et al., 2001). This may include carrying out the intervention in a physical space
that is familiar and comfortable to participants and/or including artwork or other items
culturally relevant to the target population in the intervention space, in addition to
representative staff. It would also include adequate time for the building of trust and
rapport.

Another important component is that the cultural values, norms, expectations, and
attitudes of the target group need to be integrated into the messages and into the format of
the intervention (Alcalay et al., 1999; Al-Krenawi & Graham, 2000; DeLamater et al.,
2000; Erickson & Al-Timimi, 2001; Gondolf & Williams, 2001; Nicholson & Kay, 1999;

Peterson & Mar'in, 1988; Pruett et al., 2000; Robinson et al., 2002; Thompson et al.,

2001; Young et al., 2001). Included in this is consideration for the family-centeredness
of collectivist cultures. Most mainstream interventions in the US. have been designed
according to the values of western individualist societies. For collectivist cultures, as
many communities of Color are, consideration needs to be given to the family, both
immediate and extended, and inclusion of them, whenever possible and necessary, in the
intervention process (Al-Krenawi & Graham, 2000; Erickson & Al-Timimi, 2001;
Gondolf & Williams, 2001; Nicholson & Kay, 1999; Peterson & Mafin, 1988; Pruett et
al., 2000; Young et al., 2001). Also included in this is the importance of building social
support networks for intervention participants (Nicholson & Kay, 1999; Young et al.,
2001). African American women specifically have mentioned social support as a
motivating factor in intervention efforts (Young et al., 2001 ). For target populations that
have been especially isolated, assisting them in building support networks with people
who share common cultural values can be especially helpful and validating (Nicholson &

Kay, 1999). See table 1 for a concise list of these components.

 

Table 1 - Components of Culturally Appropriate Intervention

 

Developed in collaboration with the target population and relevant stakeholders (Alcalay
et al., 1999; Pruett et al., 2000; Thompson et al, 2001; Young et al., 2001)

 

Use of language familiar to the target population (Alcalay et al., 1999; DeLamater et al.,
2000; Young et al., 2001)

 

Use of channels of dissemination which will successfully reach the target population
(Alcalay etal., 1999; Peterson & Mafin, 1988)

 

Representative staff (Alcalay et al., 1999; DeLamater et al., 2000; Nicholson & Kay,
1999; Robinson et al., 2002; Thompson et al., 2001)

 

Conducted in an environment comfortable for participants (Al-Krenawi & Graham, 2000;
Erickson & Al-Timimi, 2001; Gondolf & Williams, 2001; Nicholson & Kay, 1999;
Young et al., 2001)

 

 

Incorporation of cultural values, norms, expectations and attitudes of target group into the
intervention (Alcalay et al., 1999; Al-Krenawi & Graham, 2000; DeLamater et al., 2000;
Erickson & Al-Timimi, 2001; Gondolf & Williams, 2001; Nicholson & Kay, 1999;
Peterson & Marin, 1988; Pruett et al., 2000; Robinson et al., 2002; Thompson et al.,
2001; Young et al., 2001)

 

10

 

Some culturally appropriate intervention programs have begun to be implemented
which target the African American community. One such program was a culturally
appropriate STD/AIDS education intervention which targeted Black male adolescents
(DeLamater, Wagstaff & Havens 2000). The authors’ intervention consisted of two
distinct components: a videotape intervention and a health educator intervention. Both
were developed with the intention of promoting condom use among African American
males aged 15 to 19. The culturally appropriate videotape was created through
collaboration with an African American video production team with the assistance of
local African American male adolescents. These adolescents helped develop and film the
video as well as acted in the video. The video used actors, music, dress and language
salient to the target population. The video included information geared toward educating
youth about STDs and HIV including dispelling prevailing myths about the contraction of
STD/HIV, facts about contracting STD/HIV, instructions on how to properly use
condoms and the stories of African American youth who had contracted an STD or HIV.
The use of video allowed the intervention designers to use dialogue, music, lyrics, images
and personal stories to present their messages. The other component of this intervention
included the relaying of this same information in a face-to-face session with an African
American trained health educator. The use of a trained educator of the same racial/ethnic
group allowed for the incorporation of a more personal, concerned touch. Both types of
intervention proved beneficial to the youth, increasing condom use and knowledge

(DeLamater et al., 2000).

ll

Similarly, Robinson, Uhl, Miner & Bockting (2002) implemented a culturally
appropriate sexual health intervention targeting low income, urban, primarily African
American women. This intervention incorporated HIV and sexually transmitted disease
prevention strategies combined with sexuality education. First, this program was
developed through collaboration between a university based Human Sexuality program
and three community-based organizations serving the African American community. In
addition, focus groups with the African American target group were conducted prior to
curriculum development and prior to the study’s design phase. Second, innovative
recruitment strategies were used. Participants were recruited through the three
collaborating community agencies, community-based organizations, businesses serving
primarily African Americans, community newspapers, and community activities and
celebrations. Third, professional and paraprofessional African American staff served as
intervention facilitators and small-group leaders. In addition, since this was a trial,
female interviewers were recruited from the target population and from collaborating
agencies and trained to administer the interview protocol. Benefits of this intervention
included improved sexual anatomy knowledge and increased positive attitudes towards
the female condom.

Young et a1. (2001) utilized results from focus groups conducted with African
American women to develop two culturally appropriate interventions designed to
increase healthy physical activity among African America women. The first, Project
EXE-L, was designed to increase daily physical activity behavior among African
American women. This intervention was conducted in Churches, creating a comfortable

environment for participants. It used language familiar to the target population. The

12

program was designed to optimize social support among women in the intervention,
including such approaches as pairing women with “buddies” who regularly provided
support for participants. Classes conducted as part of the intervention incorporated
prayer and inspirational scripture. They were led by certified aerobic instructors from the
African American community and were accompanied by gospel music.

The second intervention, WIN, was designed with the intention of controlling
high blood pressure among African American women. This included working toward
goals not limited to but including weight loss, increased intake of fruits and vegetables,
and increased physical activity. This intervention was also conducted in a community
church. Again, language was used that was familiar to the participants and motivational
pieces were incorporated into group sessions. Results from these interventions are still
forthcoming (Young et al., 2001).

Examples of successful culturally appropriate interventions targetinggother
communities of Color exist as well. Salud para su corazon was an intervention designed
for the Latino/a community with the goals of increasing awareness about heart disease,
raising knowledge about cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention and promoting heart-
healthy lifestyles. First, a community profile was generated which gave the intervention
designers insight into identifying the target audience. Then, focus groups were conducted
with the target population in order to identify the community’s knowledge and attitudes
about heart disease and its risk factors, media usage and preferences as well as
publication and material needs preferences. The authors used this information as a basis
for selecting and developing messages and deciding the type of materials most

appropriate for their awareness campaign. Interviews were also conducted with

13

community leaders for added insight and to secure the community’s involvement and
support of the intervention. A Community Alliance of relevant stakeholders was created
whose purpose was to have a partnership role in the planning, development, and
implementation of the campaign and to serve as a link between the sponsoring
organization and the community. Hence, incorporation of the target community’s voice
was done in several ways. A multimedia intervention program was then designed. It
included the creation and dissemination of bilingual materials for health care
professionals; the use of Spanish language television to broadcast a series of 30-second
humorous narrative public service announcements which were in Spanish, starred a
Latino family, and used culturally appropriate settings and language; discussion groups;
and the development of training materials, an implementation manual, and motivational
videos. This program also showed great benefits to the community, including increased
awareness of risk factors for CVD (Alcalay et al., 1999).

Nicholson & Kay (1999) discussed the development and implementation Of a
culturally appropriate group treatment intervention aimed at Cambodian refugee women
to help them deal with their adjustment to their new lives in the United States. Several
features made this a culturally appropriate intervention. First, group leaders (there were
two) included a bilingual Cambodian social worker. This was important as it created the
presence of someone the women could identify with and also left the women free to
speak in their native language, Khmer. The other group leader, although white, was an
older woman. This was also significant in that Cambodian culture attributes wisdom to
age. Culturally appropriate activities and discussions were conducted in order to help

provide a safe environment for women. Group sessions included sharing traditional

14

Cambodian meals, which allowed for more informal socialization and helped facilitate an
increase in women’s social support networks. Women were also provided the
opportunity to express topics and activities they would like to see in the groups, which
were subsequently included, as well as had the opportunity to lead groups themselves.
This group also resulted in significant benefits for the women involved.
Culturally specific domestic violence programs

Some authors have made additional suggestions for culturally specific domestic
violence interventions targeting the African American community. They include
recognition that many African Americans turn to family and religious leaders for sources
of support (Brice-Baker, 1994). It is also important to understand that women may want
the abuse to stop but not want anything “bad” to happen to their spouse (Brice-Baker,
1994). The incorporation of both support groups and individual work in treatment plans
for Afiican American women has also been suggested. The groups should include
structured exercises focused on self-esteem building, including emphasis on how racial
stereotypes of Black women affect self-esteem. They should also include development
and reinforcement of existing coping skills, including exploration of the fact that Black
women need not accept mainstream standards of success and can create their own
standards based on their cultural norms. These groups should also serve to decrease
isolation and provide emotional support (Brice-Baker, 1994; Thomas, 2000). In
reference to working with African American men who batter, an intervention must be
capable of communicating disapproval of battering behavior without perpetuating racial
stereotypes. There also must be recognition of oppression and other negative experiences

that African American men encounter without excusing their behavior (Brice-Baker,

15

1994; Thomas, 2000; Williams, 1992, 1994a). In addition, these men need to be
educated about the origins of stereotypes about African American women and made
aware of the ways in which they permeate our society and how they negatively affect
their relationships with Afiican American women (Gillum, 2002).
The Current Study

The purpose of this current study was to qualitatively investigate how helpful a
culturally specific domestic violence program (Asha Family Services), which targets the
African American community, has been to Afiican American female survivors of
intimate partner violence. The study also examined how women’s experiences with this
culturally specific agency differed from their experiences with mainstream services.
Therefore, the specific research questions posed for this study were:

1) How does Asha define their culturally specific domestic violence
intervention?

2) What elements of African American women’s experience at Asha Family
Services have been most helpful to them?

a. Do women identify culturally specific components as helpful and if so,
which ones?

3) For women who have a history of service involvement with mainstream
services, what were their experiences with these agencies and how is their
experience with Asha different from those experiences?

4) What culturally specific intervention components, if any, do survivors and
staff identify as desirable that do not yet exist?

As the domestic violence movement is beginning to pay attention to issues of

16

diversity and recognize the need for culturally appropriate interventions, it is important to
investigate women’s experience with one such existing program to find out which aspects
are particularly helpful to women so that they may be modeled in subsequent programs.
It is also important to examine how experiences with culturally specific programs differ
from experiences with mainstream services to highlight the importance and usefulness of
culturally appropriate programs. There has been a general call for additional research to
aid in the development of culturally specific programs (Gregg et al., 1998; Peterson &
Mafin, 1988). Gregg et al. (1999) have specifically called for the use of qualitative
methods for such research indicating that these techniques are optimal for obtaining
adequate understanding of culturally specific group interventions.
METHODS

This study used qualitative methodology in order to achieve its research goals. A
primary strength of qualitative inquiry is its capacity to allow for an exploration of
research participants’ interpretations of their experiences and the meanings they create
from these experiences. This approach is also empowering to participants as it allows for
individuals to tell their stories in their own words (Banyard & Miller, 1998). Therefore,
the use of qualitative methods allowed for me to explore, in depth, women’s experiences
with Asha through an empowering mode of inquiry. Participants were afforded the
opportunity to talk about their experiences and tell their own stories, in their own words.

A phenomenological approach was used in this research process. The main
purpose of this approach is to understand the essence of lived experience of an individual
or group of individuals. Individual interviews specifically are particularly useful for

understanding individuals’ perspectives and gathering their stories (Patton, 2002). With

17

this research I was seeking to understand the experiences of Afiican American women
who utilized the services of Asha Family Services, the only known program in the
country that defines itself as a culturally specific domestic violence intervention targeting
the African American community. Therefore, a phenomenological approach was most in
line with the purpose of this study.
Setting
What is Asha Family Services?

Asha Family Services, located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is the only culturally
specific domestic violence intervention serving the African American community.
Milwaukee itself is a mid-sized, midwestem city. Milwaukee County, in which the city
of Milwaukee is located, is home to approximately 940,164 residents according to the
2000 Census. Twenty-five percent of the county’s residents are African American,
compared to 5.7% total in the state of Wisconsin.

Asha Family Services was founded in 1989 by its current Chief Executive
Director, Ms. Antonia A. Vann. Asha Family Services defines itself as follows on their
agency website:

“Asha Family Services, Inc. is a private, non-profit, spiritually-based agency whose goal
through collaborative efforts is to provide comprehensive family violence and substance
abuse intervention for victims and perpetrators of domestic violence that is culturally
specific (Asha Family Services, Inc., Website, http:/hvww.Ashafamilyservices.gry_r_;
Annual reports 200-2002, 2002).”

Asha Family Services also defines itself as follows on their agency paperwork:

18

“Asha Family Services, Inc. is a community-based, private, non-profit, people of color-
governed organization committed to providing effective family violence intervention and
prevention for all families and persons affected by violence in their home. Specializing
in skilled services specific to African American populations since 1989, our goal through
collaborative efforts is to treat ills and facilitate healing and growth in families. Asha
employs spiritual, holistic, and culturally specific treatment methods with the
background, training and skill to provide treatment specific to many Afiican American
families.”

Asha further specifies that its services target high-risk populations (women,
children, and men who are at or below poverty level residing in the city and county of
Milwaukee) with the ability to provide culturally specific services and programming for
many Afiican American families (Asha Family Services, Inc., Annual Report, 2000-

2001; Asha Family Services, Inc., Website, http://www.Ashafamilvservices.com).

 

Mission

Asha Family Services’ Mission is as follows:

Asha believes in the preservation and strengthening of the African American
family. To this end, we are committed to the provision of a spiritually-based, holistic and
culturally responsive service designed to end violence against African American women
and children specifically, families of other communities of color and all families in
general. Our belief is that in order to adequately address family violence and promote
healthy living, we must treat the abuser as well as the abused.

Asha Family Services also believes in the provision of a continuum of care, not

only for the transformation, restoration and empowerment of injured families, but also for

19

a range of clientele including persons at high risk for HIV infection and other
communicable diseases, mental health and substance abuse outpatients, and those
incarcerated and transitioning back into the community. A healthy and vibrant
community is a reflection of strong, healthy, vibrant, and resourceful families residing in
it and Asha is committed to promoting this positive symbiotic relationship (Asha Family
Services, Inc., Website, hgp://www.Ashafamilyservices.cor_n; Annual Reports 2000-
2001, 2002).
Philosophy

Asha articulates its philosophy as follows:
Asha Family Services proceeds from the assumption that the total person -- mind, body
and spirit — must be recognized and attended to for restoration. Therefore, Asha’s
approach is holistic, meaning an individual is not addressed on the basis of a single issue,
but by the unique combination of circumstances and needs that each presents (V ann,
2003)

Programs and Services

Asha Family Services offers a variety of programs services at various points in
time. Below is a complete list of all the programs and services they offer. What
programs and services are offered at certain points is contingent upon funding that the
agency receives during a particular time point.
Programs for Women

Asha women of Color “Sister Circles Since 1989, Asha has provided a safe
space for survivors to exchange ideas and discuss their experiences. The group seeks to

help to eliminate fears and foster feelings of friendship, respect, sisterhood and trust

20

between women of the same group ancestry. Sister Circle groups are active for women
of color and those who wish to join them. Members may receive domestic abuse and
sexual assault information and prevention, safety planning, intimate partner and sex
related issues education, HIV/AIDS and other STDs education, information and referrals.
Services are via peer-support and credentialed staff counseling. Sister Circle groups
include groups for those who are post and currently incarcerated women via our
Corrections Care Continuum. Groups are offered twice a week for l‘/2 hours each group
session. Transportation is also provided (Asha Family Services, Inc., Website,
hgp://www.Ashafamilvservicesxorg)
Programs for Men

The Ujima men’s educational program. Since 1995, Asha has run a 24—session,
non-traditional abuser treatment program which was developed by and for Afiican
American men. Its culturally specific curriculum was designed for Black males over the
age of 17 who are having problems with inappropriate expressions of anger, conflict
resolution, and physical violence towards a spouse or partner. Men are given domestic
abuse and sexual assault information and education, information and education on
intimate partner relationships and other sex related issues, HIV/AIDS and other STDs
education, information and referral. There are day, evening and weekend groups (Asha
Family Services, Inc., Website, http://wwwAMilyservicesxog)

The “Brother to Brother ” fatherhood initiative. This program serves as a stand-
alone aftercare of Ujima. It is a resource designed for the self-development and

relationship development, training and support for healing between Afiican American

21

males, their women, children, families and community (Asha Family Services, Inc.,
Website, http:l/www.Ashafamilyservicesxom)

Brothers Against Domestic Violence. Through this service Asha offers a
bodyguard escort service and emotional support to help women feel safe while going
through the process of obtaining a restraining order, court appearances, or any outing that
the victim may feel unsafe (Asha Family Services, Inc., Website,
http:l/www.Ashafamilyservices.com).

C o-Gender Programs

Corrections Care Continuum (CCC). Since 1990, Asha has provided
comprehensive services to male and female offenders incarcerated in facilities around the
state of Wisconsin. In-custody victim support groups are established in female prisons
and transition case management services are provided for women re—entering the
community. Family violence education groups are conducted regularly in prisons for
men. Services are set up to support a smother transition of these men who are re-entering
the community. CCC also serves as a community-based after-care including AODA and
mental health case management for ex-offenders who have completed treatment
programs while in custody (Asha Family Services, Inc., Website,
ht_tp://www.Ashafamilyservices.cor_nQ.

Programs for Children

Our Children Advocacy Project (OCAP). Since 1990, Asha has provided services
on site and at area schools. OCAP provides direct services, advocacy, and support for
children who witness or experience domestic violence. OCAP’s goals are to break the

isolation of children who experience violence in the home, teach children and youth how

22

to protect themselves by developing safety and support systems, promote emotional and
physical health as well as strengthen self-esteem (Asha Family Services, Inc., Website,
ht_tp://www.Ashafamilyservices.corn).

Young Sisters support group. This program uses a didactic/experimental
approach to address the life management needs of the participants. It is designed to assist
participants in the development of emotional competencies, alternatives to aggressive
thinking strategies and anger management of females ages 13-17 with the primary focus
on African American females (Asha Family Services, Inc., Website,
ht_tp://www.Ashafamilyservicesxorn).

Ujima Jr. for teens. This 16 week group is an “alternative to aggression” course
for African American males ages 13-17. The curriculum is designed to address
emotional competence, including the expression, understanding and regulation of
emotions such as anger, as well as alternative thinking strategies. Drugs, illegal
behaviors, sex-related issues, HIV/AIDS and other STD education and referral,
relationship issues, and abusive behaviors are addressed (Asha Family Services, Inc.,
Website, ht_tp:l/www.Ashafamilyservices.com ).

Services

SOAR Resource (Solutions & Options Applied with Respect). Since 1998, Asha
has provided services, including domestic abuse, mental health and substance abuse
treatment, for Welfare to Work job seekers in Milwaukee county.

Family and individual case management. Since 1995, qualified family violence
prevention advocates at Asha have provided intense case management, advocacy and

referral services for families who need assistance in accessing a variety of community

23

services and supports. Services are provided both on-site and through home visits (Asha
Family Services, Inc., Website, hgp://www.Ashafamilyservices.com).

Substance abuse and mental health treatment services. Since 1995, Asha has
operated a community-based, state-licensed outpatient mental health and substance abuse
treatment clinic that targets the African American community and specializes in family
counseling regarding childhood and adult victimization, anger, grief and stress behaviors
and the intersections between family abuses, mental health and substance abuse
problems. Frequency and duration of sessions vary by individual need and services are
offered on a sliding scale based on income (Asha Family Services, Inc., Website,

h ://www.Ashafami services.cor_n_).

Asha also provides a number of other services including: pre/post partum
depression screening by which assessment is applied for depression during and around
the time of pregnancy and linkages enhanced to community-based intervention services
for depression that are age and culturally specific for women of reproductive age;
HIV/AIDS outreach and education provided by trained Disease Intervention Specialists
(DIS) who actively seek and engage individuals within Milwaukee County who may be
at high risk for HIV infection and other communicable diseases; OCAP parenting
sessions for parents and child caregivers which utilizes a didactic/experiential approach
for the enhancement of basic parenting skills and a strengths based approach to women
and their families; TTY telephone information service for deaf and hearing impaired;
computer classes for adults and children to train and educate them on current computer
programs; and community education/training which provides inter-personal violence

presentations for schools, churches, correctional facilities, social service agencies and

24

other organizations and businesses on the issues of family violence and working with
African American populations (Asha Family Services, Inc., Website,
http://wwwAshafamm/services.com).

Asha served 5,099 clients in 2000 and 3,987 clients in 2001. At least 678 clients
in 2000 and 845 clients in 2001 were women seeking services because of domestic
violence (Asha Family Services, Inc., Annual Report, 2000-2001; Asha Family Services,
Inc., Website, http://www.Ashafamilvservicescom). Asha Family Services works
primarily out of two sites located in close proximity to each other in the city of
Milwaukee. One is the administrative office, which handles all administrative business
and houses all staff related to such business. The other office, considered the “Customer
Care” center, is the site from which the majority of client services are conducted.

Setting Access

I gained access into the site through the CEO and founder of the agency, and
conducted a preliminary site visit with the agency. It was at this point that I met the
majority of staff in the agency. I was welcomed into the agency and assured that I would
have access to participants and programs as needed for the purposes of this research. An
administrative agreement outlining these arrangements can be found in Appendix A.
Access to this setting was relatively easy throughout the process of this research. I
received assistance in obtaining respondents from agency staff, and was afforded space in

the agency for recruitment and interviewing.

25

Procedures

Multiple sources of data were used for this study, including archival analysis,
interviews with agency leaders and staff, and interviews with survivors receiving agency
services.

Research Question One

In order to answer research question number one, “How does Asha define their
culturally specific domestic violence intervention?” two data sources were utilized:
archival analysis and interviews with agency leaders and staff.
Archival Analysis

A content analysis of archival data was conducted in order to get a better
understanding of the agency. This involved the collection of agency paperwork related to
the agency philosophy, mission, programs, and activities. Included in this were annual
reports for years 2000-2001 and 2002, pamphlets, brochures, advertisements, program
descriptions and website information. Some of this information was obtained during a
preliminary site visit and examination of the agency’s website, and the remainder were
received during subsequent visits to the agency. This paperwork was compiled and
coded in respect to which of the following areas it contributed insight into: defining the
agency itself, agency philosophy and mission, agency programs and services, culturally
specific elements of the intervention and the agency’s funding sources. Culturally
specific elements were identified by both what the agency itself identifies as culturally
specific component of their intervention as well as what has been identified as culturally
specific intervention components by the literature. This information was then used to

describe the agency.

26

Key Stafir and Leader Interviews

Key staff members were interviewed in order to obtain some of this same
information, as well as to gain their perceptions of women’s utilization and experience
with the agency.

Sample. Interviews were conducted with the Coordinator of Victims Services, for
an administrative perspective, and two of Asha’s women’s advocates for a direct service
provider perspective. One of these advocates was also the facilitator for a Sister Circle
support group. The Coordinator of Victim’s Services was selected because it is believed
that her role is integral to women’s programs at Asha. The decision to interview two
women’s advocates was made in order to incorporate the perspective of those who
provide direct services to women at Asha, including running the support group. The
Coordinator of Victim’s Services had worked at the agency for approximately three
years. Of the advocates, one had worked at the agency for approximately three years and
the other, who facilitated the support group, had worked at the agency for over eleven
years.

Interview protocol. These were in-depth, semi-structured interviews and general
questions included: 1) Why do they think Asha Family Services was founded? 2) How do
women come to receive services at Asha? 3) What services at Asha do female survivors
utilize most frequently? 4) What would they identify as the culturally specific
components of Asha’s services? 5) How do they think women feel about their overall
experiences at Asha? and 6) If they were to design their own culturally appropriate
domestic violence intervention targeting the African American community, what things

would they include? The staff interview protocol can be found in Appendix B.

27

Data analysis. Two of these interviews were tape-recorded and one staff member
preferred not to be tape-recorded. Tape-recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim
and verified by the researcher. Handwritten notes were recorded and typed for the
respondent who refused tape recording. The data were then sorted according to question
for those interview items related to this research question. These question responses were
then coded in respect to which of the following areas it contributed insight into: the
agency itself, agency programs, agency philosophy, culturally specific elements of the
intervention, agency’s affiliations, as well as the agency’s overall operation. This
information, in addition to that obtained from the content analysis of archival, was used
to describe the agency. A set of codes was generated through the first reading of
interview transcripts. Using this list of codes, the transcripts were individually reviewed
again to ensure that all material for each code was coded.

Research Questions Two, Three, and Four

Two sources of data were used in order to answer the remaining research
questions: “What elements of Afiican American women’s experience at Asha Family
Services have been most helpful to them;” “Do women identify culturally specific
components as helpful and if so, which ones;” “For women who have a history of service
involvement with mainstream services, what were their experiences with these agencies
and how is their experience with Asha different from those experiences;” and “What
culturally specific intervention components, if any, do survivors and staff identify as
desirable that do not yet exist?” These sources were interviews with survivors who were

receiving services and leader/staff interviews.

28

Survivor Interviews

In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with women who received
survivor services from the agency to talk with them personally about their experiences
with the agency.

Sample. A total of fourteen survivors who had received services at Asha were
interviewed. At the time of the interviews respondents had had at least three service
contacts with Asha and had received services from the agency for anywhere from one and
a half months to five years. Survivors ranged in age from 25-55 years. Education level
among respondents ranged from completion of 8th grade to completion of a Bachelor’s
degree. Of those respondents who indicated employment status they included one
student, not working, one student working part time, one employed part time, four
disabled and three unemployed. Respondents had at least two and as many as eleven

children. Annual income levels among respondents ranged from under $5000 to between

$35,000-49,999. (See Table 2)

29

 

 

 

Table 2: Demographics of Survivor Sample
N = 14

 

Age 25-55 years,
Mean = 40

 

Annual Income
Under $5000
$5000-9999
$10000-14999
$1 5000-24999
835000-49999

missing

my—st—iLfiNN

 

Education Level
Less than high school
High school graduate/GED
Trade school
Bachelor’s degree
missing

what—“bi.”

 

Employment Status
Student, not working
Student, working part time
Employed, part time
Disabled

missingfi

 

Number of Children
39 years

1

1

l

4

Unemployed 3
4

2

-ll, ages 1-

 

Length of Involvement with Asha
6 months or less
6 months — two years
over two years

w-hfl

 

Sample Recruitment. Some survivors were recruited through conversations with
the advocates who worked with women in the agency. Advocates were asked to identify
women who were currently receiving survivor services from Asha. Of these women,
advocates were asked to identify those who utilized multiple services at the agency, such
as advocacy, support group, the children’s program, alcohol or drug treatment services,

and/or mental health services and those they believe have also received such services

30

 

from mainstream agencies. The purpose of these different requirements was to get a
diversity of women’s experiences with the agency. Advocates supplied lists of their most
recent clients and an attendance roster from a recent support group. Advocates were able
to identify some women who were receiving multiple services but were unable to identify
which women had received domestic violence services from another agency. Lists
generated by the advocates were short, including only seven women. I attempted calling
each of these women in order to solicit their participation. The results of these attempted
contacts were as follows: one woman was in the hospital at the time that I placed a call to
her home, I spoke with her mother who indicated that the woman should be home by the
end of the week but would not be in a condition to talk; one woman’s name was given
without a phone number so could not be contacted; a third woman listed was not African
American and thus did not qualify; I placed a call to reach the fourth woman but was told
by a woman who answered the phone that the woman I was trying to reach no longer
lived there and that she did not know where this woman was; a fifth woman self-
identified as a batterer, not a survivor, and thus did not qualify; the sixth woman on the
list was successfully interviewed; the seventh woman agreed to participate but was
leaving to go out of town the day that I reached her and would not be back during my
stay in Milwaukee. In addition, I also attempted calling women listed on the support
group attendance roster, which was a total of fourteen women. Seven of the women on
the support group attendance roster resided in a residential substance abuse treatment
home to which I went in person to solicit participation. I recruited three of these seven
women and plus three others temporarily residing in the shelter. Of the other seven

women listed on the support group attendance roster, one was the woman who self-

31

identified previously as a batterer, one was not Afiican American and thus did not
qualify, three did not have phone numbers listed for contact and the remaining two I did
reach and interview. To those women who were able to be reached by these means I
explained to them the project purpose, proposed length of the interview (1 ‘/2 hours), and
payment ($20 for completed interview). It was explained to the women that their
decision whether or not to participate would not affect the services they were receiving
from Asha Family Services. They were then asked whether they wished to participate.
Nine of the fourteen survivors were recruited through the above means. Overall, all
women who were successfully reached by these means agreed to participate in the study.
No one refused. The one woman who was reached but leaving town that day had agreed
to participate but we could not schedule a time during my visit (which was my last) in
light of her departure to conduct the interview. She did indicate that if I needed to come
back at some point to conduct more interviews, I could contact her. Survivors were also
recruited through support group meetings at the agency. Five additional woman were
recruited through this means. During the time frame that I obtained my sample, the
support group was the main means by which survivors were obtaining services from the
agency. Considering that none of the women asked refused participation and most of the
survivors in this sample were support group attendees (obtained from support group
attendance rosters and solicitation during support groups) this sample was indeed
representative of those survivors receiving services from Asha during the time of this

data collection.

32

 

 

For women who agreed to participate, interviews were conducted with them at a
time and place they identified as most comfortable, convenient and safe for them. As a
result, interviews were conducted at Asha and at women’s homes and temporary shelters.

Interview Protocol. These in-depth, semi-structured interviews included such
question as: 1) How did women come to receive services at Asha? 2) What specific
programs do women participate in at Asha? 3) What would they identify as the culturally
specific components of Asha’s services? 4) How do women feel about the culturally
specific components of Asha’s services? 5) Have women received services from other
domestic violence programs? 6) How do women feel about their overall experiences with
Asha? and 7) Do women have additional suggestions for the development of culturally
appropriate domestic violence programs targeting the African American community?
The survivor interview protocol can be found in Appendix C. All interviews were
audiotaped for subsequent analysis and consent for doing so was received from
participants prior to the interview’s commencement. All interviews were transcribed
verbatim and verified.
Key Staff and Leader Interviews

Similar information gathered from staff interviews was the second source of data
for addressing research questions two and four. Interview questions were also included
that address these research question (see Appendix B, questions 2, 3, 10, & l 1).
Staff/leader interviews were used to secure more than one perspective on these issues and

to reinforce or enhance survivor information.

33

Data Analysis

Analysis of these questions involved both cross case and within case data
analysis.

Cross-case analysis. A cross-case analysis approach was used to address research
question numbers two, three and four, which address which elements of women’s
experiences of the agency they found most helpful, which aspects of the culturally
appropriate services offered by Asha women found helpful, how women’s experiences
with Asha related to their experiences with mainstream agencies and what culturally
specific intervention components, if any, survivors and staff identified as desirable that
do not yet exist. Cross-case analysis is a means of grouping answers from different
people to common questions or analyzing different perspectives on a particular issue
(Patton, 2002). For research question number two, the coding process utilized a
combination of emergent and literature-guided approach. Prior to starting data analysis,
potential culturally specific components of the intervention were identified through the
content analysis of agency paperwork, the staff interviews and the literature review and a
preliminary coding scheme was developed. The data were first coded for predetermined
codes and any emergent codes and problems with the coding scheme were noted. The
coding scheme was then revised and the data was recoded for the emergent and changed
themes. This process allowed me to identify which elements, across women and staff,
were identified as being the helpful to them.

For research question number three, only emergent coding was utilized as there
were no pre-determined notions of how women would relate their experiences with Asha

to mainstream services. A set of codes was generated through the first reading of

34

interview transcripts. The coding scheme was then reviewed and revised. Using this list
of codes the transcripts were again individually coded using the final coding scheme.

To address research question number four, only emergent coding was utilized as
there were no pre-determined notions of what survivors or staff/leaders would identify as
useful but non-existent. Since no elements were identified as non-existent and desirable
no re-coding coding or revisions of coding schemes were necessary for this question.

Throughout the process of analysis, I read each interview transcript with the
coding of each of these three research questions, noted emergent themes and revived
these themes to identify larger meta-themes. I identified commons ideas and larger
patterns that seemed to be consistent across cases for each of these questions. Emergent
themes for each question were then discussed with a committee member with extensive
knowledge of qualitative methods. This committee member reviewed codes and relevant
quotes and provided feedback, differences of opinion were discussed, and when
necessary, codes were redefined and renamed. A PSY 490 student was then used to
review the revised coding scheme. Her insights were also incorporated and revisions
made accordingly. Once a final coding scheme was reached after this process, I then
went back and recoded each individual interview with this final coding scheme.

Within-Case Analysis. A within-case level analysis was used to explore the
question of how women’s experiences with Asha differed from their experiences with
mainstream services. A within-case level analysis is often used for the purposes of
exploring, describing, and explaining individual case experiences (Miles & Hubennan,
1994). The data were sorted and compiled according to question for those interview

items related to women’s experiences with mainstream agencies. This allowed me to

35

explore each woman’s individual story of her experiences with mainstream services and
how this related to her experiences of receiving services at Asha. Each woman’s answers
to these question were explored. For each individual woman who indicates having had
experience with mainstream agencies, I described her experience utilizing her story,
creating a within-case summary. These individual within-case summaries were reviewed
by the above-mentioned qualitative committee member who provided feedback and I
made revisions accordingly. My research assistant (the PSY 490 student) also created
within-case summaries for each of these participants. I compared my within-case
summaries with those of my research assistant for verification. Our stories were very
consistent. These within case summaries were summarized and common patterns of
stories emerging across participants were identified and documented. This summary and
common themes were also reviewed my the above mentioned qualitative committee
member.
Data Collection T imeline

In order to collect this data three weeklong site visits at the agency were
conducted. During the first visit, I observed agency activities and women’s support
groups solely for the purpose of getting a feel for the agency. In addition, I documented
culturally specific features of the agency setting, which included cultural artwork or
posters on the walls, Afrocentric artifacts on tables and reading materials portraying
Afiican American interests. Staff interviews were also conducted during this first visit
with the agency. At this time I began a search for survivors to interview at the following

visit. During the second and third visits, interviews were conducted with survivors.

36

 

Protection of the Rights of Research Participants
All necessary procedures were taken in order to ensure the protection of
informants. UCRIHS approval was received from Michigan State University. A signed
administrative agreement with Asha’s CEO was obtained. In addition, informed consent
was obtained from all participants by my reading over the consent form with participants
and having them sign a consent form, indicating their understanding of the project
purpose and their agreement to participate. I assured survivors’ confidentiality by
keeping the names of survivors separate from their taped interviews and interview
transcripts. In addition, in presenting the findings of this research, fictitious names are
used for the survivors who participated. Every effort was made to assure confidentiality
of staff, although it is acknowledged that since this is a small organization and only a
small number of staff were interviewed, complete confidentiality was not guaranteed.
Also, the real identities of staff are not used in the write-up of these findings. All
information was securely stored in a locked file cabinet in a locked research office
throughout the process of this research.
Authentication
Authentication is a process by which one ensures that participant voices are
represented accurately and fairly in the presentation of results. Authentication of these
qualitative results took place in a number of ways. First, throughout the data analysis
process emergent trends and patterns in the data were discussed with a committee
member well versed in qualitative research methods (as described above). Second, a PSY
490 student was enlisted for the process of verification. This student was first trained in

qualitative methodology and went through the interviews as well. She independently

37

coded data as well and gave assessments of her interpretations of women’s experiences
(as described above). Notes were compared across persons for confirmation of themes
and ideas, and adjustments were made accordingly (as described above). Afterwards, a
“member check” session was conducted to validate the interpretations of the data
(Lincoln & Guba, 1989). Results from research question two and three were presented in
a lay reader friendly format to a small group (5 women) of survivors who were receiving
services from Asha for feedback. This included one of the survivors who was previously
interviewed for this study. Attempts were made to contact all women who agreed, at the
time of their interview, to a follow-up contact via the contact numbers they had at the
time of the interview. However, none of these women could be reached by this means for
participation in this member check session. These five women were asked to give
feedback in reference to whether these results reflected their experience with Asha and
when applicable, with mainstream agencies. They were also asked whether they
disagreed with any of the results that were presented to them. These women indicated
that these results were accurate reflections of their experiences and elaborated on some of
the results presented by relating some of their personal experiences with Asha and with
mainstream agencies. Consequently, there was convergence between the experiences of
the survivors participating in the “member check” session and the interpretations and
finding from this study. According to Guba and Lincoln (1989), a “member check” is the
most important technique for establishing credibility. Women were given $10 for
participation in this session and snacks were provided.

Staff interview transcripts were given to them for verification and feedback if the

staff so desired to give it. Each staff member received a copy of their interview transcript

38

(notes) along with a note from me indicating that they were free to review the transcripts
and contact me if they wished to provide feedback, add to or elaborate on anything they
discussed at the time of the interview. I provided them with contact numbers and my e-
mail address.
Personal Relationship with Research Participants

I had the opportunity to interact with a majority of the staff during my time at the
agency and worked to keep a good rapport with them in order to continue my welcome at
the site. I conversed with staff, dined with them and enjoyed leisure activities with them.
I also interacted in a casual way with some of those receiving services at the agency.
Although this type of relationship existed with informants I was still able to be objective
in data collection for several reasons. First, I was not directly invested in the agency.
Although I was glad that such a service existed for African American women in the
Milwaukee community and that the need for culturally specific intervention was being
validated in at least some area of the country, I did not have a vested interest in
glamorizing the agency for reputation sake. I did not work at the agency so my personal
economic welfare was not at stake. Also, my purpose at the agency was made known to
agency staff as well as women receiving services whom I interviewed or observed in
groups or meetings. Finally, I believed that the best way for African American intimate
partner violence survivors, Asha Family Services, domestic violence agencies,
researchers, domestic violence advocates, people wishing to design and implement
culturally specific domestic violence interventions, and myself to benefit from the time
and work at Asha was to give an honest assessment of the agency and the experiences of

the women who receive services there.

39

 

 

Preliminary Biases and Suppositions

In order to do this work justice I had to admit first to my own biases and
suppositions, which undoubtedly influenced my approach to this research and my reading
of the data that resulted from this investigation. I have engaged in several activities over
the years that have influenced the way I see and think about the issue of culturally
appropriate interventions and domestic violence.

First, I have been involved in the domestic violence movement for over eight
years in various capacities. This includes but is not limited to volunteering at domestic
violence shelters, working crisis lines, serving as an advocate for survivors, interviewing
survivors, training advocates, researching the issue, and working with a state coalition.
Throughout this work I have had the opportunity to interact with survivors as well as
those who work with survivors. Throughout this I have heard the dissatisfaction of
African American women, as well as other women of Color, who have received domestic
violence services from mainstream agencies.

I have also engaged in reading literature that discusses the shortcomings of
mainstream interventions in relation to their serving women of Color, and Afiican
American women in particular. I have read the works of ntnnerous prominent researchers
and theorists, particularly in the area of addressing domestic violence in the African
American community, call for culturally appropriate interventions. I have also read
literature addressing the importance of culturally appropriate interventions and their
successes, in various capacities.

I have conducted focus groups and interviews with African American female

survivors that gave me insight into their experiences as well as their needs. I have talked

40

with them extensively about their experiences with mainstream services as well as how
shelters have fallen short of meeting their culturally specific needs and what types of
services they would like to see available to them. Some of these things are consistent
with the services that Asha offers.

I have also had extensive interaction with survivors and workers at the numerous
family violence related conferences that I have attended over the years, some specific to
addressing domestic violence within the African American community and other
communities of Color. At these conferences I have heard survivors as well as prominent
researchers and activists talk about the shortcomings of mainstream interventions and call
for better services to meet the needs of survivors of Color.

Over the past few years I have also had considerable involvement with the
National Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community
(IDVAAC). I have attended many of their conferences and meetings, helped them
conduct focus groups, as well as interacted in various capacities with numerous members
of their steering committee. In addition, I have been active with the Michigan Coalition
Against Domestic and Sexual Violence Women of Color Task Force where I have had
the opportunity to commrmicate with many women of Color working in mainstream
domestic violence and sexual assault agencies. Through these interactions I have again
heard many of the sentiments expressed above.

As a result of my engagement in these various capacities I believe certain things.
I believe that most mainstream domestic violence interventions do not adequately meet
the needs of Afiican American women, as well as other women of Color. I believe that

women of Color do have culturally specific needs and that interventions need to be

41

 

designed to meet these needs. I also believe that culturally specific interventions are
appropriate and necessary in order to adequately serve women of Color who are survivors
of intimate partner violence. In addition, I believe that more research needs to be done to
explore these culturally specific needs so that the results can be incorporated into the
development of these interventions. I also feel that more research needs to be done on
existing culturally specific interventions to examine what they are doing and how they
are doing it.
RESULTS
Research Question Number One: How does Asha define their culturally specific
domestic violence intervention?
A Culturally Specific Domestic Violence Intervention

Generally speaking, Asha Family Services defines itself as a culturally specific
domestic violence intervention which targets the African American community.
“Asha Family Services, Inc. is a private, non-profit, spiritually-based agency whose goal
through collaborative efforts is to provide comprehensive family violence and substance
abuse intervention for victims and perpetrators of domestic violence that is culturally
specific.” (Asha Family Services, Inc., Website, http:l/www.Ashafamilyservicesxom;
Annual reports 200-2002, 2002)
“Specializing in skilled services specific to Afiican American populations since 1989, our
goal through collaborative efforts is to treat ills and facilitate healing and growth in
families. Asha employs spiritual, holistic, and culturally specific treatment methods with
the background, training and skill to provide treatment specific to many A fiican

American families. ”

42

 

 

“Asha believes in the preservation and strengthening of the Afiican American family. To
this end, we are committed to the provision of a spiritually-based, holistic and culturally
responsive service designed to end violence against Afi'ican American women and
children specifically, families of other communities of color and all families in general.”
(Asha Family Services, Inc., Website, http:llwww.Ashafamilyservicesxom; Annual
Reports 200-2001, 2002)
Culturally Specific Components

Asha Family Services identifies, by agency literature and staff accounts, a number
of culturally specific components of its program. These include (1) Afro-centric
curriculum, (2) Afro-centric environment, (3) family centered approach, (4) holistic
approach, (5) representative staff and board, and (6) spiritually based approach.

Afi'o-centric Curriculum

Staff members at Asha identified their curriculum as culturally specific in that the
issues covered in groups and programs tended to center around Afiican American culture,
lifestyles and experiences. This includes discussion of African American history and
culture and the ways in which various social ills differentially impact the African
American community including domestic violence, substance abuse problems, and the
HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Staff #1: I think um...the curriculum... When, I say culturally specific, I think it ’s more or
less, um, based on... our culture and how...and how our culture...relates to, you know,
like lifestyles and...and how... you know, how we came about, you know, as a
people...slavery... you know, to me, all of that plays a part in the services that you give.

All of that plays a part and a lot of times... in the groups and. in the conference sessions,

43

we talked about that. You know, we talked about um... family... family lifestyles and family
issues and you know, how you came up... you know, how you were brought up as a child
because 1...] think that has a lot to do with how you...how you come out, you know, and
the decisions that you make...(p. 13)
Staff #2: Well, our batterer ’s treatment program is culturally specific for the men
because they get the Afi'o-American men that’s abusers, you know. So we talk to them
about.... we talk to them about the black culture. How black men are, you know, are
treating... to care about women more, you know? More so than, you know, beating
women, you know, so they...they talk to them about more on that realm of things. You
know...and most of the men that come to the group they really love it you know? Because
that ’s what we give them. We give them that history, you know, of Black Americans, Afro-
American ’s, you know? Where they come from so they know, you know... you
know... uh... we not really abusive people. It’s a learned behavior, it’s not nothing you,
you was brought up through the years, you know? It ’s a learned behavior so you learn
that to, yourself you know? So if it ’s learned then it can be unlearned. (p.6)
Afro-centric Environment

Both staff and agency literature emphasized the importance of the environment of
Asha being Afro-centric. This manifests itself in two ways, first, the agency is located in
a predominantly African American area of the city, second, the environment inside the
agency is a reflection of African American culture. During my time at the agency I
observed many things in the environment which would characterize the space within this
agency as Afro-centric, this included: Afro-centric art on the walls; photographs of Black

women, children and men hanging on the walls; Afro-centric artifacts on shelves and

44

 

tables; educational and ad campaign posters depicting Black women, men, children and
families; agency literature and program brochures depicting Black women, children, men
and families; books on bookshelves by African American writers, and; popular African
American culture magazines resting on tables (field observation, 2003).

“One of the first things you should consider is the physical location and the environment
where participants will come for services. Ask yourself the following questions: Is your
agency located within the target group ’s community...1s the art or other information on
the walls of the oflice reflective of your clientele?” (V ann, 2003)

Staff #1: Because to come in and see yourself... They say that [when] a person come in
for services they have to see themselves and then it goes back to that comfort level too
and then [when you] come in for services, you want to feel like you ’re welcome and you
want to feel like you ’re comfortable... Uh-huh. We... we... we were talking about that
yesterday, you know, just being able to go somewhere and feel comfortable.

That ’s... that ’s very important. When you ’re dealing with someboay who, you know,

who ’s been in a domestic violence situation and you know... that ’s... that ’s very important.
(p.2 1)

Staff #2: Well, people walk in the door and...and they smile at it or some people walk in
the door and say yeah, this is a culturally specific, culturally specific agency, you know?
Because they see it surrounds them so they know that’s what we all about... Uh-huh, yeah,
uh-huh. It ’s just like a family setting, you know. That ’s what the family ’s all about. Just
like a family when you’re in your home and you know how you want your family setting

to be so it ’s the same thing just how you want your agency setting to be. (p.14-15)

45

Family Centered Approach

Asha F arnily Services “believes in the preservation and strengthening of the
African American family” as indicated in their mission statement. To this end they
provide services to each individual member of the family who wishes to stay together in
the aftermath of family violence. Children may participate in the children’s program,
survivors may participate in the Sister Circle group and other applicable services and
perpetrators may participate in the Ujima Men’s Program and other applicable services.
Staff reflected on the importance of this component and why it is culturally specific.
Staff #1: Because, I mean...1 think in a lot of the other, you know, I ’m just saying that I
believe that in a lot of cultures, it ’s just leave, you know, leave. If you ’re in a violent
situation you leave but a lot of...a lot of the women don ’t want to leave. They want to
learn how to work through that...through that family component. You know, a lot...a lot
of the women don ’t want to leave and I think taking that, working with the whole family.
It is what, what you need to do, you know? If...i ifthe whole family is willing to work,
you know? If the family is willing to work at it, though... Because I think there ’s with
Afi'ican-American families...I just...1 just think our history plays so much.... you know, a
big part. You know? I ’m not saying...making excuses, you know, or acceptance for
domestic violence but it ’s... it 's...I think a lot of...a lot of people feel like, you know,
we ’ve already been through so much, you know? You know, a lot...a lot of the
women...a lot of the women feel guilty, you know? There ’s so much guilt and I think it ’s
because a lot of the women feel like, in this society, the Afiican-American male is already
being put down so she...she...she feels like to, to almost get on, you know, get on the

band wagon that ’s going to put him down even farther, you know?...(p. 1 6-1 7)

46

Holistic Approach
Asha believes that “healing requires healing all parts of one’s life” (Annual
Reports 2000-2001, 2002). Through conversations with staff at the agency they believe
that domestic violence is just the root of many women’s problems and that there are
multiple problems that stem from that. This is why they offer multiple programs and
services in addition to those that specifically address domestic violence including mental
health services and substance abuse treatment services (personal communication, 2003).
Staff address why this is particularly important for the African American community.
Staff #2: Uh, yeah, yeah. It is, for one thing we have...look at mental health, okay. For
one thing, how we... uh... like I was saying history. How we let fears control our life. And
our fear... With Black Americans, the same thing like history. How we grew up with abuse
and we grew up with uh...sexual abuse, we ’ve been knocked around. We’ve been put
down. We ’ve been taught, I mean all our lives...even by our parents, you know being
through abuse and witnessing abuse. I mean, that brings on the same thing as saying that
some people have so much trauma in their lives... they traumatized... that we have to
handle that part too so that ’s coming with the mental health part...And the AOD part,
whew, lord. AODA part, it ’s like, that...okay, like... fear, well fear causes people to get on
drugs, you know. Fear causes the people to get on alcohol. So we had to provide all these
services to help them with that so I guess all of it... the whole thing... encompass the
whole... the whole thing for Afio-American people...(p.7-8)
Representative Staff and Board

Asha believes the following:

47

“It is essential for providers who serve a large minority population to assure that their
stafl reflect those they serve. This is just as important for the governing body and
administration of the agency who will set policy for these folks. The organizational
leadership must actively seek out and recruit stafl and Board members who are able to
represent authentic realities of clients and their varying needs. Without this
understanding and input, programs cannot begin to create culturally appropriate
responses.” (V arm, 2003)

As a result, the majority of staff members employed at Asha Family Services and
the entire Board consist of Afiican American individuals. Staff again reflected on the
importance of this component.

Staff #1: ...so to be able to come to somebody and identify with somebody that ’s... that
means a lot. You know? That means a lot. And when you have the difikrent races,

you... you have to... you have to understand the background of that culture because if you
don’t, I ’m not going to reach you... You know? I’m not going to reach you. You know?
Because it ’s... it 's... it ’s diflerent levels of respect. You know? There ’s... it ’s just... it ’5 just
so much understanding that culture. (p.14)

Staff #2: Well the thing, like I said before, uh, we know, we know more of they needs
because we have the same back ground. Know, women know...like Afio-American women
know what most Afro women, Afro-American women want, you know? What we want to
see this person be, you know? And like the men, you know... you know, we want to make
you a better person. We want to talk to you about what you ’re doing. You know, how

you ’re hurting our Afro-American women. . .(p.l4)

48

Spiritually Based Approach

Asha Family Services takes a spiritually based approach to the provision of their
services because they believe as follows:

“Religion plays heavily in the lives of many Afiican American. Service providers must
support and make space for women who rely on religious and spiritual practices. ” (V arm,
2003)

Asha Family Services does not promote a specific religious doctrine but
incorporates spirituality by such actions as having prayer upon the conclusion of a group
and hiring non-denominational ministers to run some of the support groups and provide
spiritual guidance and advocacy (personal communication, 2003).

Other Culturally Specific Components

Asha encompasses other culturally specific components as identified in the
literature although they do not specifically address these as such in their literature and
reports from staff.

Developed in Collaboration With the Target Population and Relevant Stakeholders

Asha Family Services was founded in 1989 by its Executive Director, an African
American woman who is a survivor of intimate partner violence (Asha Family Services,
Inc., Website, hgp:l/www.Ashafamilyservicesxom).

Uses Channels of Dissemination Which Will Successfully Reach the Target Population

Asha Family Services engaged in an “It’s Your Business” campaign which is a
culturally specific domestic violence prevention/intervention campaign developed by the

Family Violence Prevention Fund to target the African American community. Through

49

this campaign they have advertised their agency via culturally specific posters, fliers, ads
on buses and billboards and radio announcements.
Uses Language Familiar to the Target Population

English is the primary language Of most African Americans, therefore, language
is not the same issue here as it would be for those who speak a foreign language.
However, African American staff would be more familiar with the slang terms and
language that may be used at times among African Americans.

Asha Family Services also incorporates other components that they feel are
important to working within communities of Color. These include woman-defined
advocacy where women identify the priorities and needs, respectful interaction with
clients, effectively responding to cultural dynamics, understanding that African American
women may engage in differing helpseeking behaviors than their White counterparts and
understanding how mental health problems manifest themselves among African
Americans (Vann, 2003).

In sum, Asha Family Services defines itself as a culturally specific domestic
violence agency which targets the African American community. They are very specific
in their literature in identifying how they seek to make their services culturally specific.
Staff accounts of the culturally specific services that Asha provides are consistent with

this literature (see table 3).

50

 

Table 3: Culturally Specific Components of Asha

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Component Supported Supported
by by Staff

Literature Account

Afro-centric Curriculum

Afro-centric Environment

Family Centered Approach

Holistic Approach

Representative Staff and Board

Spiritually Based Approach

 

Developed in collaboration with target population and
relevant stakeholders

 

Uses channels of dissemination which will successfully
reach the target population

 

 

 

 

NNXX xx
X X XXXX XXX

Uses language familiar to target population

 

Research Question Number Two: What elements of African American women’s
experiences at Asha Family Services have been most helpful to them?

All fourteen of the respondents interviewed identified elements of their
experiences with Asha Family Services that they found to be helpful. There were also a
number of things that women identified as potentially helpful to them, meaning that they
had not yet utilized that particular aspect of Asha’s services but planned on using it in the
future or just found it helpful to know that Asha had certain things available to them in
case they needed to use them in the future. Women also identified aspects of Asha’s
services which they had not used themselves but indicated that it was helpful that these
things existed so that others in the African American community who needed them could
benefit. In summary, women identified a great number of things about Asha family
services that they found helpful to themselves and to others in their community. These

are all presented in the following.

51

 

Overall, survivors identified six general things that they found helpful about what
is offered at Asha Family Services. These included (1) emotional support, (2) having
staff who have “been there”, (3) practical assistance, (4) empowering practices, (5)

outreach, and (6) culturally specific components (see Table 4).

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Emotional Support (#01, 02, O3, O4, 05, O6, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)

All of the survivors identified ways in which Asha Family Services provided them
with much needed emotional support. For all of them this included aspects of the support
group. For some it also included feelings about the staff and the agency.

Support Group Design and Content ( #01 , 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13,
1 4)

Survivors identified a number of elements of the support group design and content
that they found to be emotionally supportive. These included (i) provides an outlet for
discussing problems/venting, (ii) provides context in which survivors can “be real,” (iii)
group offers activities besides discussing domestic violence, (iv) confidentiality, (v)
provides a nonjudgmental and supportive environment, and (vi) provides comfortable,
welcoming environment.

An outlet for discussing problems/venting (#01 , 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12,
13, 14)

For many survivors, the group helped them to discuss problems that they were
dealing with in their lives. The group was an outlet for them. It was a place where they
could go and vent about their current circumstances.

#02: ...I would just go, you know, go there sometime so I can ease my mind and

they really helped me out a lot. I would just go there and talk about certain things

and get it ofl my mind... (p.2)

#04: Since, once I learned to open up, see, and that ’5 why ASHA really helped

me, because I was just ho-, bottling everything inside, you know, and I wouldn ’t, I

would just sit there. I wouldn ’t say how I feel, you know... Truly didn ’t even know

55

how I felt, because this was so many years I didn ’t have a choice of my feelings,

you know. It didn ’t matter how I felt... You know. So they taught me to open up

and they let me know that my feelings do count... You know, and by talking those

things, you know, I mean, really that, that helped me a hell of a lot because, I

mean, I would just hold everything in until I explode. And it ’d be a real big mess,

if I ’d explode... You know, so (Laughs) for me, talking things out, all diflerent type
of things, you know. . .(p.lS-18)

#10: ...you get to talk about your problems and uh to get it ofl you, you don’t keep

it inside. That ’s helping me and helping me to get stronger... (p.2)

#13: Umm... what ’s been most helpfitl for me was knowing that I had a place that

I could go to that I was able to talk and feel comfortable talking about my past

abuse... (p.2)

Provides context in which survivors can ”be real ” (#03, 05, 08)

There were a few survivors who indicated that they found it helpful that the group
provided a context in which they could feel as though they could “be real” in terms of
discussing their experiences. They felt as though they were able to speak candidly in the
group about personal issues. They felt as though they could be open and honest and did
not need to minimize of sugar coat what they had been through.

#03: Um, (Pause) hmm, hmm, (Pause) I guess, if I ’m understanding your

question correctly, I guess the fact that, you know, we can be real, and just put

our stufi’on the table. (p.36)

#05: I can just be honest with myself...And I feel that if a lot of people, you know,

that ’s, that’s basically probably where I get a lot of strength from, with Asha ’s

56

support group, is because, you know, I don ’t have to fake it. You know, I can just

go there and put it out there and just be myself and be honest with myself and if

I’m honest with myself, you know, I can overcome a lot of obstacles and situations

that I might be going through, because, you know, I don ’t have to hold back... You

know, I can just tell it like it is. This is how it is. Because, you know, it ’s other

women, maybe 3, 4 more, you know, that been went through the same thing, so I

don ’t feel bad... (p.25)

Group oflers activities besides discussing domestic violence (#01, 02, 03, 05, 08)

For some survivors they found it helpful that the group did not just sit around and
discuss domestic violence all of the time. The group also offered other activities on
occasion including games, written exercises, potlucks, movie viewing and other activities
that women enjoyed participating in.

#01: So we used to do this ball, they got a ball at ASHA, if you ’re angry or upset,

you let them, let them know how you feel. And we used to play with that ball all

the time. (p.11)

#02: ...But sometimes we have potlucks at Asha and eat so and [Jane] ’11 show a

spiritual movie, like the plays that be at um... the plays that be down at um

Riverside theater, the spiritual, spiritual plays, she ’11 get ‘em and bring ‘em in

and show it. (p.13)

#03: ...but when I watched the tape, and the tape, you know, showed abuse in

another light, you know, in another form, you know, and it was a comedy type

thing, like it ’s, this is not just, you come in here and you sit down, and you know,

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you have a meeting and everybody talks. You know, once I realized that it wasn ’t
really like that, you know, it was like, I liked that. (p.38)
Confidentiality (#06, 13, 14)
Women found it helpful that within the group was a rule of confidentiality. This
helped women to feel more comfortable and safer to discuss their experiences.
#06: Because they, that ’s, I mean that ’s like um, you can maybe, you know, once
you like going to any of the meetings or something that they have, and you get to
know the stafl and they get to know you, you can really sit down and talk to them
and, and it ’s, uh, being in confidentiality and that uh, they can feel where you ’re
coming from. (p.9)
#14: ...ASHA has been really instrumental for me. You know it’s been good for
me because at least I know that I can go there to those groups and whatever I say
there, stays there. You know and especially with the facilitators... you know, you
cannot stop women from carryin talking, but most of the women that come
there they leave whatever they say or hear there, they leave it there. And that’s,
that ’s a safety issue for abusive, for people who have been abused because you
don ’t ever know who you’re talkin ’ to. You know...and it makes it kind a hard. If
I talk to you and walk out the door...and meet your ex-mate on the corner, not
knowing that he was your mate, I could be ridin’ the bus with him and say you
know I was talkin ’ to this laay today, and she told me... and then... well if you saw
me comin ’fi'om this direction, this would give him a reason to know where you, in
the vicinity, that you were in this area, and that’s not healthy. That ’s very

unhealthy for especially people who have stalkers.(p.1)

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Provides nonjudgmental and supportive environment (#01, 04, 05, 07, 08, 11, 12, I3, 14,
STAFF #1 )

For some it was particularly helpful that the group provided a non-judgmental
environment where they could receive support and encouragement from other group
members. This helped women to feel that they would not be blamed for or viewed
negatively for having experienced being in an abusive relationship. Having this non-
judgmental and supportive environment helped women to feel safe and free to discuss
their abusive experiences.

#05: ...And don ’t have to worry about nobody judging me... or saying she was

stupid, she, how could she take, you know, all of that for so many years, and this

and the other... you know, because it ’s women that done been in abusive
relationships for 25, 30 years. You know, people be like, how could, how could
you be in it that long?...It ’s hard to get out. You know, being able to talk about
things like that without nobody judging you... is very helpful to me...I know I can
always go there and release it and it ’11 be acceptable, and I can receive some
positive, and structured feedback, you know, without being degraded and just

kicked. You know, and I, I be needing that. (p.26-27)

#08: What I hear, a lot of it be like positive feedback and stufif People trying to

help other people. .. (p.8)

#11: ...But they listen and they don ’t judge us... (p.9)

#12: ...A woman need that, you know, that support. Asha have it, have that nice

support. (p. 10)

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#13: ...it ’s been support, very supportive... (p.l)

Provides comfortable, welcoming environment (#03, 04, 05, 07, 08, 12, 13, 14, STAFF
#1 )

Survivors identified as helpful the fact that they were able to feel comfortable and
welcomed in the group. They identified feeling comfortable and welcome as important to
their being able to express themselves in the group context.

#04: And, and it ’s somewhere that I feel comfortable, you know...And that ’s,

that ’s a lot, that got a lot to do with it... You know. If you ’re not comfortable with

what ’s around you... You know you won’t um, you won ’t open up, and you won ’t

share, and you won ’t be comfortable enough to, you know, get the things out that

you need to get out to keep you strong... to keep you from falling back into your
old way of living or feeling that you don’t deserve anything better than what, and

then just settle for anything, you know... (p. 5-6)

#07: I guess um...being able to share my experiences fiom my past. Urn... feeling

safe when I share my experiences, you know? Knowing that whatever I say won ’t

be used to...against me or um... or... or talked about behind my back, you know?

Um...I guess that it’s like when they say sister circle, it ’s like sisters for real ...So

um...that...that makes me feel good because I used to be one who couldn ’t

communicate. I didn ’t like to share my experiences ‘cause I was always afi'aid of

what that person may think of me and I feel comfortable, I can just go in, let my

hair down, take ofl my shoes and you know? (p.4)

#08: Yeah, because some time they can tell... they can tell when you not

um...doing...something else is on your mind when they come around to you

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whatever... if you don ’t want to talk that you know it’s open whenever you ready

to talk or if you want to write it down on a piece of paper. Whatever makes you

feel comfortable so they try to do what ’s comfortable for the person. They don’t
want to just embarrass you or whatever so...I like that part of it. . .(p.l4)

#12: ...youjust welcome there, you belongs there, you know... (p.3)

Support Group Composition and Interaction (#01 , 03, 04, 05, 07, 08, 09, I 0,
11, 12, 13, STAFF #1)

Survivors also identified elements of the support group composition and
interaction that they found to be emotionally supportive. These included (i) provides
context for identifying with other survivors, (ii) hugs upon dismissal of group, (iii) group
members exchange phone numbers, and (iv) others in group are African American.
Provides context for identifying with other survivors (#03, 04, 05, 07, 08, 09, 10, II, 12,
I 3)

For many survivors it was also very helpful to them that the group afforded them
the opportunity to be around other domestic violence survivors and hear their stories.
This was especially helpful in that many women who felt that they were the only ones
experiencing violence no longer felt as if they were alone.

#03: .. .it ’s just knowing that you ’re around people that been through what

you ’ve been through, they just not exactly the same situation...But you know, you

know, you ain’t the only stupid one there. (Laughs) You know, went through

what you went through, so...that ’s why I go. It, it ’s comforting, it ’s just not

comfortable talking with people... you don ’t know. (p.8)

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#04: And then once I, once I could, once I, went one time, they made me feel so

comfortable, enough. You know how, and when you ’re in a violent relationship,

you feel like you 're all alone, you know, and knowing that I wasn ’t the only one
going through this, you know, they, they spoke so freely and shared their
experiences so fieely, you know, that, you know, I, I felt, “Dang. I’m not by

myself on this.” You know. (p.3)

#09: Because uh, once I was going and I thought my problem was bad but when,

you know, I seen other people was in the same relationship and probably worser

than what I was in and it kind of made me feel a little better about myself and

what I was going through. I felt I wasn ’t alone, you know? I thought you know, I

was the only one getting beat up, you know, at the time, you know, we don ’t want

to see it, you know... (pl)

#10: Because it help us...I mean...listening to other people ’s problems, and then

you have a problem, it helps you. . .(p. 1 5)

Hugs upon dismissal of group (#01 , 10, 12)

Some of the women also appreciated the fact that group members gave each other
hugs upon the dismissal of the group. This helped to create a feeling of connectedness
and made the group feel more like a family.

#01: ...we get all our women hugs before we leave. ..(p.13)

#12: . . .I can get that hug. I can get hugs from everybody ‘cause I done met some

friends. I met fiiends there, they like my sister. It ’s like this one, this girl ...she

came to me, she say [Susan’], you okay? I say yeah I ’m doing good, you know.

They hug me andmyou need that hug, you know, fiom Asha. And they ’re like your

 

' All names used are pseudonyms

62

family, you know. You can go there, you can hug diflerent peoples and you feel
good about yourself you know. I got through this, you know, with their help. I got
through this, you know. That hug helps. It lifts you up. When people talk to you
and say, [Susan] you doing good, you know. And when you first go in there, you
be looking like, ooohhh...and you know when you come out of it, you know, you
growing up, you growing up and they can see you months and months, you know.
Then they say, you look nice, you doing good, give me a little hug... (p.8)
Group members exchange phone numbers (#01 , 08) I
For some it was helpful to them that some group members exchanged phone
numbers in order to remain in communication and serve as supports to each other outside

of and between group meetings.

#01: ...And um, give ‘em a call once in a while. We take people ’s numbers and
give ‘em a call. (p.13)
#08: ...People trying to help other people...they be... exchange phone numbers
and...I know... when I first started coming to group, we was at the other building
and I um...exchanged phone numbers with a couple of girls and we exchanged
phone numbers and we became friends and stufl. . .(p.8)
Others in group are African American (#03, 05, 08, 10, I I)
Survivors found it especially helpful that the majority of survivors in the support
groups were also African American. This created a context in which the women were
with “their own”. They felt that this was a group of women that they could relate to and

could understand them and their experiences specifically as African American women

who are survivors of intimate violence.

63

 

#03: You know, and um, it ’s just being able to talk about whatever you feel you
need to talk about and knowing that everybody there understands you. You know
what I ’m saying? Sometimes uh, you lmow, mixed races uh, have, you know,
however you might put it, might not understand. One race might not
understand... you know, what another is going through. You know somebody of
another culture might not understand, you know, what you ’re going through.
Some that, you know, that’s a comfort to me. Knowing that everybody in there is
predominantly black.(p.3 6)

#05: ...And the reason why I say that is because um, basically it ’s like, it depends
on my environment, wherever I’m at, you know, and the majority of, you know I ’m
more essential to dealing with being honest with what I ’m going through if I ’m
comfortable, you know...And, and like I said, most of the women there, are Afro-
Americans and, it ’s like, you know, the Afi'o-American, there ain ’t no shame in my
game. You know what I ’m saying? You can just put it out there and just be real
with yourself...to whereas, you know, like when I ’m in the uh, majority mixed
group of ma-, more white or Hispanics and stufif I don ’t feel that I can put
everything out there because of I guess it boils down to, you know, your pride, or
whatever. You know what I’m saying? I might not be able to really see the help
and the, the things that I need fiom a group if I ’m not comfortable with

it... because I’m not able to, you know, just put it all out there. But like a sister, I
just go ahead and tell it like it is. You know what I’m saying? ...Because she, she
done told it like it is. You know what I ’m saying? So she ain ’t no better than

me.(p.24-25)

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#08: I feel more comfortable because most of the time I come it ’s all Black women
and all, you know... it ’s... it 's less likely for somebody to get oflended because I
have come when they ’ve had like maybe one White person there and somebody
say well niggers don’t, you know...and then that person gets oflended but I just
feel it ’s more of... you can talk more and stuff and nobody gets oflended by any
type of language even though nobody really too much cusses or anything but I feel
more comfortable that no... you know, that we can all kind of relate and stuff
pretty much are with most of the people in our group are with the same kind of
whatever and it ’s... it just feels more comfortable. Nobody have to worry about
being oflended or not fitting in because you don’t want to say something that ’s
going to aflect somebody else that’s actually not the same color or whatever so. I
just feel comfortable with an all black group.(p.10-11)

Stafl'(#01, 03, 05, 06, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, I4)

Survivors identified aspects of their experiences with staff at Asha which also

served as sources of emotional support for them. These included (i) Asha staff talk with

and listen to survivors, (ii) facilitator shows love and care to participants, (iii) staff

provide encouragement/comforting words, and (iv) staff let you go at your own

pace/accept you where you are.

Asha stafl talk with and listen to survivors (#01 , 09, 10, I I, I 4)

It was helpful to survivors that staff members at Asha talked with and listened to

them when they felt they needed to talk. Survivors felt that staff members were readily

available to talk with them, in confidence, when needed. Staff members would allow

survivors a few minutes prior to, during, or after support group meeting if survivors felt

65

the need to discuss something that they did not wish to bring up in front of the whole
group. Staff were also available for survivors to make appointments with if they felt they
needed more time to talk and work through issues. This was especially important for
women who did not feel they had others in their lives with whom they could discuss their
problems.
#10: Yep.... she really good too, she real good to talk to and she explain herself
and stuff like that. So it’s helping me real good. Yep. Um...I like, because like,
one thing I like about too, if you come in and you ’re like upset or angry, she takes
you in the hallway and talks to you, and don’t nobody else got to know what’s
really, really going on with you, but her... just one-on-one. .. (p.7-9)
#14: ...You know...and they, they ’re willing to listen...that ’s the most important
for me. And they ’re willing to listen to me... you know sometime I feel like...I
don ’t have nobody to listen to...nobody to listen to me. Even the people right in
the some setting sometime, in your own house...sometime you can ’t, they don ’t,
they hear you but they don 't listen. You know what I ’m sayin ’? And over there I
don ’t feel like that when I go over there. They make it really comfortable for me
when I go over there and I have to talk... to, when I need to talk to somebody...1
can just sit down and say look I need to talk. Okay we ’11 make an appointment so
we can get together and talk...and they don’t have a problem with that, and that 's
what I like about them ‘cause they ’re... nothing is too big or too little. And
they... they extend themselves.(p.7)

Facilitator shows love and care to participants (#03, 05, 06, 10, 12, I 4)

66

The fact that the group facilitator showed love and care for participants, including
giving them hugs and telling them that she loved them was helpfirl to participants as well.
Facilitators were friendly and made participants feel at home in the group. This was
particularly helpful for survivors who did not have the support of family.

#03: ...There are a few of the people that come on Monday, and um, [Jane], you

know, she ’11 talk about what she ’s been through, and what she had to do. You

know what I ’m saying? ...And she always hugs everybody...and tells ‘em she love
them...She just makes you feel like, you know, you have a, you know if you feel
like you don’t have a home ‘cause your situation, you have a home here... You
know what I’m saying? And, and that, that ’s helped me in a lot of ways ‘cause
like I said, I’m here with somebody I know, but we’re not family... You know what

I 'm saying?...l just know her. So knowing that, you know, when I come on

Monday, that [Jane] is gonna be here... You know, as soon as I come in, she’s

gonna give me a hug...she gonna tell me she love me, and, you know, we gonna

do prayer, and she holds everybody hands, and everything, you know. That,

that ’s real helpful... You know, especially in some place where you don ’t know

anybody... and you don ’t have any family. You know what I’m saying? So that,

that ’s been a real help. That’s, that ’s a bigger help than somebody coming to you
saying well, I ’m gonna do this for you, you know, and I’m gonna...do that for
you...It ’s a bigger help when you have somebody come and give you a hug...And
like I said, they don’t even know what I’ve been through. You know, as far as
they ’re concerned, I could just be sitting there like everybody else... You know

what I’m saying? So, for her to come and give me a hug and tell me it ’s gonna be

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all right, and she don ’t even know what I’ve been through... You know what I ’m
saying? That’s a big help...And I haven ’t even shared yet, you know, so. That ’s a
big help. ‘Cause as far as they ’re concerned I could just be sitting there, you
know, taking into everybody else ’s business...and haven ’t even been through
anything yet. And you know, and still, every week she show me love, like, like she
doesn ’t know my whole story. (p. 17-18)

#10: ...So that help too when we have prayer, and people show people love, and
she always hug us when we get finished with group. So that ’s special too, because
sometimes you don ’t get that hug or that, let a person know that you care about
them. And she do let us...she do care, you know, she cares...Because some people
don ’t even care. You know, she seem like a caring person and she talks to us
about difierent things, so... yep.(p.1 1)

#14: ...I mean maybe that ’s the word I ’m lookin ’for—for somebody that cares
about me... is what I, you know is what ’s important to me, and that’s why I keep
going back because they care. If they didn’t care, if they even start to act like
they didn ’t care, I wouldn ’t even be going there. I wouldn ’t even wanna go
there... the extra night that I don’t even have to go... you know...I wouldn ’t wanna
be trying to get there that night, but because I know they do care...and I, I don ’t
know. That would be, that 's my biggest thing is that they care, and they make you
feel wanted ...make you, they care about you...and that ’s what I, that’s the biggest
thing to me is that they really care about me. I, you know, if they don’t care
about... what else is going on in my life... they do care about my safety...and that '5

important. As long as they ’re carin ’ about my safety and knowing that I 'm safe

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and that I’m well...you know...that ’s important. Nothin ’ else don’t matter... cause

if if I ’m not safe or well nothin ’ else could matter... you know. That ’s what

matters to me, and that’s what I like about those people over there... that they do
care.(p.9-10)
Stafir provide encouragement /comforting words (#03, 05, 09)

Staff at Asha also provided survivors with words of encouragement and comfort
which survivors found helpful, especially those who were not getting much needed
encouragement from others in their lives.

#03: ...So, for her to come and give me a hug and tell me it’s gonna be all right,

and she don ’t even know what I ’ve been through... You know what I’m saying?

That’s a big help...And I haven ’t even shared yet, you know, so. That’s a big

help.(p. l 8)

#05: You know, they had a lot to ofler me, you know, and so when I went for the

very first time, um... what ’s her name? [Ms. Vickers], she had a presentation of

um, you know, how like women change their lives. You know, you go through the
system, you, you know, like I have AODA issues, I ’m a recovering drug addict,

I ’m a mother of 5 ...And I ’ve been through the system and how, you know, [Ms

Vickers] was so positive with her speech that she gave, that kept me going back,

you know...Because she was a woman that was out there and in the same, you

know, I, we, it was like we were, I related to her in a lot of ways. And she was
very encouraging to me, letting me know that, you know, I don ’t have to give up

just because I fail momentarily... (p.4)

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Stafi‘ let you go at your own pace/accept you where you are (#05, 08)

It was also helpful to survivors that the staff at Asha let them go at their own pace,
particularly in terms of their decisions to leave their abusive relationships and that staff
accepted them at whatever point they were their lives.

#05: Being accepted no matter whether I slipped and fell or, you know, or if I, if I

wasn ’t reaching my goals or my accomplishments that I had set for myself You

know, just being accepted for who I am. (p.9-10)

#08: ...they don ’t rush you or say hey, you ’ve got this amount time or you can ’t

do this. They let you do it at your own pace and they let you know if you need to

talk you can always call them or whatever. (p.19)

Survivors also discussed ways in which Asha’s hiring of staff who are survivors
of domestic violence was helpful to them as will be described under the theme, Having
stafl who have “been there. ”

Agency (#01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 07, 08, 09, I I, 12, I3, I 4)

Survivors also identified things about the agency itself that they found helpful to
them. These included (i) knowing that Asha is there for her/having somewhere to go and
(ii) provides support for overcoming addiction.

Knowing that Asha is therefor her/Having somewhere to go (#01, 03, 04, 05, 07, 08, 09,
11, 12, 13,14)

For many of the survivors, the simple fact that Asha existed and that they felt that

Asha was somewhere that they could go if they needed support or assistance was helpful

to them.

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#03: No, not this week, you know, maybe next week. But [mowing that this
program is here, especially for somebody like me, that ’s coming from out of state,
you know, that don’t have any family here. You know what I’m saying? And, I
need an outlet... You know what I ’m saying? Like this. Like I said, even if I
haven ’t talked, you know... just knowing that it ’s here has helped a lot... For real.
(p.73)

#04: Um, but I, but ASHA has shown me that if ever need be, if it ever occurs
again, that I do get in a relationship like that, a lot of different ways of of getting
out of there, you know... You can call them, they '11 come and get you...they ’11 help
you, you know, and um. So that makes me feel a lot securer too, you know. (p.4)
#1]: ...But one thing, they very helpful, and they there when you need, 24/ 7.

That ’s the most outstanding thing about Asha. (p.34)

#12: ...I love it because I can go there any time and talk to somebody. You know,
about my problems, and they therefor me. They ’re therefor me. I love it. (p.7)
#13: Umm... what ’s been most helpful for me was knowing that I had a place that
I could go to that I was able to talk and feel comfortable talking about my past
abuse... (p.2)

Provides support for overcoming addiction (#02, 04, 05, 12)

Many survivors in this sample were in recovery from substance addictions. For
these survivors, it was helpful to them that Asha provided support for overcoming these
addictions.

#04: So, talking about that also, or, you know um, getting that out in the open,

helped me to learn that there 's a better way to do things than it, than medicate

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myself or run to drugs because drugs is really not gonna help the situation...1ts
gonna really make it worse. (p.18)

#05 : Urn, good. Good. And another thing uh, what ASHA is like, you know, okay
I mentioned I have AODA issues, and I am a recovering addict, and, you know,
sometimes my addiction, if if I slip and relapse, and I ’m in, back in the process of
my addict-, addiction, you know, you get embarrassed and shamed, too shamed to
go back, thinking well, everybody ’s gonna talk about you and... you know, gonna
say well, you know, “Why did she do it? or “I knew she wasn’t, it wasn ’t gonna
last too long. ” I’ve never, never had that there, you know... They came to my
house and then like, you know, when you don ’t, when you discontinue going, and
especially if you ’re an addict, they assume that, you know, well maybe she’s using
again, or whatever, but they came and got me, you know. Don ’t be Ashamed, just
come on back. You know, it’s okay... You ’re human. T hat ’s part of recovery,
relapsing is, you know. So I ’ve, I’ve, I love them for that... You know, so I’m
blessed with that. You know, because ah, one time, if they wouldn ’t have came to
get me, you know, and let me know that it ’s okay that I fell, you know, I slipped
back into the mode of using alcohol and drugs again, and then, you know, come
on back, I probably would’ve still been out there You know that, that, that um,
showed me a lot, that they really are concerned about women, you know, trying to
change their lives and their behaviors and, you know, deal with their
addiction...and with your children and, you know, just everything. You know, I
never felt uncomfortable with them, and they always show you a lot of, a lot of

love and support there.(p.8-9)

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#12: Oh man...keeping me fiom drinking (laughter)...1t keep me out of trouble. I

don’t have to come out of Asha Service and go into a bar. . .(p.9)

Having Staff Who Have “Been There” (#01, 03, 04, 05, 08, O9, 11, 12, 13, 14)

For many of the survivors interviewed it was especially helpful to them that the
staff at Asha Family Services had experienced life circumstances and situations similar to
their own. They identified a number of ways in which this was helpful to them which
included (a) Asha staff understand her/survivors able to relate to staff, (b) facilitator
discusses her experience/staff open regarding their experience, (c) group facilitators have
experienced domestic violence, ((1) staff serve as role models, and (e) some staff have
been incarcerated.

Asha stafl understand her/Survivors able to relate to staff (#01 , 03, 04, 08, I I , 12, 14)

By virtue of the fact that staff members had experiences similar to those of the
survivors the survivors felt as though the staff were in a better position to understand
them and their experiences and survivors were better able to relate to the staff. They
discussed this as helpful to their experience at Asha.

#05: You know, they had a lot to ofler me, you know, and so when I went for the

very first time, um... What ’s her name? [Ms Vickers], she had a presentation of

um, you know, how like women change their lives. You know, you go through the
system, you, you know, like I have AODA issues, I’m a recovering drug addict,

I’m a mother of 5 ...And I ’ve been through the system and how, you know, [Ms

Vickers] was so positive with her speech that she gave, that kept me going back,

you know...Because she was a woman that was out there and in the same, you

know, I, we, it was like we were, I related to her in a lot of ways. .. (p.4)

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#08: I feel more...I feel like I can relate to them better because I done been to
diflerent counselors and things before and it ’s not the same. It ’s like they don’t
understand. It’s better when it’s Afi'ican—American ’s and more can relate to and
stufl and like, we have like a lot of the same ideas about raising the children or
what... what ’s acceptable and what’s not acceptable so I feel more like I can

relate to them... (p.17)

#12: Yeah... you know, so um...it ’s just great, it was just great. I was glad to be

there, you know. Like somebody can understand me, you know. . .(p.3)

Facilitator discusses her experience/Stafl open regarding their experience ( #03, 04, 05,
08, I I, 12)

It was also especially helpful to survivors that not only did the staff have similar
experiences as them but that the staff were also open in discussing these experiences.
Staff freely talked about their own experiences in the support groups.

#03: ...There are a few of the people that come on Monday, and um, [Jane], you

know, she ’11 talk about what she ’s been through, and what she had to do. . .(p. l 6-

17)

#08: I mean they...they, some of the time they share their own experience and

stufl to kind of help you relate knowing they not just say well you ’re right and this

and that... they share some of their own experiences and kind of relate to you a

little bit better then... You know? They pretty open with a lot of their stufl. .. (p.18)

#12: Yeah, because a lot of them on the stajf been through it, you know. They can

get up and talk and tell you about what they been through. I like it because, you

know, they can tell their problem, you know, they just not hearing our problems.

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They have problems, too, you know. Um...I like it when they join in and talk about
they problems. We just don ’t want to talk about our problems all the time, you
know. We want to hear theirs. And by their, they had a problem, we can grow, you
know, through it, you know. I like that, you know. Because if a person didn’t have
the problem, how you gonna help me with my problem, and you don ’t, you

haven’t been through it? (p.16)

Group facilitators have experienced domestic violence (#03, 04, 05, 07, 08, 09, 11, 13,

14)

Many survivors also described the fact that the group facilitators had also

experienced domestic violence as particularly helpful to them and their experience at

Asha.

#03: ...You know, I didn ’t really want to talk about it, you know, so coming here
and knowing that I can... if I want to, and the people that I ’m talking about it to,
you know, it’s not like, you just come in here and I ’m telling my story to somebody
that has no idea, you know, they can ’t relate to me. The people that I ’m talking to
know what I’ve been through. You know, all the women that run the urn, the
meetings, all of them have been through domestic violence, you know. Um, some
of them have even been to jail, and they talk about that... You know what I ’m
saying? So that makes me feel comfortable that they feel that they can come in
there and put that on the table... You know what I’m saying? T hey feel like
anything you want to ask them, they don ’t hold nothing back... You know what I ’m
saying? So that, that’s putting a lot on the line, you know, for people that you

don’t really know like that.(p.71-72)

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#11: Right. Because that makes a big difference. I mean, you may not judge me,
but you really don ’t understand how, what we feel, is what I ’m saying. And
they’ve been through it, so they know. Because sometimes, they be in the groups,
too. Not [Linda], but um... [Shannon], and the young lady that ’s facilitating. They
definitely know, because I don ’t see how you can run a domestic violence
women ’s support group and you never been hit in your life.(p.9)
#13: ...I also find it helpful that those, that the stafl is umm... is...survivors or
have dealt with the type of situations that we deal with there. Umm...especially
within the domestic violence/abuse group, because it ’s hard to have somebody
explain... abuse to someboay that ain’t ever been there or has no relevant history
of it. I mean, and it doesn’t mean you had to physically go through it yourself but
maybe my auntie went through it, or maybe my cousin went, and I saw this, and I
watched it. I mean you know, so yeah, it’s helpful, very helpfitl...very
helpful .(p. 17)
#14: . . .having somebody to understand... having somebody that can relate to the
some situations. Not having somebody that ’s... only learned, and this has no
reflection on you (giggles), having, only have somebody that learned through a
book...about... what it, how it should be. Having to have somebody that has had
experience... with the same type a things that I ’ve been through... you know...
(p.10)

Stafl serve as role models (#05, 09, I 1, 12)

The fact that the staff employed at Asha had previously experienced similar

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situations to those survivors receiving services it helped women to see that they could

overcome their situations and move on to do something positive with their lives. The

staff at Asha, therefore, served as role models to survivors.
#05: Yea. They sure do. Yea. Mmmhmm. Yes. Yes and, and that ’s very
encouraging to a lot of women, ‘cause I ’ll be like shoot, I thought I had it bad, but
you know, and then to see where they are today in they lives, you know what I ’m
saying, the careers they have, the, you know, the things that they’re doing for
other women and, you know, it just boosts me up. I be like, shoot I, I, I, I can get
it together ‘cause, you know, I, I have to... You know, it ain ’t, it ’s never too late.
You know, you can be all the way down to the bottom of the pit, but you can come
up... in life if you choose to, if you want to, if you strive for success, and, you
know, you got to change a lot of things in your life. And basically I can always
figure that, I always have to speak on the AODA terms is, you have to change
your, the people, places, and the things that you ’re doing in order to accomplish,
you know, something better in life...And, you know, it ’s, it ’s something else they
do there, but it ’s, it ’s very good. Very good... You know, ‘cause all of them, that
the majority of the stajf that I, I deal with on a weekly basis, they all have been
there...So, you know, and look at them today... You know, they ’re very inspiring,
and really make me, I got to do it too. ‘Cause, you know, they ’d done it, and I got
to do what I can do. You know, I want to do it. I have the desires...and stuff
And being around them, you know, the, the, the structure is so positive, it just

generates.(p.3 1-32)

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#09: ...And the one thing I like about Asha...see the head lady, she been in jail.
You know, the head lady, she been abused and a lot of the workers...all the
workers, they ’ve been abused so yeah, that ’s a whole lot... yeah, that ’s...because
they been through it so they can teach it because they ’ve been through it and they
can let you know how I got over it and how I did, you know? To get a piece of
mind because sometimes, you know, that stuflballed up inside of you.(p. 1 7)

#11: ...So yes, I think it helps for Black women, and domestic violence Black

women, that, because see, that gives you, and also what we see that they were

able to move on and got into, like, she ’s a counselor now. I might not never
would ’ve felt I could be one because of the abuse. She was able to put hers to the
side, so she tell us her experience, how she did it, we could listen and that could
be us. That ’s one thing that ’s important... to see a domestic violence person, and
now they a counselor. See because we have low self-esteem, so you know, we

don ’t, we don ’t feel like we gonna amount to anything. We allowed him to beat us

so long, that we believe whatever he says. But to watch her, and she got ov-, got

out of it, and her abuse was worse than ours, we can do it too... (p. l 3)

Some stafl have been incarcerated (#03, 07, 09)

For some survivors, especially those who had previously served time in
correctional facilities, it was helpful to them to see staff at Asha who had also previously
been incarcerated and discussed their experience with that as well.

#07: ...And then they...1 even seen...some of the women that work there now is

women that I’ve even been incarcerated with...And I think that’s a good thing

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because that ’s a second chance in life. Asha ’s a pretty....a good program. Very

good.(p.12)

#09: Yeah, I noticed they hired a couple of people that came from jail or

whatever, you know? That was nice, you know? I think that was nice of on their

part to hire people that didn ’t have a job coming out of prison. I think that was
nice. Yeah, they helped them more, yes they do, and I ain ’t mad about it but I like
it, you know? Because they need it more, you know? We already out here, you

know, and got our place I thank God for that, you know? But they don ’t have a

place right now, you know so yeah, I like that. I appreciate them for doing that

t00.(p.1 6)

Practical Assistance (#02, 03, 04, 05, 06, O7, 08, 09, ll, 12, 13, 14)

Asha Family Services was also helpful to survivors in providing them with much
needed practical assistance. They identified a number of ways in which Asha provided
them with this assistance including (a) Asha provides resources directly, (b) Asha helps
survivors obtain community resources, (c) Asha provides transportation to obtain
resources, and (d) resources provided are specific to survivors’ unique needs.

Asha provides resources directly (#04, 05, I I , I 2)

For some survivors it was helpful to them that Asha had lots of resources to offer
which assisted them in meeting some of their material needs.

#04: ...They have a lot of of resources, you know, um, that I, that’s available to

me...(p.5)

#05: ...it ’s a protecting um, program they have for women with domestic issues

like myself Um, when I was going through a relationship and a physical

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relationship with a guy that I was dating, and he was physically violent. They
have guys that will come and take you to your home to like, escort you.
Um... What do they call them? The body-builder guy...But you know, they, they
protect they women... You know. It ’s, it ’s very, it ’s a very good program... You
know, and I have had to reach out to that source to get escorted to go and get
clothes and, you know, ‘cause...I was in fear of my boyfi'iend, you know, when I
go home he gonna get me and...Living in them abusive relationships for like 8
years... but I had the protection and the security that I needed ...And I received
that through ASHA.(p.2-3)
#12: ...they ’11 give your kid clothes. They ’11 give you clothes. They, they offer a lot
of service, you know. I can go in there and my kids need some shoes, they got
them right there. I say [Maxine] my daughter need a coat, she ’11 go get a coat. If
they hungry, they ’11 give them a meal ‘cause [Paula], she always cooking. (9-10)
Asha helps survivors obtain community resources ( #03, 05, 06, 07, 1 I, 12, 13, I 4)
When Asha did not have a particular resource that survivors needed they were
still able to be helpful to women by providing them with referrals or themselves
contacting other sources to assist women in meeting their needs. Some survivors in
particular talked about Asha’s role in assisting previously incarcerated women obtain
much needed resources upon their release from correctional facilities.
#05: ...I just, uh, the job network program and um, they’ve helped assist me with
uh, things as far as housing referrals, when I, you know, had got out of prison and
was trying to get back on my feet and stuflf They assisted me with things for

housing and um, clothing for myself and children. You know, I went the other day

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and we got, ‘cause I had an interview with Milwaukee Times yesterday, so we
went there to the, they have a, a part called the Bottomless Closet... and they
prepare women for interviews and, you know, if you have business, casual dress,
or whatever the dress code is, and I went there and we received, I received
clothing... for my interview and everything that I had yesterday, which was a
blessing to me because right now I don ’t have a job and I don’t have too many
clothes. You know, so I was blessed to be able to be presentable when I went to
my interview yesterday...So I was real happy about that.(p.7)
#07: You know? You don 't have to go here, here, here and there, you know? And
what ever they don ’t have, they will help you find, you know. . .(p.6)
#12: ...they just help you out, you know. They ’11 help you out with your finance
too, you know. You know, whatever you need, they ’11 try to get it for you.(p.10)
#14: ...And they ’re willing to help me with uh...anything that I need. They’ve
extended themselves to everything that I need fiom if I needed to go to a
psychiatrist, they will help me with that. If I needed to be umm...any, anything
that I needed help with... (p.7)
Asha provides transportation to obtain resources ( #02, 03, 04, 06, 11, 14)
Survivors also found it helpful to them that Asha Family services provided
transportation. Asha provided transportation for survivors and their children to get to and
from support groups and ofien provided survivors transportation to other places to assist
them when needed.
#03: Um, usually I ’11 take the bus here, you know...but if I need a ride, you know,

or know if I know I’m goanna be late, or it ’s too cold to take the bus, I can call

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and um, they ’11 send somebody to come and get me, and bring me home. You
know what I ’m saying? That ’s a blessing...1 appreciate that for real. . .(p.24)
#11: ...They, you know what, they pick us up and bring us here...and drop us of
at home. A lot of places you have to get there on a bus. We have a lady that ’s
unhealthy. She can ’t even walk across the street. Do you know they bring her
across the street. That ’s one we was talking about now. She might be in there
now. They actually, they should, she should walk, but, you know, she won ’t. So
they even go out their way, as far as that. They try to tell her, but she don ’t listen.
So they bring her anyway. They will bring her across the street. How many people
gonna pick us up, pick you up and bring you, then bring you home? I have my
daughter downstairs, they make sure we get home. They drop, you know they have
to care to drop that many people ofl and pick them up. They have three or four
groups sometimes, and they actually do this every Thursday. Going out of they
way dropping us of and picking us up. As long as you do your part, we have to
call the same day, that morning. And I do. A ride too? You know I ’m gonna call
them, I appreciate that. I have a bus pass, I can get on the bus. But they ’11 pick us
up...(p.16-l7)

#14: The people at ASHA, if you don ’t have a ride... the facilitator comes and
picks us up and brings us back And she told me that when I leave here... when I
wanna come to, back to groups just ta... umm call ’er up and tell ’er that she 's
coming...tell ’er that, what night I ’m comin ’ to group, so if I ’m comin ’ to both
nights, and she will make sure that I have a ride for both nights. A ride there and

a ride back, because umm... uh...I live way on the other side a town. Well I live

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almost in the area where is ASHA is. I live further north than where ASHA is. I
live on [respondent’s address] —way on the other side a town—andfiom there to
my house is pretty diflicult ridin’ the bus. You know ‘cause I don’t have a vehicle
right now, and ...so they’re willing to come and get me...and to take me home...
(P-7)
Resources provided are specific to survivors’ unique needs (#05, 06, 08, 09, 1 1, I 4)
Survivors felt that Asha was willing and able to meet their needs no matter where
they were in their lives or what their needs were. In a way this empowered women to
dictate their own services. They found this particularly helpful in that they identified
their needs to the staff at Asha and the staff provided assistance in meeting these needs.
#05: ...it ’s like they will come and meet your needs. Wherever you ’re at... in life
and whatever problem you ’re having, you know, it’s always somebody there in
different fields that can assist you to a lot of different things. . .(p.2)
#08: ...African-Americans...they try to support you and help you in any kind of
way. If it ’s the food pantry or clothing bank or whatever... they try to help you
without judging you. Just asking you what you need and trying to get it to you as
fast as you can... they can.(p.17)
#14: ...I mean you know if you got a problem, then they ’re gonna direct their
issue, that’s your issue, we’re gonna direct...our services to your immediate
need ...at that time, they gonna direct their...that ’s what they do. They just direct
it straight to their need. If I got a need that I can’t help myself with... then I know
that I can call those ladies up, and they ’11 say okay...I ’m comin ' to get you.

Where do you need to go? Do you need to go to the doctor? Do you need to be

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dropped? You know whatever my needs are, they will see to it that I get them,

and that’s what ’s important to me...(p.4)

Empowering Practices (#04, 05, 06, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)

What was especially helpful to many survivors receiving services from Asha were
the multiple ways in which the agency serves to empower survivors to take control of
their own lives. Survivors identified a number of ways that Asha facilitates this process
including (a) enables women to leave abusive relationships, (b) provides context to help
women build their emotional strength, (0) provides context in which to assist women to
build their self-esteem/self worth/confidence, (d) helps women to not be afraid anymore,
(e) helps women to understand why they stay, (f) teaches how to recognize (first) signs of
abuse, (g) teaches women that they don’t have to tolerate abuse, and (h) teaches
accountability.

Enables women to leave abusive relationships (#04, 05)

What was especially helpful to some survivors was that their experience with
Asha assisted them in leaving abusive relationships that they were still in when they
started receiving services from Asha.

#04: Um, it helped me a lot because I was dealing with a lot of um, things at that

time with, with my husband and um, trying to learn how to let go of that

relationship and um, learning that I deserved better. . .(p.1)

#05: ...So I was able to eliminate myself fi'om the relationship that I was in, and I

continued to keep going and, you know, I was able to get out of that relationship,

but being honest, if it wasn ’t for the support system that I had with the women

there, the staff as well as the women that was just coming attending the groups, I

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don ’t know, you know, if I would be here today. You know, or if I would have
been strong enough to be able to. I know I probably wouldn ’t have been strong
enough, had the strength to just get out of the relationship because it was a very,
very physically violent relationship that I was in. (p.3)
Provides context to help women build their emotional strength (#04, 05, 08, 09, 10, 13)

Survivors identified as helpful the fact that Asha provided a context in which they

could build the personal strength they needed to regain control of and experience peace

and happiness in their lives.
#08: ...It ’s been pretty helpful and helped me over the past year and stufl and has
made me stronger in some senses. I haven ’t got all the strength I need to... to just
totally get away fi'om my um, children 's father but this has helped me to set down
some rules and stick to some of the stuff I was saying to him about his behavior
changing and taking his rights away of um, being around his kids if he ’s not going
to get his act together so. . .(p.3-4)
#09: Uh, being there, you know, when I first got there, you know how you ’re
scared to say what your problem... you know, what you ’ve been through or
whatever. But now today, as I ’ve been there long enough I can tell anybody walk
through the door, you know, that uh... just keep on coming back and then you ’ll
get stronger... you know, by sticking with the sisters and working things out you
know. . .(p.7)
#10: Because it help you, and it makes you stronger...And it has made me

stronger. Yes, it has made me real strong.(p.12)

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#13: ...when we see one person change, it’s strengthens the next person, so... you
know it’s gonna be a little easier each time we go... (p.4)
Provides context in which to assist women to build their self-esteem/self-
worth/confidence (#04, 05, 07, 08, 09, 10, II, 13)
For many survivors Asha was helpful in providing a context in which they could
re-build their self-esteem that had been destroyed or damaged by abusive partners.
#04: Keep me strong, [mowing I deserved better and, you know, that I was a good
person, you know. Because after being in a domestic violence relationship for so
long, you’re, your mate tend to kill your self-esteem... You know. It make you feel
like you’re nothing, you ’re wo-, you’re not worth anything, and nobody else
gonna want you... You know? And uh, the women of ASHA made me feel that I
was worthy of you know, being loved and um, you know, changing, you know,
that I didn ’t have to live like that, you know, and accept, being abused.(p.2)
#09: Yeah, I love when them sisters come there and they would saved and, you
know...and they have some much positive to feed to, you know? Its just... there ’s
just something about them, I guess, you know, that makes me fiael good inside and
feel better, good You know, a lot of the time we don ’t feel good about ourselves,
you know, and when they come, you know, it just... it makes you feel like you’re
worth something. A lot of people don ’t think they ’re worth nothing, you know? I
felt like that, too, before. You know? Started all my torment and yeah...I like that.
Uh-huh.(p. 1 3)
#10: Um.... the things that she talk about to us, she be like um.... because I

was... um, I didn’t have no self-esteem about myself You know, I didn ’t have, it ’s

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just that my husband, the things that he said to me... it made my self-esteem be
low. I wouldn’t try to do nothing for myself I wouldn ’t like go shopping, I
wouldn ’t keep my hair up. I wouldn’t, I just wouldn ’t do nothing. But since I been
coming here, and she talking to me it’s like....now I go shopping, or get my nails
did, or my hair, and I wouldn ’t do none of that stufl I would just stay in the house
or go to work, come home. Go to work, come home...(p.8)
#13: Umm (giggles) oh well I would have to say for women of color in
general. umm... we come fiom...backgrounds where we’ve been, we ’ve been,
we ’ve had some real severe damage thrown to us for years (giggling) ...for years,
and in reaching us that way there ’s a lot of things geared toward building our
self-esteem, our self-worth, umm...to give us some pride of our culture and our
heritage. Umm... there ’s also a thing about umm dealing with the color of our
skin, and umm...] mean I ’ve gotten quite a few little pieces of information fiom
them about umm... just self-respect for who I am, and where I am, you know...

(1)-6)

Helps women to not be afiaid anymore (#06, 10)

Survivors also identified as helpful the fact that their experience with Asha helped
them to no longer be afraid of abusive partners, men in general or people in general. This
is especially important as many women live in a constant state of fear as a result of being
in abusive relationships.

#06: .. .helping us not to be afraid of you know, of whatever. . .(p.5)

#10: ...And since I ’ve been coming here, it helped me too, this part too because

um, I used to be afraid to... um... to be around um, certain people. And this helped

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me a lot because....I know what to expect about people now when I be around
certain people and the things that they say. I know how to avoid listening to stuff,
you know, that gets me upset or angry...that helped me out too. It helped me a lot
when I came here, because I was so screwed up. You know, I had got to a point
that I was like, really um...I couldn ’t cope with the people out there, because it
was so many, I guess it ’s because of the things that I had went through and the
things that people had did to me, like my husband and everybody else. I was just
afraid ....I was just afraid and since I been coming here it helped me a lot...(p.8)
Helps women to understand why they stay (#09, 11)
For a couple survivors Asha was instrumental in helping them to understand why
they stayed in abusive relationships.
#09: But now, I ’m out of it. I ’m so happy. I guess they said he controlled my
mind, that ’s why... you know, I was learning that at Asha. The man takes control
of your mind and then tries to tell you what to do, and how to do it and when to do
it. It ’s the truth, yeah, I guess he did all that.(p.7)
#11: ...They made me, they gave me a reason to understand why I accept a
relationship like that. And I didn 't have to feel bad about it, either. And, like I
said, she said, they told me it was because of the way we was raised, and Black
woman have a, not Black women per say, but women have a thing about cuddling
a lot. Cuddling in our relationships a lot, you know, we was raised to take care of
the man, and do this for the man and that for the man. And 1, ‘cause I was trying
to figure out why I always have domestic violence guys I didn’t, I don ’t have it

written on my forehead. But, I do everything my old man ask me to do, and he still

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was mean. One time, I had cleaned up the house, I had just had my little girl, and

I remember this day so well, and I had a pizza. He had the pizza. He must ’ve

asked me to do something, I don ’t know what it was at that time. But he hit me in

my back, and I don’t, I didn ’t even know what for. The house was clean, you
know. I had just put the baby down. I felt it was like he owned me, he felt like he

did And he just hit me. And I was hurt, because he could ’ve broke my back And

he used to, like the scars on my face, he just pushed my face through some glass.

For what? You know, I didn’t do anything to him. But she said it was, the

facilitator, when she was talking about her, she was saying that, because of the

low self-esteem I was feeling. . .(p. 1 5)

Teaches how to recognize (first) signs of abuse (#04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 12, 14)

For many survivors it was important to them that Asha taught them to recognize
signs of an abusive relationships. This was particularly helpful to women in terms of
helping them to identify past abusive relationships and to avoid abusive relationships in
the fisture.

#04: And ASHA taught me that, you know, to recognize the first signs of abuse,

you know, um, when somebody ’s being possessive, you know, just dijfirent things

I learnedfi'om them and it’s, it ’s, it ’s really great.(p.10)

#05: ...I ’ve got so much out of the domestic violence group, as far as how to be

alert and aware of signs in abusive relationships... You know, I am truly alert to

that now. You know, so I would never, ever place myself in a relationship, ‘cause
there is signs...that, you know, women can see, especially if they ’ve been in

abusive relationships, you know, not just the physical abuse, but the mental and

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the verbal abuse as well... You know, they put me on my feet to be aware of these

signs.(p.10)

#08: I think it is. It’s easier to bond and easier to um, relate with them or

whatever because a lot of them I know have been through some of the same

situations and they, and ...they in a certain age group too there...they able to let

you know some things before you go through them or tell you about some things

before you even go through them. They know some of the signs even

better... ‘Cause they done been through them before or whatever and they can

kind of help you before you even get there. They can tell you some of the warning

signs of abuse if you don ’t... if you ’re abused if you don’t know what...kind of help

you out before you get there.(p.17)

Teaches women that they don’t have to tolerate abuse (#04, 05, 09, 10, 12, I 4)

What was especially empowering to many survivors receiving services from Asha
Family services was that Asha taught them that they deserved better relationships and
that they did not have to tolerate abuse.

#04: Um, it helped me a lot because I was dealing with a lot of um, things at that

time with, with my husband and um, trying to learn how to let go of that

relationship and um, learning that I deserved better, and... (p. I)

#09: But I learned through Asha that that is not love and I don’t have to take that

abuse so that ’s why I stayed with Asha.(p.2)

#12: ...You ain’t been abused no more, because other peoples in there talk to you,

and give you some uh, points about difl'erent, you know, approach about mens,

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you know. Like, you don’t need that man, or you ain ’t got to be with that person

that you know, hurt you and stufl like that. . .(p.8)

#14: .. .and made me understand that I can deal and learn...how not to be

abused. . .(p.l3)

Teaches accountability ( #04, 08)

For a couple of survivors it was helpful that Asha taught them to recognize their
part in allowing abuse to happen to them. This was important in that if women were
taught to recognize that they played a role in allowing abuse to happen in their
relationships, they also had the power not to allow it to happen in future relationships.

#04: ...but then, at the same time, none of this could have happened if I would ’ve

never allowed it... (p.18)

#08: Yeah, because they...I think I ’d just be talking just one main thing... it would

probably just... when I do talk it would just be oh his fault this, it ’s his fault that

and stufl and then more when they talk about diflerent things I realize what part
of the blame I have to take for myself and what part of the blame is actually his

fault. Can ’t just go on blaming just one person or whatever so. . .(p. l 5)

Outreach (#01, 03, 05, 06, 07, 13, 14)

Survivors expressed that Asha Family services did outreach in various capacities,
which was also helpful to them.

#01: ...They call me sometimes.

I: You mean kind of call you to check on you, or...

#01: Mmmhmm.

1: Well, who, who would call you.

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#01: This other lady, she used to work there but she don ’t call since she uh, uh,
got another job. Q).4-5)

#05: Um, good. Good. And another thing uh, what ASHA is like, you know, okay
I mentioned I have AODA issues, and I am a recovering addict, and, you know,
sometimes my addiction, if if I slip and relapse, and I ’m in, back in the process of
my addict-, addiction, you know, you get embarrassed and shamed, too shamed to
go back, thinking well, everybody ’s gonna talk about you and... you know, gonna
say well, you know, “ Why did she do it? or “I knew she wasn ’t, it wasn ’t gonna
last too long. ” I ’ve never, never had that there, you know... They came to my
house and then like, you know, when you don ’t, when you discontinue going, and
especially if you ’re an addict, they assume that, you know, well maybe she ’s using
again, or whatever, but they came and got me, you know. Don’t be Ashamed, just
come on back You know, it ’s okay... You ’re human. That ’s part of recovery,
relapsing is, you know. So I ’ve, I 've, I love them for that... You know, so I ’m
blessed with that. You know, because ah, one time, if they wouldn 't have came to
get me, you know, and let me know that it ’s okay that I fell, you know, I slipped
back into the mode of using alcohol and drugs again, and then, you know, come
on back, I probably would ’ve still been out there... You know that, that, that um,
showed me a lot, that they really are concerned about women, you [mow, trying to
change their lives and their behaviors and, you know, deal with their
addiction...and with your children and, you know, just everything. You know, I
never fielt uncomfortable with them, and they always show you a lot of a lot of

love and support there. (p.8-9)

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#07: ...Asha is a very, very good group and it 's been very helpful to me. So
um... you know, especially the prison program because in prison there’s a lot of
women who have no one and no one to talk to. I think that ’s very helpful for them.

They... that ’s like a family they never had, you know? And it builds your self-

esteem. That ’s a good thing... (p.18)
2a. Do women identify culturally specific components as helpful and if so, which
ones?

Culturally Specific Components (#01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)

All fourteen of the survivors identified culturally specific components of Asha
Family Services as helpful to them and their experiences with the agency. Specifically,
they identified (a) family centered approach, (b) prayer/spirituality/spiritually based
approach, (0) Designed for African Americans, ((1) African American staff, (e)
curriculum is Afro-centric, (f) Afro-centric environment, and (g) holistic approach.

Family centered approach (#03, 04, 05, 07, 08, 09, 1 I, 12, I3, I 4)

For many survivors the family centered approach that Asha takes to providing
services was particularly helpful to them. This manifested itself in many ways for
women. For some it was the fact that they offered a group for the children to help them
deal with abuse that they experienced and/or witnessed, some referred to the fact that
Asha ran a children’s group concurrent with the support group so that women did not
have to find childcare elsewhere in order to attend the groups, some indicated that the
family centered approach helped to build the strength of the family, and some indicated
that the children’s group helped their children to understand the experiences of their

abused mothers.

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#03: ...Because, I mean, even if a woman is going though it, but, you know, if she
could still see herself with him if he gets help... you know, and if it ’s gonna keep
the family together, you know, if they got kids, and it '1! keep the family together,
and even though what she’s going through, you know, if she feel like she can’t
leave him, and she ’d rather stay with him, and he can get help then, that is
helpful, you know, if they can keep the family together. (p.49)

#04: Yes I do because even though the person that’s battering, doing the
battering... they need help too. You know? And if you just leave ‘em, they’re
never gonna get the help they need. So they ’re gonna continue to batter. You
know? ...So I believe that taking that approach can probably help a lot of people,
you know. It could take a lot of batterers, (Laughs) and change their lives... You
know? ...So I think that’s a great thing they ’re doing there... Great! ...And then,
like I said earlier, sometimes when you’ve been battered, and you ’re trying to get
out that relationship, you ’re not gonna allow yourself to be battered again, or
abused, so you ’re gonna do it before they get a chance to do it to you...And if
and if you ’re, you, ASHA use that, that component, the family thing, they can
teach you that you ’re just as wrong as that person that was abusing you... You
know? So I, I think that ’s great. I really do.

I: Mmmhmm. Mmmhmm. Do you feel that it ’s necessarily culturally specific, in
that do you feel it’s particularly important for the Afiican American community to
treat the whole family, or for...

#04: Yes. I think because um...Back in the old days, they said it, it seems that it

was, acceptable for a man to control and abuse they women. You know? ...And

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ASHA is showing them that it ’s not right, and it, it, and, and it has to change... in
order for our race to survive because not only are the husbands battering, the
children are battering their parents now... the parents are battering their
children... You know, and, and it, and if it doesn ’t stop somewhere, it ’s just gonna
be, ugh! You know?(p.22-23)

#08: I think in...they just...they look forward to going to group too so I think it’s
something to benefit all of us and making us stronger as a family. They starting to
see things the way I see them but I think they way they ’ve been seeing and the way
I ’ve been seeing them, they don 't want... they father around either

but...they... they... most of the time...1 think a lot of the time they just play and eat
and talk to the other kids and stufl' but they kind of understand what I ’m... what I
be going through and they talk to me about it or whatever. . .(p.5)

#13: ...I usually look for stufl that ’s gonna benefit me and my children... when

I.. become involved with it because my children are very much me...very much
me. I can ’t hardly function. I got eight kids. I can 't hardly do too much a nothin’
without that (giggles) without mine (giggles) and so for me... it helped. It
would have to be a place where my whole family could be involved. If my kids
can ’t be there, I ain ’t too much thrilled about being there because... my job is to
be the mother and to raise ’em and to be with ’em. How can I possibly be with

them when I ’m with you, and you ain’t got nothin ’ for them, so.(p.15)

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Prayer/Spirituality/Spiritually based approach (#01 , 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10,
11,12,13,14)

For all of the survivors interviewed, the spiritually based approach that Asha takes
to their service delivery was helpful to them. This was for multiple reasons. For some
women it was because they were raised in the church or raised spiritually and their
experience with Asha was therefore a continuation of that, for some survivors it was the
fact that spirituality helped them to cope with and get over their abusive experiences,
others identified the fact that spirituality historically has been a central and important part
of African American people’s lives. What was also important to survivors was the fact
that Asha did not force spirituality on anyone who was not interested or didn’t believe in
spirituality and that they did not enforce a certain religious doctrine such that it was able
to be inclusive of all women despite their religious background or current religious
identification.

#04: It’s, (Laughs) it’s wonderful for me because, I, I was raised very

spiritually... and, they don ’t force you to believe in any God or anything, you

know. It ’5 just a spiritual way, you know, to learn, your inner spirit, you know.

And me, I am very spiritual, you know, and I do believe in God, and Jesus, and so

to me, that just helped me a lot because my, the way I came up is, I can ’t do

anything without God in my life. You [mow, so, that right there was a plus for
me...automatically... (Laughs) I think that was part of what really drawed me to
them... Once I started going, that really drawed me... You know... Because I, I need

that...I need that.

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I: So it ’s, is it helpful to, have you found that helpful, that there was a spiritually
based component?

#04: (Simultaneously) Yes. Very. Very...I think, yea, because most black people
um, men and women, but most black women were raised in church, raised
spiritually, you know...And that part brings a whole ‘nother meaning to the, you
know, changing your life. You know what I ’m saying? ...So, yea, I think that ’s
very necessary...

I: Now do you think your exp- here, experience with ASHA would be very
difi‘erent if it wasn ’t spiritually based?

#04: I do...Because I need that in my life...Me personally, I need that. Without
the spiritual part, it would just be another group... You know? Yea. I don’t need
just a group... You know? I need a foundation, and that 's what the spiritual part
gives me, a foundation.(p.19-21)

#05: Very helpful to me, but there have been other women that 's not spiritually
like that, so, you know, at the closing of our groups, we always close with a
prayer, but they still welcome people to come that are not spiritually bonded at
this time in their life, you know...But they don ’t discriminate against them. You
know, they can just step to the side, while the ones that are into it, and the ones
that want to join in with the prayer, prayer like that. And I think that ’s
good...Because we have um, I ’ve been to groups before where people weren’t
spiritually bonded, and that they, you [mow, felt, you know, like the directors of
the group, or whatever, the facilitators of the groups, felt that if you wasn ’t

spiritually bonded, you couldn ’t, you know, be a part of this group...And ASHA is

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not like that. You know, the ones that, that want it, you [mow, participate in it,

and if you don ’t, you’re still welcome to come. And when we come to that part of

the group, then you can either leave, or just step to the side while we go ahead
and close it with prayer...And I think that’s very good.(p.15-16)

#07: ...I feel a whole lot better after a group when we say a prayer and I can walk

out, I feel new... Than to walk out [mowing I just brought it out and ...and it ’s just

there... Once again, I ’m glad that it ’s like that because I don ’t think that I would

be able to make it if it weren ’t. m 9-1 0)

#09: Yeah, it should be. It’s important to me. I can 't speak for nobody else but it’s

very important to me. I guess the raising that I got, you know that spiritual

raising, it just make me feel good when they come through there. Maybe it ’s just
me. Yes, I love it when...oh, yes, I love it when I see ‘em...

I: So you think it ’s important that they include. . .?

#09: Yeah, they should. Yeah, ‘cause see that helps a lot of us, you know? (p.14)
They help the African American community/Designed for A frican Americans (#02, 04, 06,

08, 09, 11, 12, 14)

For many survivors it was especially helpful and important to them that Asha
Family Services was an agency that was designed for and helps the African American
community specifically.

#02: Yeah it ’s important. Black women need it. We need help ‘cause...not too

many people that like to help us... You don ’t find too many groups out here like to

help Black people. A lot of us Black folks don ’t get too much help.Q).8)

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#09: Yeah, it’s important. Uh-huh. ‘Cause you know what? A lot of black folks
don ’t stick together like they should. You know? Like sometimes your family will
turn and sometimes your fiiends. Yes, that ’s helpfitl. You know? Let ’s stick
together and 1 love this Sister Circle because that’s one thing... they main thing is
helping one another. Yes, very helpful.(p.18)

#11: ...but I think Black people need it because we don ’t have the funds, or the
money to get the help we need Like, I hate to say this, but like white people do,
that ’s been abused, depending on they background, as far as money. They have
the financial help. We don ’t. I know I don’t have any money. If it wasn ’t for Asha
offering this to me free, I don ’t know what would I do...But, I am very proud of
Asha Family because they help the community, you know, the Black community. If
you got some white there, hey, you welcome there too, you know. So, it ’s more

Black than white go there. Asha just doing a real good job, real good job. (p.21)

Asha has/hires Afiican American stafl (#01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, I3,

14)

All survivors identified it as helpful that Asha Family Services hired Afi‘ican

Americans to provide services at the agency. They identified this as helpful in two ways

(a) survivors able to relate better to African American staff and (b) provides employment

opportunities for African American women.

Survivors able to relate better to African American stafl (#01 , 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08,

09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)

Each of the survivors identified it as helpful to their experience at Asha that the

staff were also African American because they were better able to relate to the staff on

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this basis, thus raising the quality of their experience and the extent to which they

benefited from Asha’s services.
#03: Yea probably so. Probably so. I probably wouldn ’t be as comfortable... as I
am now. Like I said, I ’m, I ’m not racist, you know, it ’s just, I guess I ’m just a
product of my environment, of where I grew up with, you know, we stayed in one
area, and they stayed in another area, you know, we just, we tended to show more
feeling. You know what I’m saying? For our situation, you know, and I ’m more
comfortable with somebody that can understand my situation that, then, that, you
know, they ’re just there because that ’s their job.(p.50)
#04: But to me, just being a black woman, talking to a black woman about my
husband beating me in my head, is easier than talking to a white woman...And
I ’m not prejudice, but it ’s just easier, it would just seem easier to me, you know...I
just don’t seem like I could talk to somebody el-, not out of my, out of my race,
about something like that... You know...Period. You know, um, but with me
personally, dealing with ah, black women, is easier for me...Mmmhmm. I mean
because, I mean, just for a say, um, I’ll talk, I will, I would talk to you or I would
talk to this white lady right here. Well to me, it ’d be, I would directly go straight
to you because I think I would feel more comfortable... in opening up and sharing,
I mean, even if I have to put in my mind, well this is my sister I ’m talking to... You
know what I 'm saying? ...So that’s kind of the, the feeling I get out of it... You
know...I ’m not saying that I couldn’t open up to a white lady, because I probably

could, you know, that ’5 just me... (p.14-15)

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#07: ...if this is supposed to be for Afiican-Americans I would expect that they

would have stafi‘" that is African American.(p.12)

#10: Yeah, because black people, black womens understand other black womens.

Ain ’t no way a white woman understands what a black woman going through.

Because I noticing this since I been there, Black women, I mean Black women are

stronger than white women, because I see it everyday. So, it’s good for Black

women to be together...But if you ’re dealing with going to a group with a white
woman, it ’s going to be hard Because...l just noticed it, I just notice it.

Because... we ’re diflerent, we are totally diflerent...(p.20-21)

#12: Um...I think so, um...that ’s what it ’sfor, African-Americans right, um.... I

think they had one white somebody up in there and... to me it, it don ’t fit real well.

You have to be a Black American to und-, to really understand, you know, our

culture, about being a Black woman... (p.15)

#13: Umm I find it helpfill that they ’re Afiican American... (p. 1 7)

Give African American women a chance (#05, 07, 09, 14)

Some survivors also identified as helpful the fact that Asha provided employment
opportunities for African American women. Many expressed that it was hard for Afi'ican
American women to find jobs, especially those who have been previously incarcerated
and that Asha helped to fill this need.

#05: Um, I ’m okay with it, you know, I don ’t, I’m, 1 ’m okay with it ‘cause, I’m

okay with it, and um, I know they, you know, they hire a lot of women that have

been through the system, incarceration and stufl too, and... Majority of the black

women, you know, to me, you know, I feel that we 're more in needs of jobs, you

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know, and it’s not like, I don ’t think it ’s anything meaning by like they 're being
racial about it, but, you know, the black women to me are, need more of a boost,
so it ’s like they ’re giving them a chance... You know, I don ’t, but I don ’t, I don 't
have a problem with that. I think it ’s good You know, I 'm, I have to go, I ’m
having an interview next week to try to see if I can get employment at
ASHA.(p.l9)
#09: Uh, yeah. Yeah! Why not, huh? They have they own little old jobs going they
done got, huh, they got all the jobs and we ain ’t got nothing, it ’s hard for us to
get, you know, jobs and stufl.’ Especially if you ain ’t got an education. You know?
We just sitting in a bad situation so yes, I appreciate them for doing that, you
know? Helping the ones that need help. Yes I do, I appreciate it. Even though
it... ’cause it could have been me and I appreciate it, you know? Even though it’s
not me.(p. 16-17)
#14: ...I know they do, but...they need to hire some young women... give them
some work...so they can stop being around here in the street. You know, but I
guess they do that too. I have not had job experience with them, because I
don ’t...I don ’t have a reason to right now. Even if I had a reason to... um, I don ’t
have problems having a job. Nursing made it so I don ’t have problems having a
job. You know...and I ’m glad that they do...hire our women... 'cause I think our
women have a harder time getting a job... than our men do... (p.20)

Curriculum is Afro-centric (#01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 07, 08, 09, 10, I I, 12, I3, 14)
All survivors also identified it as helpful that the curriculum that Asha Family

Services has designed and used in their groups is Afro-centric.

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#08: It make me more comfortable because everything is pretty much African-
American like the setting and just everything pretty much that we discuss and stuff
it ’s...more relating to African-American ’s and how we deal with situations and
how we can better deal with situations. How we was brought up and stufl like
that.(p.19)

#12: Yeah, it’d be diflerent. It 'd be a whole lot dijfkrent. Um... it 's good to talk
about, you know, different issues about the Black community. You know, it helps
out with my family, you know. I be going through a lot with my family so, when
they talk about it, it helps out a lot... So there have been quite a few things that
I’ve gotten culturally there as well as umm... and they ’ve been things that
helped... helped it. . .(p.7)

#14: You need to see that. It ’s called One Week And it ’s a good movie, but now
guess what? It was a Black movie (giggles) You know...and we find it hard to
tell ourselves...that we doing, you know the wrong things. We find it hard... we,
as females, Black females...oh...I ain ’t sleeping with his fiiend. Well when you’re
using two diflerent names...my name Yolanda, your name Reesy, well it could be
the same woman...see. You [mow that ’s the kind a stufl they try to show you, but
this is what ’s going on in our community. This is what ’s going on. This is, they
showed it because it has something to do with AIDS, and AIDS in on the rise in
the Black community. So we need to [mow all of that... that brothers, two brothers
sleeping with the same Black woman. It ’s good They doing some good things.
They really are, and I wouldn’t wanna see 'em do nothing better, nothing

diflerent... The same woman. She got two different names, and that’s how... how

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we have done each other. Yeah. I think that’s important that they do show stuff

like that and ...and, and educate us too... you know it’s important. It ’s important

when you get an education about us, about each other. It ’s important, you know
because they teach you Black history in school, in high school, in grade school,
and all that. But it ain’t the same Black history. It ain ’t (giggles) Uh-uh, it’s
not community Black history (giggles). They need to teach some community

Black history. You know, learn your community. Learn what ’s going on in your

community, and what ’s happening, and who’s there to help you... of your same

ethnicity, in your community. Lord know that there are sisters in your
community... or brothers in your community that can reach out and help you.

They don’t teach 'em nothing like that... cause it ’s the be done...and that lady over

there doing it. She ’s doing it non stop fi'om what I could see. I don ’t see she

making too many mistakes. I mean I can ’t see where she ’s really done
nothing... beyond the norm. You know I think she’s handling her fitnctions real
well over there, and that there is...she teaching. She ’s doing, she ’s doing some
teaching over there. . .(p.24-25)

Afi'o-centric environment (#03, 04, 06, 07, 08, 09, I I, 12, I 3, I 4)

Many survivors expressed that the Afro-centric environment of Asha was also
helpful to their experience. They expressed that it helped them to feel safe and
comfortable, like they fit in and that this service really was for African Americans.

#03: you ’re a little more comfortable...1 just feel more comfortable, I might

feel a little more comfortable when I come in someplace, you know, that makes me

feel like, okay, yea, you know, I can come here...(p.51-52)

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I: And do you think that ’s helpful to your experience there?

#04: Yes... ‘Cause I know they ’re focusing on the Afro-American...And our race
needs help... Yea... Yes, I do. Mmmhmm. Because it, it gives you the atmosphere
you need when you come in there, to feel comfortable, you know, to feel
safe.(p.25)

#08: ...I ’ve noticed that they got the art and stuff they make you feel ...kind of like
at home and stufl so I guess that kind of make people more comfortable too.

I: So, has that been helpfitl for you to have those things in this setting?

#08: Uh-huh. It make me more comfortable because everything is pretty much
Afi'ican-American like the setting. . .(p. l 9)

#13: Umm... unless you [mow kinda that you ’re... kinda around your own folks it
keeps you in the atmosphere of being at home, which is yeah. It just, it doesn ’t
really umm...have an impact on what type of service I would probably receive
knowing that they Black there, but it just umm gives you a sense of

umm... knowing that it’s cultural, [mowing that this is geared towards you. I don ’t
think it would have an impact on the services directly. I think it, it just gives you
that sense of umm... environment, gives you a warming; it gives you a little... it
kind a makes you not so defensive (giggles), yeah... Yeah, I think it is. I think it is
because umm...that sterile White atmosphere too clinical for us (giggles) too
clinical for us. Uh, uh, when they gonna bring out the electric chair and shock
therapy or something (giggles) ...It does, and more relaxed more at ease... makes
it warm, makes it warm.(p.19-20)

Holistic approach (#03, 04, 05, 07, 08, 09, II, 12, 13, I4)

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Survivors also identified the holistic approach that Asha takes to assisting
survivors as helpful to their lives and overall experience at Asha. They talked about the
fact that domestic violence is only the root of their problems and that many other
problems stem from that which need to be addressed as well and that they were grateful
that Asha offered additional services to address their other needs. Specifically, some
women identified the Alcohol and Other Drug Addiction (AODA) as helpful since many
women turned to self-medicating themselves with these substance to deal with the
violence that was occurring in their lives. Other talked about the anger management
program as helpful in their overcoming the anger they feel towards abusive ex-partner
and sometimes men in general.

#03: You know what I’m saying? So, it, it is important to offer other services

than DV because when you ’re coming out of domestic violence situation, you

might have more problems that you, than you went in with. . .(p.44)

#04: I mean, because I found out, see I, I ’m a, I’m in recovery...and um, not only

the, the women’s support groups are good for me, but also one-on-ones are good

for me, and they provide those too.(p.5)

#1 l: ...T hey don ’t only deal with domestic violence issues, they deal with all of it.

And I experienced that because I have more than just that issue. I have drugs that

I was doing, I don ’t do anymore. I had a attitude issue. I was raped a long time

ago. So they deal with all of that. But I have to talk about with them, to know. And

they have to make me feel comfortable where I could talk about it. So that ’s how I

knew. I wasn ’t able to talk about the rape, but I do now. It ’s past me. We talk

about it in group now. Then you find out it happened to other women. See so, they

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help you with a lot. It’s not just the domestic violence, and I don ’t feel it should be
just that. Because things leads up to domestic violence; why you accepting it,
what happened in your life and how you dealing with it. We been told drugs was a
way out. Alcohol. try to... oohh, he gonna hit me today, let me get drunk to
deaden the pain, see. And if you don ’t deal with those, how you gonna accomplish
the other ones? Because domestic violence leads to a lot of things. First, it 's the
psychological, what you do to get it off your mind. So you drink And it doesn ’t
help, you just think it does. But if you don’t address that drinking issue, then how
you gonna deal with the dv issue. So they help you with a lot, not just dv. And I
don ’t think it should be just that. . .(p.22-23)

#13: ...I think that the holistic approach is the best approach. I mean fi'om my
own knowledge of human services and... umm I think that the holistic approach is
the best approach. I think that umm... lookin ’ at a person ’s situation all the way
around would best benefit them if they ’re gonna deal with that person, because
you can Band-aide and keep Band-aiding and put a little antibiotic on it, but
eventually that ’s gonna fester up, and it ’s gonna be a big ole boil or eruption or
somethin ’ happen there (giggles)...A real graphic vision, and umm... there are a
lot of programs that do do the Band-aide approach or the little antibiotic
approach, and I think that we need to quit puttin ’ Band-aides on stufl that really
needs to be surgically fixed or (giggles) ...or really needs us to go ahead and get
deep down and dirty and wash it out... Clean it up and you know... heal it, to

totally heal it, you know. And umm I don ’t, I don 't think that they do the Band-

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aides. I believe that they are doing, they ’re trying...to go further than a Band-

aide...(p.11)

In sum, survivors were able to articulate many things that they found helpful
about the services offered at Asha. Most expressed ways in which Asha’s services were
helpful to them personally, while many also expressed the potential for certain services to
be helpful to them in the future or helpful to others in the African American community.
Survivors found it helpful and important that certain services existed even though they
may not yet have personally benefited from them. Women spoke very highly of Asha,
the services they offered and their personal experiences with the agency.

The results of interviews with staff members echoed many of the sentiments of
survivors. Coding of this data identified many of the same themes identified in survivor
interviews (see Table 5). Although three staff members were interviewed, quotes from
only two of these could be included in cross-case analysis since quotes could not be
extracted for the staff member who opted not to have her interview tape recorded.
However, her perception of things that survivors find helpful at the agency echoed those

of the other two staff members.

108

 

Table 5: Common Themes Identified as Helpful by Both Survivors and Staff

 

Survivors

Staff

 

Emotional Support

0 Support Group
0 Staff
0 Agency

Emotional Support (Staff #1)

0 Support Group (Staff #1)
0 Staff (Staff #1)
0 Agency (Staff#1)

 

Practical Assistance

0 Asha has lots of resources

0 Help with obtaining
resources/Provide referrals

0 Meets your needs where you are

Practical Assistance (Staff #1 & 2)

o Asha has lots of resources (Staff
#2)

0 Help with obtaining
resources/Provide referrals (Staff #1
& 2)

0 Meet your needs where you are
(Staff # 1 & 2)

 

Empowering Practices

0 Provides context in which to assist
women to build their emotional
strength

0 Provides context in which to assist
women to build their self-
esteem/self-worth/confidence

o Teaches women that they don’t
have to tolerate abuse

Empowering Practices (Staff #1 & 2)

0 Provides context in which to assist
women to build their emotional
strength (Staff #1)

0 Provides context in which to assist
women to build their self-
esteem/self-worth/confidence (Staff
#1 & 2)

o Teaches women that they don’t
have to tolerate abuse (Staff #2)

 

 

Culturally Specific Components

0 Family centered approach

0 Prayer/Spirituality/Spiritually based
approach

0 Designed for African Americans

0 African American staff

0 Afro-centric environment

 

Culturally Specific Components (Staff
#1 & 2)

0 Family centered approach (Staff #1
& 2)

o Prayer/Spirituality/Spiritually based
approach (Staff #1 & 2)

0 Designed for Afi'ican Americans
(Staff #2)

o Afiican American staff (Staff #1 &
2)

o Afro-centric environment (Staff #1
& 2)

 

109

 

Research Question Number Three: What are women's perceptions of mainstream
services and how is their experience with Asha different from those perceptions?

A total of six respondents had received a variety of previous domestic violence
services from mainstream agencies. These services included shelter, transitional housing,
relocation services, material resources, support groups, children’s groups, and individual
advocacy and counseling. Most of these were received in the state of Wisconsin although
one respondent had received services at shelters outside of the state. Overall, women
described mostly problematic experiences with mainstream services and positive
experiences with Asha in comparison to mainstream services. Survivors described this
phenomenon in a couple of ways. They talked about certain elements as lacking from

mainstream services and/or they talked about Asha as encompassing those same elements

(see Table 6).

110

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 6 — Mainstream Services Com ared With Asha
Mainstream Services Asha
Organizational Culture of Organization Not Culture of Organization
Culture With Welcoming to African Welcoming to African
Regard to African Americans (N=2) Americans (N=5)
Americans 0 Different Religion Than 0 Agency Feels
Those Common Among Comfortable (More
African Americans Comfortable than
0 Survivor Was a Minority Mainstream Services)
in the Setting 0 Has More to Offer Black
0 White Environment Women/Created for
Black Women
Sensitivity to Insensitivity to the Process of Sensitivity to the Process of
Process of Leaving An Abusive Leaving an Abusive
Leaving an Relationship (N=4) Relationship (N=l)
Abusive - Required Proof of Abuse
Relationship 0 Denial of Services
0 Lack of Tolerance for
Women Returning
To/Not Leaving Abusers
Organizational Barriers to Adequate Structures Which Increase
Structure Assistance (N=6) Ability to Assist (N=6)
o No Holistic Approach - o More Outreach/Extends
Limited Services Services
0 Lack of 0 Services Are More
Outreach/Passive Beneficial
Approach Offers More Services
- Inadequate Structure of Hires Staff With Whom
Support Group Survivors Can Identify
0 Didn’t Provide Tools (re: DV and AA)
Needed to Get Out of o Services Offered Within
Abusive Relationship the Community
0 Staff Brushed Her
Off/Didn’t Have Time to
Help
Help Available That Partially
Met Needs (N=6)
Support of Non-supportive Environment Supportive Environment
Environment (N=5)

 

Basic Feelings of Support and
Comfort (N=6)

 

(N=4)
o Draws People Back

0 Sincere in Wanting To
Help You

0 More Welcoming

 

111

 

Despite the problematic nature of their experience with mainstream services,
survivors were able to point out positive aspects of their experiences with these agencies.
In the following results, I first present survivors’ positive aspects of their experiences
with mainstream agencies; second, survivors’ problematic experiences with mainstream
agencies and; third, survivors experiences with Asha relative to their experiences with
mainstream agencies.

Positive Aspects of Mainstream Services (#02, 03, 05, 08, 10, 13)

Survivors identified some positive experiences with mainstream services.
Specifically, they described (1) basic feelings of comfort and support, and (2) help
available that partially met needs.

Basic Feelings of Support and Comfort (#02, 03, 05, 08, 10, I3)

Survivors expressed at some level they liked the mainstream agencies which
provided them with services and felt welcome, comfortable, and supported there.

#02: Yeah, I was welcomed.(p.11)

#05: ...I enjoyed it. . .(p.28)

#08: . . .they made us feel real comfortable. . .(p.20)

#10: ...it ’s nice there. The staff is real nice...(p.16)

Help Available That Partially Met Needs (#02, 03, 05, 08, 10, 13)

Survivors expressed that help was available at mainstream services and that these
services did meet some of their needs, including temporary refuge from abusive partners.

#03: ...I mean, you know, if it was a necessity, yea, I went. Whether, you know,

they liked it or not. You know what I ’m saying?... Yea, you know, if I felt like I

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needed, if I was, I mean, that ’s what they was therefor, regardless. You know
what I ’m saying...So, if I needed their services, yea I was gonna go...(p.60)

#05: ...it was somewhere where we could just go and eat, and sit and talk and
the kids be down in the basement. You know, it was basically, really, we, I would
go really, to get away... from the guy that I was with. You know, well I ’m going to
group. I ’m going to group, you know, to get away fiom him and be able to talk
about some of the things. . .they helped in a lot of diflerent way as far as like, with
clothing and with uh, childcare for my children, and...you know, they had a lot of
thing to ofler too...(p.29-3l)

#08: ...They helped a little bit...(p.21)

In summary, survivors were able to express ways in which mainstream services

were able to be helpful to them. For some, it was simply a relaxed environment which

served as a refuge for them for a couple of hours, for others it was assistance with

obtaining resources. Thus, they felt that these services did assist them at some level.

Negative Aspects of Mainstream Services (#02, 03, 05, 08, 10, 13)

Overall, survivors expressed many more ways in which mainstream services were

problematic to meeting their needs. They described a number of ways in which these

agencies fell short of assisting them in their efforts to seek help from their abusive

relationships. These included (1) the culture of the organization not welcoming to

Afiican Americans, (2) insensitivity to the process of leaving an abusive relationship, (3)

barriers to adequate assistance, and (4) non-supportive environment.

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Culture of Organization Not Welcoming to A fiican Americans (#05, 13)

Survivors described ways in which the culture of these organizations was not
welcoming to them as African American survivors. These included (a) different religion
than those common among African Americans, (b) survivor was a minority in the setting,
and (c) white environment.

Diflerent Religion Than Those Common Among A frican Americans (#05)

The fact that one particular group was run through a Catholic church, by a nun,
and most of the group consisted of Catholics was described as problematic by one
participant. In general, most African Americans do not relate to Catholicism.

#05: ...it was, you know, ran by white people, and [Sister Sally], the nun, and

you know, uh, a lot of people there were Catholics...(p.28)
Survivor Was a Minority In The Setting (#05, I3)

Survivors described experiences of being the only or one of few African
American women in the support group or shelter setting.

#05: The majority was Hispanics from the south side, and some white people

fiom on the far east side, and it was a very, it was like, maybe 5, 6 black women

there... basically when it started ofif it was just like a, a, a, support group for

whites and Hispanics. (p.34)

#13: Right afier I came I stayed, and they were very, when I went to this facility

for domestic violence, there was umm...I was the only Black woman there. (p.8)

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White Environment (#05, 13)

Survivors described a number of ways in which they felt the overall environment
of the agency was Eurocentric. These included surroundings that represented White
culture and the agency being run by White women.

#05: ...everything in their surroundings was based on, you [mow, the white

culture... (p.23)

#13: No. I was not comfortable there at all, and part of it had to do with the

sterile [White] environment...the umm... those penny loafer shoes...and their

program may have not been designed for me. I don ’t even know (giggles). You
get what I ’m saying? I j ust was dropped in there (giggles) You [mow and it may
have not even been designed, I mean because just like this program is designed
for women of color. That program may have been designed for something else.

Who ’s to say? I just don ’t [mow for sure, okay. But I knew when I got there I

didn ’t fit that cookie cutter (giggles). (p.21 — refer to page 20, “. . .that sterile

White atmosphere too clinical for us (giggles). . .too clinical for us”, p.28)

Insensitivity to the Process of Leaving an Abusive Relationship (#03, 08, 10, I 3)

Secondly, survivors described ways in which they felt that these agencies were
generally insensitive to the process of leaving an abusive relationship. This included (a)
required proof of abuse, (b) denial of services, and (c) lack of tolerance for women
returning to/not leaving abusers.

Required Proof of Abuse (#03)
The experience of agencies requiring actual proof of abuse in order for survivors

to receive assistance was discussed.

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#03: And um, they had a program in there like I said, it was called Victim

Services. What it was, was if um, you were going through anything, and you left,

you had to be going through domestic service, domestic violence to get into

[mainstream agency], and you had to have proof ..(p.56-57)
Denial of Services ( #03, 10)

Survivors talked about ways in which they were denied services from agencies.
This included being kicked out of an agency because of repeated decisions to return to an
abusive partner, being refused services at an agency because the abusive partner had
stalked and tracked the survivor down in another state and came to the shelter where she
was staying, and a survivor being asked to discontinue attending support group at a
domestic violence shelter in which she was staying.

#03: ...And um, I was booted from that because if him...He found out where the

safe house was, and um I think he had showed up or something. And they look at

that as um, endangerment to the rest of the women in the house, so I was let go

fi'om that program. (p.57-58)

#03: ...the second time around they just closed the door on my face... Well, you

[mow, it was like well we helped you the first time and, you messed up, and you on

your own now... (p.61)

#10: And I’m like, and then that’s why I ’m not really going to group no more at

that place because, I had went ofl in group. And I told them how I felt, and I told

them that I wasn ’tfixin ’ to kiss nobody butt to have afiiend. And I exploded in

group, and I was like, and I let all the womens know that I ’m not fixin ’ to kiss

y’all butt to be y ’allfiiend. And I ’m not fixin ’ to be out here gossiping, y ’all don ’t

116

do nothing but gossip and sit around and talk about people. I ’m not with that
clique. I ’m trying to better myself...I exploded...1’m a outspoken person, and
that’s how I am, and other people don ’t understand that in group...So I guess they
said I couldn’t go to group for a while, because I had did that. But I had to let
them [mow though. ‘Cause they was like, [Oleta], you gonna run them people... .I
was like, run them off I ’m not fiddin ’ to kiss they butt to be their fiiend.(pgs.17-
18)

Lack of Tolerance for Women Returning To/Not Leaving Abusers ( #03, 08, 13)
Survivors described a feeling of general intolerance on the part of these agencies

for the “process” of leaving an abusive relationship.
#03: ...it ’s like people are not sensitive to your situation because it ’s so many
people coming in there with the same situation, and then especially if you leave
and you come back you know, it ’s like, why even bother, you know, why bother
coming back here if you know you ’re gonna leave and go back to the situation
and then be back in here the next week...or the next two weeks, you know. (p.60)
#08: I think they did in a way but I felt like they was kind of judging me, you
know? Like I got out of this situation well, I [mow they mean good saying I got out
of this situation and I [mow you can to but it ’s like they see you going like you
take a step forward and you end up taking a step back they... oh, I don ’t [mow how
much longer... like they kind of tell you they can ’t help you if you won ’t keep
messing up or whatever and I ’m like, I thought that’s what you all was here for?
I ’m not intentionally trying to go back to him or whatever but... it...I told them it

was hard I’m taking care of the kids by myself and they ’d be like, oh, we

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understand that. I left my husband and I had two kids and I ’m like... it ’s not the

same situation. It ’s not nowhere near the same and a lot of people don ’t realize

they have help. They have their parents or whatever to help them which a lot of
people, they do have their parents or whatever to help them...help them but after
you go through a situation for so long, a lot of people stop helping you ‘cause
they don ’t believe you want to change it so... they, I don ’t think they really
understood They didn 't even understand how diflicult it is with small children
and doing it by yourself on a fixed income and stufl like that so I think they was
just kind of giving me the brush ofl in some ways.(p.22)

#13: ...But then they were strictly domestic-violence driven, and umm...their key

thing was leave him alone. You don ’t need him, so... for me it was... that agency

was pretty good it just umm... but the focus was leave him alone. They didn ’t deal

with the fact that you was in love that man that was your abuser. (p.21)

Barriers to Adequate Assistance (#02, 03, 05, 08, 10,13)

Thirdly, survivors described ways in which they felt the agencies encompassed
structural barriers that impeded their ability to adequately assist them as domestic
violence survivors. This included (a) no holistic approach - limited services, (b) lack of
outreach/passive approach, (c) inadequate structure of support group, (d) didn’t provide
“tools” needed to get out of abusive relationship, and ((1) staff brushed her off/didn’t have

time to help.

118

No Holistic Approach — Limited Services (#02, 03, 05, 08)

One problem that survivors described was the limited services these agencies
offered. One survivor described the fact that the agency discontinued the provision of
childcare during the group, which impeded her ability to attend the support group.

#03: Yea there ’s no group um, they don ’t, I don ’t even think that they have as

many services, they don ’t ofler as many services as ASHA does. Um, noboay

ofihred you know, if I had um, alcohol abuse or drug abuse, um...IfI wanted to
talk to anybody about anger management, you know, they, I didn ’t, I don ’t recall

anyboay oflering those type of classes or services, you know... (p.64)

#05: ...You know, at the [mainstream agency], they didn ’t have nowhere where

they could refer you as, like a safe house or something, or they didn 't have people

that can um, take you to go get your, that would go with you to get your children

and get your clothes. (p.35)

1: And they didn ’t have childcare so...

#08: They stopped They had... they was remodeled the building or something and

they didn’t have any childcare so I wasn ’t able to take the children with me and I

didn’t want to leave them with him so I kind of stopped going when they was

remodeling and stufl. . .(p.21)
Lack of Outreach/Passive Approach ( #03 )

The lack of outreach on the part of these agencies was also described as
problematic.

#03: I mean the people that come in, you know, so, it ’s like, they are not gonna

go out of they way to try to, you know, extend services to people, you know and,

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like I said the turnover is so great, you [mow, I, I would imagine it ’s pretty hard

to do that, you know, extend services like that to people that, you know, might

show up one week and don’t show up the next, you know. (p.64)

Inadequate Structure of Support Group ( #05, 08, 10)

Survivors described many aspects of the structure of the support group they
attended which impeded its ability to be helpful. These included the following: the group
being too large to be helpful; the agency hiring persons outside of the agency to run
support groups; survivors feeling rushed and that there was not enough time in group;
survivors feeling that it was hard for them to talk in group; survivors feeling that the
group was not supportive of discussion of feelings; the group seemed to remain stagnant,
members never seemed to get better; and, leaders of group not appearing to be at a
helpful level in terms of their ability to assist.

#08: That’s why they try to limit the time people get to talk and stufl and they was

like oh, you’ve been so many times and you don’t talk or...that ’s because

everybody else be talking so much...And I think it 's not... fair, I mean if somebody
got an issue or something they should kind of lay it on the table and let

them... kind of let the advocate know before the group starts that they have an

issue and...that way when they start they can be like okay, we have an issue we

need to address right away, we need some advice on. And they just start of like
that instead of at the end of the group, oh, I had something to talk about, you
know? And then they won ’t have enough time to get that person ’s issue out or
whatever or before they start, does anybody else have an issue that needs to be

addressed immediately before we start with this person... I mean, it

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just...sometimes there ’s just not enough time. An hour...that ’s when it started
getting’ good some times and it be time to go. (p.21-22)
#10: Because, you [mow why, because, when I go to that group there, they don’t
talk about what we talk about here. You know what they talk about? They talk
about things that they done did it, I mean they talk about things that they done did
in the past, and they never, seem like they never get better. And I don ’t want to
stay in that boat. I mean, I ’m trying to get over that, and go on with the
future...(p.19)
Didn ’t Provide Tools Needed to Get Out of A busive Relationship (#05, 08, I3)
Survivors talked about their feeling that these agencies did not provide them with
the tools they needed to get out of their abusive relationships.
#05: ...And it was nothing uh, I haven ’t, with the [mainstream agency], you, um,
you know I would I was able to go there and vent, but I wasn ’t really able to
receive no type of recommendation. You know what I ’m saying? Nothing really
helpful to me... You know, and it was like, well, you know, call the police or, you
know, just leave him alone. It ain’t like that... You know what I ’m saying? It, it
wasn’t, it ain ’t that easy. It wasn ’t like that the so, you know, I continued in that
relationship because I didn ’t know how to get out and I wasn’t getting what I
needed from them to get out, because, you know, it, it, I, I couldn ’t get nothing
from it.(p.27-28)
#08: ...I felt like...I still end up in the same situation so it wasn 't really no sense
in me keep going and you know they was getting kind of tired of saying oh, well,

you know, you need to get out of this and I was doing the best I could It seemed

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like I was just... it just wasn ’t happening and I didn ’t want to keep...I don ’t know

if I would upset them or they didn’t understand because they was out of the

situation already or... ’cause they had a lot of brochures and stufl available and
stuff for like... people information and stuff... like everything fiom like lead
poisoning to domestic abuse, shelters and all difi‘erent types of things but it was
kind of not helping to go to the group and then he ’d be outside waiting for me

so...and it kind of didn ’t help me at the time... (p.20)

Staff Brushed Her Ofl/Didn ’t Have Time To Help (#08)

The problem of agency staff giving survivors the “brush off” or not having
enough time to devote to assisting survivors was also discussed.

#08: ‘Cause I think they was overwhelmed because there was so many people

there and so many issues they had to address so... it wasn ’t enough stafl or

enough time...1 think they was just kind of giving me the brush of in some ways.

(p.22)

Non-supportive Environment (#03, 05, 08, 10, I 3)

Lastly, many survivors felt that the overall environments of these agencies were
not supportive of them. This manifested itself in a variety of forms. Survivors felt
betrayed by agencies, at times felt unwelcome, felt agencies were generally insensitive to
and didn’t understand their experience or situations and described general feelings of lack
of support and lack of comfort. Some women expressed frustration at the way they were
treated by these agencies and that they felt as though they were being “judged” in these
agencies. Women also described problems with other survivors who were residents with

them when they received shelter.

122

#03: ...They was just gonna leave me out here to die. . . you know, it ’s not really
anybody there to make you feel like, you know, well um, we got your back you
know, you’re covered... You know, there’s nobody really there to make you feel
like that, you know. . .(p.58-59)

#03: ...the second time around I really didn ’t feel like they did because, you
[mow I felt like it wasn 't my fault... You know what I ’m saying? And, if you ’re in a
situation where the man is persistent... You [mow what I ’m saying? There ’s really
nothing you can do about that... You know. So for them to tell me that I couldn’t
come back, or they couldn’t help me because of what happened You know what
I’m saying? That was basically just saying, you’re on your own.(p.60-61)

#03: ...afier, uh (Laughs) my experiences in New York and North Carolina, I was
kind of fed up...F ed up, you know, I ’d deal with this myself and uh, I think I have
one place that, barely want to help you, unless you come in there broke
down...and then you got the other one, you know, if you go through a little
something that ’s out of you ’re control, there ’s nothing else they can do for

you. . .(p.65)

#08: ...in a way they was trying to help but in a way they was real judgmental.
They was like well um, did you leave him yet, you [mow whatever they would try
to figure it out...I know that ’s they job to figure out if you not with the person no
more but it ’s kind of like they judging well, okay, if you 're not going to make your
changes, what are we here for...(p.24-25)

I: What was your experience like with that agency?

123

#13: Very, very cold It was a economic thing also even though I... we had... we,
my husband and I, had money and stufif but I was a Black woman. Okay, and
uh...I think I stayed there overnight, and I left.(p.25)

Positive Experiences With Asha (#02, 03, 05, 08, 10, 13)

To the contrary, in survivors’ discussions of their experiences with Asha relative
to mainstream services, they were very positive. Survivors identified a number of ways
in which their experiences with Asha were better than their experiences with mainstream
domestic violence services. These include (1) culture of organization welcoming to
Afi'ican Americans, (2) sensitivity to the “process” of leaving an abusive relationship, (3)
structures which increase ability to assist, and (4) supportive environment.

Culture of Organization Welcoming to Afiican Americans (03, 05, 08, 10, I 3)

Survivors described ways in which the culture of Asha was welcoming to them as
African American survivors as opposed to mainstream services which they described as
un-welcoming in a number of ways. The ways in which Asha was welcoming to
survivors included (a) agency feels comfortable, and (b) has more to offer Black
women/Created for Black women.

Agency Feels Comfortable (#03, 05, 08)

Survivors expressed that they felt comfortable at Asha, more comfortable than
with other mainstream services.

#03: ...So, I guess, you know, when you asked me have I know, do I know

anybody that ’s been to any other um, domestic violence, you know, I, I would I, I

guess I would have to say that they ’re more comfortable with ASHA, because I

see them here. (66-67)

124

#03: ...You know, I just, I wanted to go through what I was going through on my

own, in the beginning. You know, I didn ’t really want to talk about it, you know,

so coming here and knowing that I can... if I want to, and the people that I ’m

talking about it to, you know, it ’s not like, you just come in here and I’m telling

my story to somebody that has no idea, you know, they can ’t relate to me. The
people that I ’m talking to know what I ’ve been through. You know, all the women
that run the urn, the meetings, all of them have been through domestic violence,
you know...So that makes me feel comfortable that they feel that they can come in
there and put that on the table.(p.7l)

#08: ...I feel more comfortable in the group... (p.24)

Has More to Ofler Black Women/Created for Black Women (#05, 08, 10, I3)

Survivors expressed that they felt Asha had more to offer African American
women than mainstream services and that they felt Asha’s services were created for
African American women. One survivor went as far as saying that had she known about
Asha before, she would not have sought services from the mainstream service.

#05: ...it wasn ’t like with the ASHA group, you know, there be black people, they

putting it out there, because they have been there... Uh, it makes it, mmm, diflerent

fiom the [mainstream agency], because of uh, you know, with the black woman,
the bl-, the black women, it, it, it has a lot to ofler to the black woman... You know,

as far as we can relate on the same terms, you know, and things like that. (p.28,

36-3 7)

#08: ...it ’s easier to bond with the people here or whatever because they

don 't... too much judge you...So, it ’s just something...I look forward to being

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around um...Afiican-American women and just being able to band a little bit

whether it be just... it could be something little... it could... it just something

that... you may have been hearing something...depressingfi'om someboay else all

day and you come in and they just... just...it ’s just...I don ’t know... it ’s just... it ’s

just... that group all together just... everybody um try to bond together and

stufl... just accept each other as they is and help each other to work on they faults
and stufl and kind of make goals for ourselves and work on one thing at a time

and stufl so. . . (p.23-24)

#13: ...this program is designed for women of color. . .(p.28)

Sensitivity to the Process of Leaving an Abusive Relationship (#08)

The feeling that Asha was sensitive to the process of leaving an abusive
relationship in contrast to the previous agencies which weren’t as sensitive to this issue
was also discussed. These included an understanding of the process of leaving and
abusive relationship and an acceptance of survivors regardless of their current
relationship status. Asha’s program accepts one where they are in relation to their
intimate relationships with abusive partners and lets women go at their own pace in terms
of their decisions and process of leaving their abusive relationships.

#08: ...they don ’t...too much judge you...they don ’t give you no limited time and

say well, you got two weeks to leave him or you know, you can ’t come here no

more. They don ’t kind of do that. They let you take your time because they know

it ’s a time thing, it ’s a time consuming thing and it don’t happen over night and a

lot of places don ’t understand the closer you get to leaving the more abusive the

person becomes. So, I think a lot of places don ’t understand that or they be so

126

overwhelmed they don ’t have time to just sit and listen or give advice or

whatever. But they do here. . .(p.23-24)

#08: ...here they don’t, they accept you if you in the relationship if you not in the

relationship, they just open, let me know when you need help and what you want

me to do so. I like that better because they let you know at the beginning,

whatever we can do to help you we’ll do but a lot of it is your decision so I like

that part better... They don ’t force you and they know it’s a time consuming thing

and they not help-, uh, expecting it to happen over night so they let you go at

your own rate more as the other group was like okay, well this been going on,

when is it going to stop?...(p.24-25)

Structures Which Increase Ability to Assist (#02, 03, 05, 08, 10, I3)

Survivors discussed many ways in which they felt that Asha had structures in
place that increased their ability to assist them more so than mainstream services. These
included such things as (a) more outreach/extends services, (b) services are more
beneficial, (c) offers more services (d) hires staff with whom survivors can identify, and
(e) offers services within the community.
More Outreach/Extends Services (#03, 08, 13)

Some discussed that Asha actually extends their services and does more outreach
than mainstream services.

#03: ...You [mow I ’m, when I say it’s not, I mean, like I said I benefit more from

the services that they ofler here because I get people that really want to help you

here, you know, they really want to, you know, extend you these services if you

need them. (p.63)

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#03: ...You know, fiom where I’ve come from, and what I’ve been through, you
know, this is the best facility that I ’ve been through. Been, yea, been through, you
know, that ’s offered help, you know. There ’s a diflerence in having the help, and
actually oflering it...(p.7l)
#08: ...they just open, let me [mow when you need help and what you want me to
do so. I like that better because they let you [mow at the beginning, whatever we
can do to help you we ’11 do but a lot of it is your decision so I like that part
better... (p.24-25)
#13: Nobody never told me nothing about no program for a man then. Nobody
every mentioned any of that, and so that there was a diflerence because they, the
diflerence was is that... they...they [Asha] ojfered the services to me... you know in
suggestion well did you tell him then that you know, and they, we didn ’t even talk
about relativity of time, and I believe those programs were around then, some of
them... or they may have been new coming to the field or whatever you know, but
umm...no, no one every told me that then, so I guess that would be a diflerence,
would be a difference. And umm when we talked about, when I talked about my
abuse there at ASHA we did talk about that. And the fact that when you know you
was so in love with him how come you all didn ’t get help together? You know
how come he didn ’t get into a program and you too? You know umm...did you go
to marriage counseling?(p.23)

Services Are More Beneficial (#02, 03, 05, 08, 10)
Many discussed their feeling that Asha’s services were more beneficial to them

than the other agencies from which they sought services.

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#02: At [mainstream agency] they ask you but, they don ’t too much... well for me,

I got better understanding by coming to Asha than I did there. I learned more

fiom Asha than I did at [mainstream agency] ‘Cause like I said I got more out

of Asha than I did at [mainstream agency]. That makes a diflerence it makes a

diflerence. (p.12-13)

#03: ...I have to say the services that I received here have benefited me the most.

(1)-63)

#05: ...I 'm receiving more, I ’ve received more fi-om ASHA in the short length of

time that I was with them fiom all the years I had put in with the [mainstream

agency] You know, I got more of just different types of support, you know, I got
more direction with ASHA as far as like how to, you know, really go along with,
you know, getting to the bottom of a, a problem, or something... You know, I had

more assistance with them than with the [mainstream agency]. (p.34)

#08: ...once I started coming here I started liking it more... more and more and I

just...this is the best one I ’ve ever been to yet so. . .(p.20)

#10: So this is better for me. It ’s helping me a whole lot. (p.19)

Ojfers More Services (#02, 03, 05, 13)

Survivors felt that Asha offered more services than the previous agencies from
which they sought assistance, including transportation, substance abuse treatment and
physical protection to retrieve personal belongings from the home.

#02: ...Because if you don’t have a ride to go there, they don ’t pick you up like

Asha do. They '11 bring you back home but they won ’t pick you up...Asha they get

you and carry you back. (p.l 1-12)

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#03: ...I don’t even think that they have as many services, they don’t ofler as
many services as ASHA does. Um, nobody oflered you know, if I had um, alcohol
abuse or drug abuse, um ...If I wanted to talk to anybody about anger
management, you know, they, I didn’t, I don ’t recall anybody oflering those type
of classes or services, you know... (p.64)
#05: ...And when you ’re in abusive relationships and, you know, your spouse is,
you too scared to go home because he ’s gonna beat you, or whatever, and he
ain ’t gonna let the kids go, and all this crazy stuff you know. With ASHA, like I
said they got these big men, and they will go with you...and you didn ’t, you don ’t
have to call the police... (p.35)
Hires Stafl With Whom Survivors Can Identijy (re: DV and AA) (#03, 05, 10, 13)
Survivors felt a greater sense of identification with staff based on the fact that the
staff were also African American, had been through domestic violence and some had
even had previous incarceration and/or substance abuse issues. This feeling was
facilitated by the staff 3 openness regarding their own personal experiences and their
sincerity, which helped women to feel comfortable. Some survivors even saw the staff as
role models.
#03: ...the people that I ’m talking about it to, you know, it’s not like, you just
come in here and I ’m telling my story to someboay that has no idea, you know,
they can ’t relate to me. The people that I’m talking to know what I’ve been
through. You know, all the women that run the urn, the meetings, all of them have
been through domestic violence, you know. Um, some of them have even been to

jail, and they talk about that... You know what I’m saying? So that makes me feel

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comfortable that they feel that they can come in there and put that on the

table... You know what I ’m saying? They feel like anything you want to ask them,
they don ’t hold nothing back... You know what I ’m saying? So that, that’s putting
a lot on the line, you know, for people that you don ’t really know like that.(p.7l-
72)

#05: ‘cause all of them, that the majority of the stafl that I, I deal with on a
weekly basis, they all have been there...So, you know, and look at them

today... You know, they’re very inspiring, and really make me, I got to do it too.
‘Cause, you know, they’d done it, and I got to do what I can do. You know, I want
to do it. I have the desires...and stujf And being around them, you know, the,
the, the structure is so positive, it just generates. (a. 32)

#10: Yeah, because black people, black womens understand other black womens.
Ain ’t no way a white woman understands what a black woman going through.
Because I noticing this since I been there, Black women, I mean Black women are
stronger than white women, because I see it everyday. So, it ’s good for Black
women to be together... But if you ’re dealing with going to a group with a white
woman, it’s going to be hard Because...I just noticed it, I just notice it.
Because... we ’re diflerent, we are totally diflerent. (p.20-21)

#13: [Maxine]. She umm, she was, it was, she a down-to-earth sister. She still
wear wigs cause that ’s still part of her, you know. Umm...and anybody who
knows anybody about our folks, and we know where our folks come fiom by the
way they look and they dress and that, okay. And she still has her cultural stuff I

mean she still has that. I mean she ain 't gave up her 70s. Umm (giggles) Yeah,

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she ain ’t gave up her 70s stuff and ...and she 's still got it. You’re right, you’re
right, so. You know that there was welcomin ’. You [mow someboay who ’s just,
you see they down-to-earth, you know. You see they haven’t, they ain ’t playin'
this here I’m the stafir person, and... which we have here you know (giggles). And
then um, they keep it, it was a welcomed... type environment to where you, we
need you to be here. We need you to be here. Without you here, we ain ’t gonna
be here. Umm mm, that’s the way it was; that ’s the way it was, yup... Umm hum,
made me feel that my participation would do them... just as much as good as it
does...me good you know. And, and actually it does because I know within
support groups a lot a times it, the facilitator is not part of what you been through
or where you been. The groups are dry. The groups are like uh. You chokin ’ on
getting through it. This doesn’t have validity to them...and... it... it keeps you from
givin’ (giggles), it keeps you fiom giving. It ’s like eatin ’ a piece a dry bread when
all you have to do is put a little butter on it to get it going, you know (giggles).
You understand what I ’m sayin ’, so there... that makes a big diflerence, makes a
big difibrence.(p.27)

Services Offered Within the Community (# 08)
To some survivors, Asha was simply more convenient for them to seek services

from because of the proximity of Asha to their neighborhood relative to other services.

#08: ...and this is closer to my neighborhood too... (p.21)

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Supportive Environment (#03, 08, 10, 13)

Lastly, women discussed many ways in which they felt Asha had an overall
supportive environment. These included (a) draws people back, (b) sincere in wanting to
help you, and (c) more welcoming.

Draws People Back ( #03, 08)

Survivors discussed a general sense that Asha as an agency actually draws people
back, even after periods of absence. One survivor indicated that she would even continue
to attend the group even after she leaves her abusive relationship for good.

#03: ...A few of them will say that, um, they’ve attended other classes at other

domestic violence, um, I guess outlets, or whatever... yea, programs, but they

always come back to ASHA. You know, I’ve heard a few of them say, yea I went
over, but, you know, I ’ve been back to ASHA for about 2 months now... You know
so, I, I guess this one, you know, will also, is also benefiting them more... than the
other programs because even though they say they’ve been gone for a while, they
come back and you [mow (Pause) And that caught my attention too, you know...
for somebody to say they’d been gone, but they come back, you know, there must
be something at this program... You know what I ’m saying. That makes them feel
like, you know, even if they miss a few meetings, you know, for them to come back,

you know, it’s got to be something with the program. (p.67)

#08: ...I stopped for a little while but I ended up coming back to the group. (p.23)

#08: ...I feel this is a group I ’m going to stay with for a while. Probably even

after I get out of the relationship for good and stufl...l probably still like to attend

Asha and maybe I can help some other people down the line. (p.24)

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Sincere in Wanting to Help You (#03, 08, 10)

Survivors expressed that they felt supported at Asha. They felt Asha was less
judgmental of them. And one survivor discussed the fact that she actually looked
forward to coming to Asha because of problems she was having at the domestic violence
shelter in which she was staying and looked to her time with Asha for support. Survivors
also got the sense that Asha actually wanted to help them.

#03: You know, like I said considering the programs that I’ve been through, or
been to. You [mow what I’m saying? Like I said this is the first program that
I’ve been to that, you know, actually act like they want to help. You know, it ’s not
just a job. You know, so it ’s not just a paycheck You know they’re not just here
to, to get paid You know they’re actually here to help...If you want the help...
(p.72)
#08: ...it ’s more... um, advocates that you can... if you really wanted to talk you
can pull them to the side and they ’11 make time for you. They won ’t kind of like
brush you of or say they got something else to do all the time or... they just... it ’s
easier to bond with the people here or whatever because they don ’t... too much
judge you... (p.23-24)
#10: ...And I would just stay in my room every day so, but I would be glad to
come here on Mondays, because it helped me, you know, so this place had helped
me because I was going through a lot down where I ’m at now. ..(p.17)

More Welcoming (#03, 08, I3)

Survivors discussed how they felt more welcome at Asha than they did at other

domestic violence services.

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I: Did you feel welcome at that other agency?

#08: Um...not as welcome as I feel here. (p.23)

#13: ...I was welcomed when the van picked me up the first day I left and went
there. There was a Black driver. Umm (giggles), and he was kind a tellin’ us
what was gonna happen when we got there. Umm there was three of us and
neither one of us had been there before, so... it was a...a warm experience. He
was courteous; he was kind; he opened the door for us. Umm...and then uh... we
talked and we laughed turn the music up, let us sing and yell, we don ’t get all
that up in here, so... You know and plus it was freedom fiom here. We riding in a
car, oh yeah (giggles), so it was nice. It was nice, and we in our hood so it was
nice. And umm... when we got to the agency, we were welcomed Umm...] can ’t,
I don ’t wanna pronounce her name wrong, like is it [Max-j [Maxine]. She
umm, she was, it was, she a down-to-earth sister. She still wear wigs cause that ’s
still part a her, you know. Umm...and anybody who knows anybody about our
folks, and we know where our folks come fiom by the way they look and they
dress and that, okay. And she still has her cultural stufl I mean she still has that.
I mean she ain ’t gave up her 70s. Umm (giggles) Yeah, she ain ’t gave up her
70s stufland...and she ’s still got it. You’re right, you 're right, so. You know that
there was welcomin ’. You know somebody who ’s just, you see they down-to-
earth, you know. You see they haven ’t, they ain ’t playin ’ this here I ’m the staff
person, and ...which we have here you [mow (giggles). And then um, they keep it,
it was a welcomed...type environment to where you, we need you to be here. We

need you to be here. Without you here, we ain’t gonna be here. Umm mm, that’s

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the way it was; that ’s the way it was, yup... Umm hum, made me feel that my

participation would do them... just as much as good as it does...me good you

know...(p.26-27)

Overall, women felt better about their experience with Asha and found this
experience to be the most beneficial for them. They indicated that mainstream services
were able to be helpful but that Asha was much more helpful to them. They (I) discussed
ways in which the culture of mainstream organizations was not welcoming to them as
African Americans while speaking of Asha as welcoming to them; (2) they described a
general insensitivity of mainstream organizations to the process of leaving an abusive
relationship while expressing that Asha was sensitive to this process; (3) they discussed
structural barriers of mainstream organizations which impeded these agencies abilities to
adequately assist them while Asha had structural supports in place which enabled them to
be more helpful to survivors; and (4) discussed that the environment of mainstream
agencies were generally non supportive while Asha was very supportive to them.

Within-case analysis of the data revealed a similar story. Overall, women had a
better experience with Asha than they did with mainstream services. Survivors’ stories
indicated that although mainstream services were helpful in some ways, these services
fell short of meeting their needs in various ways. Survivors had received services from a
number of locations. Three respondents had attended domestic violence support groups.
One of these groups was run through a local women’s center, the other was run through a
local community program. Three of the women had received services from domestic
violence shelters. One respondent received services from two domestic violence shelters

out of state, the remaining two respondents received services from within-state shelters.

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All of the survivors indicated that these services were helpful in some way. It was
helpfiil to survivors that these services offered such things as a place to go and vent,
temporary refuge from abusive partners, temporary housing, resources and information.
Most also indicated that they felt comfortable and welcome at these agencies.

Survivors, however, indicated that these agencies fell short of meeting their needs
in multiple ways. These included terminating survivors for services as a result of
repeated returns to an abusive partner, refusing service to survivors, rushed groups, staff
who do not have time to talk with survivors individually, not receiving helpful feedback
to deal with problems and not giving survivors the tools necessary to leave abusive
relationships. These agencies also had environments that were uncomfortable for
survivors. Survivors were pressured to leave abusive partners, brushed off by staff, felt
judged, felt uncomfortable being a minority in the setting and at times felt the services
were cold and unwelcoming.

Each of these survivors indicated that they had a better experience with Asha than
they did with mainstream services. This was for several reasons. Survivors indicated
that Asha actually provided the tools necessary to leave abusive relationships, understood
the process of leaving an abusive relationship and were non-judgmental. The staff at
Asha were supportive, made time for survivors and served as role models inspiring hope
in survivors. Survivors were able to relate better to staff and group members and gained
more helpful knowledge from Asha than from mainstream services. Asha actively
extended their services and provided practical assistance to survivors, including
transportation for participants to and from support group. It also offered a place where

survivors could go to talk about problems and receive helpful feedback.

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For example, we look at the story of respondent number eight:

Respondent number eight had previously received services from one other
domestic violence program. She attended a domestic violence support group that was run
through a local community program. . .F or the most part the respondent feels that the
group made her feel comfortable. . .She states that although the group helped her to some
degree, it was not enough. The group only partially met her needs. In addition, she felt
as though she was being judged by the program because she was still in a relationship
with her abusive partner. She was feeling pressure from the group to leave her
relationship when she was not quite ready to do so and did not feel she was getting the
help she needed from this group to help her with the process. She also felt as though the
staff did not really have enough time to assist women on an individual basis. . .She also
felt that there was not enough time for group. She indicated that this was a very large
group having sometimes as many as thirty or forty participants for a one-hour session and
that it was not enough time to get to everyone and the group often felt rushed. The
respondent also felt that she was in some way upsetting the people in the program by
staying in her abusive relationship and got the message that they were telling her they
could not help her if she continued to remain in her abusive relationship. She also felt
that the program did not understand the process of leaving an abusive relationship and
how difficult that process is. Eventually the respondent left that group...

When comparing her experience with this support group to her experience with
Asha, the respondent referred to the Asha program as “. . .the best one I’ve ever been
to...” She indicates that she feels more welcome at Asha, that she likes the group better

and feels more comfortable with Asha. . .That she looks forward to being around African

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American women and being able to bond. . . She also feels that the staff at Asha are more
available when you need them. . .She said that at Asha they don’t judge you and they
don’t pressure you to leave your abusive relationship, they accept you where you are and
support you in working at your own pace. They extend an invitation to you to let them
know when you need help and what you need help with. The respondent indicates that
she likes this better than her previous experience. She states that Asha understands that
leaving an abusive relationship is a time consuming process and that it doesn’t happen
overnight. She also states that Asha is closer to her home, which is more convenient for
her. This respondent feels so positively about the group at Asha that she believes she will
stay with the group for a while and that she will continue with the group even after she
leaves her abusive relationship for good so that maybe she “. . .can help some other people
down the line.”

In sum, women appreciated and benefited from mainstream services but were able
to identify more ways in which these services fell short of meeting their needs and Asha
better met these needs and in the end, they all told essentially the same story, they had
received domestic violence services from mainstream agencies, these services were
helpful to them in some way but they had a better experience with Asha and found it
more helpful, identifying it as the best agency they had been to. Complete within-case
analysis can be found in Appendix D.

Research Question Number Four: What culturally specific intervention
components, if any, do survivors and staff identify as desirable that do not yet exist?

Neither survivors nor staff identified culturally specific intervention components

which they desired that did not exist at Asha Family Services. This is probably due

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largely to the fact that, as we saw in research question number one, Asha incorporates all
culturally specific components of intervention services identified in the literature.

Survivors and staff did identify a number of non-culturally specific programs or
services that they would incorporate into an intervention like Asha if it were their
program. Staff indicated that they would include self-esteem workshops, have a shelter
and enhance the children’s program by including such things as anger management in
schools and a recreation center. Survivors indicated that they would include such things
as meals for the women, shelter, educational programs for women, job skill training for
women, daycare, after school program for children which would include tutoring and
meals, additional resources including bus tickets, social outings for them and their
children, domestic violence education in schools, sexual abuse support group, literacy
programs for children and stress-management for children.

DISCUSSION

This research has found that in many ways Asha Family Services is successfully
meeting the needs of African American women who are survivors of intimate partner
violence. Now, how exactly is it doing this? We start by looking at Asha as an agency.

Asha as a Culturally Specific Domestic Violence Agency

As indicated in research question number, Asha successfully incorporates many
of the components cited in the literature as being necessary components of culturally
specific interventions. In addition, as we see from research question number two, the
results of this research specifically tell us that Afiican American survivors are especially
benefiting from these culturally specific components. First, survivors spoke highly of the

fact that Asha hires predominantly African American staff to work in the agency. Many

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survivors spoken to for this study identified this as something particularly helpful and
important to them. They felt as though they were better able to relate to African
American staff and appreciated Asha for providing employment opportunities for African
American women. Survivors also indicated a feeling that African American staff were
better able to understand them and their experiences. Having representative staff was one
of the components identified in the literature as important for implementing culturally
specific interventions (Alcalay et al., 1999; DeLamater et al., 2000; Nicholson & Kay,
1999; Robinson et al., 2002; Thompson et al., 2001).

Secondly, survivors spoke to the fact that Asha is located in a predominantly
African American neighborhood, which for some was even close to their homes.
Additionally, Asha has created an Afro-centric environment within the agency which
made it feel more comfortable and safe for African Americans seeking service there.
Some even indicated that this helped them to feel free to open up and talk about their
experiences. The Afro-centric environment created by Asha helped African American
survivors to feel welcomed and that the services Asha offered were truly for them.
Conducting services in an environment comfortable for participants was another element
identified in the literature as important to implementing culturally specific interventions
(Al-Krenawi & Graham, 2000; Erickson & Al-Timimi, 2001; Gondolf & Williams, 2001;
Nicholson & Kay, 1999; Young et al., 2001).

As also indicated in these results, Asha incorporates cultural values, norms,
expectations and attitudes of African Americans into the intervention (Alcalay et al.,
1999; Al-Krenawi & Graham, 2000; DeLamater et al., 2000; Erickson & Al-Timimi,

2001; Gondolf & Williams, 2001; Nicholson & Kay, 1999; Peterson & Mafin, 1988;

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Pruett et al., 2000; Robinson et al., 2002; Thompson et al., 2001; Young et al., 2001) in a
number of ways. This included the incorporation of spirituality in the provision of their
services, taking a family centered approach to services, utilizing an Afro-centric
curriculum and taking a holistic approach to the treatment of individuals who seek
services there, all of which survivors identified as both helpful and important to them.

Asha Family Services was developed in collaboration with the target population
(Alcalay et al., 1999; Pruett et al., 2000; Thompson et al, 2001; Young et al., 2001). The
fact that an African American woman who is a survivor herself founded Asha meets this
very basic criteria of culturally specific interventions. In addition, survivors themselves
discussed how important this was to them and how the founder is then able to serve as a
role model to other survivors. According to many of the survivors in this study, the
founder at many times came to the support groups to talk about her experiences and to
motivate other survivors and they appreciated and respected her for this.

A fifth criteria, use of language familiar to the target population (Alcalay et al.,
1999; DeLamater et al., 2000; Young et al., 2001) was also a criteria met by Asha. One
may think that language would not be an issue with this population in that the primary
language of those who seek services from Asha would be English. However, those who
argue such would be missing a very important aspect of language and African American
culture. For decades scholars have identified the existence of an African American or
Black English (some have termed it “Ebonics”) that some assert is spoken by as much as
80% of the African American population (Dillard, 1972; Poplack, 2000; Rickford &
Rickford, 2000). Others have specifically documented its use among African American

women (Lanehart, 2002).

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Rickford & Rickford (2000) argue, “The fact is that most African Americans do
talk differently from whites and Americans of other ethnic groups or at least most of us
can when we want to (p.4).” They further argue that the use of this form of English is
important to African Americans because: it marks Black identity; it retains the
associations of warmth and closeness for the many Blacks who first learned it from their
mother and fathers and other family members; it expresses camaraderie and solidarity
among friends; and it establishes rapport among Blacks (Rickford & Rickford, 2000).
Bearing this in mind, it is therefore important that the Afiican American staff at Asha, by
nature of their cultural environment and history, are familiar with and able to use Black
English, which is the language familiar to individuals seeking services from the agency.
They are therefore better able to relate to clients, communicate effectively with them, and
build better rapport with them than white service providers could. The use of Black
English among the women in the group also builds a sense of connectedness and
camaraderie and builds rapport among participants.

Lastly, using channels of dissemination which would successfully reach the target
population (Alcalay et al., 1999; Peterson & Mar‘in, 1988) was a final component that
Asha was able to successfully put into action. By participating in the “It’s Your Business
Campaign,” a domestic violence awareness campaign specifically designed to reach the
African American community, Asha was able to advertise itself in a way to reach out to
this community. In addition, some survivors had heard about Asha thru referrals from
other African American survivors.

Additionally, Asha incorporates a number of components for intervention which

have been identified as important and helpful to healing for African American women.

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Support groups for example have been found to be particularly important for African
American women in the healing process, especially for those leaving abusive
relationships, as these groups represent community, an important healing element of
African American culture (hooks, 1993; Taylor, 2002). Asha’s support groups for
survivors, the Sister Circles, fill this need in the healing process. In addition, the
importance of the incorporation of spirituality into groups for African American women
has also been documented (Williams, Frame & Green, 1999). Asha specifically
incorporates this into their support groups by concluding the groups with a prayer and
hugs given among the participants and facilitators.

The support of other African Americans women has also been identified as
helpful for those working on overcoming and remaining free from substance abuse
addictions (hooks, 1993). More generally, this is important in that survivors sometimes
turn to alcohol and/or drugs in order to self-medicate themselves from the abuse they
experience (Csoboth, Birkas & Purebl, 2003; Rogers, McGee, Vann, Thompson &
Williams, 2003). Asha is very unique in that it not only provides multiple sources of
support for women overcoming addiction (i.e. resources and addictions counseling), the
agency actually does outreach to women who have relapsed, at times going to their
homes and inviting them back to the agency indicating that it was alright, that recovery is
a process and everyone strays sometimes. This was a particularly powerful thing for one
participant in the study who emphasized how important this was to her and that she
actually returned to Asha for services after this home visit. This specifically highlights
Asha’s willingness to reach out to those who need help and are often neglected, missed or

turned away by traditional programs who often have agency rules which discourage the

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participation of women who are addicted to substances or previously/currently
incarcerated.

Asha also provides services to women who are incarcerated (via Sister Circle
groups) and to previously incarcerated women (via Sister Circle groups, a prison release
program, substance abuse counseling and sometime even employment at the agency).
This is particularly noteworthy for a couple of reasons. First, many women in prison are
there as a direct result of being involved with abusive partners and many incarcerated
women have extensive and often severe histories of abuse (Browne, Miller & Maguin,
1999; BJ S, 1999; Richie, 1996; Richie & Johnsen, 1996). Secondly, women of Color
represent the largest percent of incarcerated women in this country (BJ S, 1999; Richie,
2001). If our shelters fail to meet the needs of incarcerated or previously incarcerated
women, they are leaving out a large subsection of women impacted by domestic violence
and particularly, women of Color. Additionally, women upon release from incarceration
have multiple needs as they attempt to reintegrate themselves into society. These needs
include treatment for substance abuse problems, health care, mental health treatment
(including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), education and employment services, housing,
and child advocacy and family reunification assistance (Richie, 2001). Richie (2001)
specifically indicates that much needed reintegration services could play a critical role in
decreasing women’s recidivism and increasing their chances of successful re-entry into
their communities. Asha’s services are playing an important role in survivors’ post

Incarceration SUCCESS.

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As these results clearly indicate, there is a high degree of convergence between
what Asha seek to do, as indicated in its mission statement, and what survivors are
actually experiencing. Asha, as an agency, appears to be meeting its self-defined goals.

Asha as a Helpful Resource for Survivors

Beyond its culturally specific components, Asha is helpful to African American
survivors in another very important way, by providing good, quality, necessary services
which specifically meet the needs of women who are attempting to cope with abusive
relationships, leave abusive relations, and/or remain free from abusive relationships. As
indicated in research question number three, many of these things were lacking from
other mainstream agencies and programs from which these women sought services.
Research has demonstrated that leaving an abusive relationship is long and difficult
process for survivors which may take many years to complete, with many women
returning to abusers ofien multiple times before leaving for good (Few & Bell-Scott,
2002; Horton & Johnson, 1993; Merritt-Gray & Wuest, 1995; Mills, 1985; Taylor, 2002;
Wuest & Merritt-Gray; White, 1994). Yet, many women felt that the mainstream
agencies from which they sought services were insensitive to this process by engaging in
such practices as requiring women to provide evidence of abuse, denying or refusing
women services for repeated returns to abusers and abusers tracking women down at safe
houses, and being judgmental of women who remain in their abusive relationship,
indicating that they should just leave, without dealing with the complexities of being
involved in an abusive relationship.

In contrast, survivors felt that Asha was sensitive to this process, making their

experience with Asha better than with mainstream services. Important to the process of

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leaving an abusive relationship is reinstating oneself within a larger social context of
family and community beliefs, norms, resources and services and reestablishing social
networks (Few & Bell-Scott, 2002; Taylor, 2002; Wuest & Merritt-Gray, 1999). Asha
provides the space for survivors to engage in this action. Also important to survivors
during this process is having a “refuge,” a safe place where they could think, reflect,
problem solve, and receive feedback. Asha provided this space. Survivors spoke of
Asha as a refirge and a space where they felt safe to discuss their problems without
feeling judged, something that is needed by all survivors. Survivors felt supported by
Asha whether they had decided to leave their abusive relationship or not and regardless of
what point they were in the process of leaving.

Important to the process of leaving an abusive relationship as well is the
empowerment of survivors by such means as building survivors’ self-esteem and self-
worth and providing diverse resources to meet their multiple needs of survivors (Few &
Bell-Scott, 2002; Merritt-Gray & Wuest, 1995; Wuest & Merritt-Gray, 1999). Survivors
indicated that mainstream agencies tended to have too few services to meet their multiple
needs, while Asha had many more resources and was able to provide them with referrals
for services that survivors needed but Asha did not have. Many of these additional
services, such as transportation, housing and employment assistance and physical
protection to obtain survivors’ personal belongings from their homes, were noted as
particularly helpfirl for women as they sought to leave their abusive relationships.
Survivors also identified Asha as emotionally supportive during this process by providing
them with a safe place to talk and providing a context in which to assist them in building

their self-esteem and self worth. Much of what Asha incorporates, which mainstream

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services seemed to lack, were things that were simply helpful to and necessary for
survivors to be able to leave abusive relationships.

Survivors found it especially helpful to them that the women who led their
support groups were themselves survivors of intimate partner violence and that they
freely discussed this experience. This was helpful to survivors in a number of ways.
Survivors felt that they were better able to identify with staff since many had been
through similar experiences and that staff understood them better and they were able to
see staff as role models for moving forward in their own lives. Survivors valued the fact
that the women leading their groups were once in situations similar to their own and were
now staff at an agency such as Asha, running groups for other women who have
experienced intimate violence. For many survivors, this element was particularly
powerful, enhanced their comfort level and encouraged their sharing and candidness with
their stories. As one survivor stated, she wasn’t telling her story to anyone who didn’t
know the experience, these women knew her pain, knew from experience how she felt.
This challenges many policies of mainstream agencies today which either do not hire
survivors or require a certain number of years free from the relationship before they
would consider such a hire. These women are stating that they need, prefer, and can
better relate with group facilitators who are survivors of intimate violence and who are
free to discuss this experience in the group.

Another powerful element of the support groups at Asha, for many of the
survivors, was the fact that often following groups members and staff will exchange hugs
as an additional sign of support and encouragement. In addition, facilitators told

participants that they loved and cared for the survivors. This was very important for

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women as they spoke fondly of this in their interviews. For one survivor in particular,

this was especially helpful to her because she was hundreds of miles away from family,

as a result of fleeing her abuser, and the women in the group and the staff at Asha were

the closest people she had to family. This also challenges traditional service standards of

distancing oneself from clients and setting boundaries to any form of intimacy.
Limitations

One of the limitations of this study was the small sample size. Related to this is
the fact that the experiences of these fourteen survivors are not generalizeable to all
survivors who receive services from Asha. However, this study did recruit a sample of
survivors who had varying lengths of involvement with the agency and who received a
diversity of services such that this is not a purposefirl sample of women who had long
histories of positive experiences with Asha.

Another related limitation of this study was the inability to access the sub-
population of African American survivors who initially received services from Asha but
were dissatisfied and left. It would be helpful to talk with some of these survivors as
well. However, the purpose of this study was not to evaluate the services of Asha. The
goal of this study was to explore the extent to which African American survivors
experience the culturally specific services that Asha provides.

In addition, those who did not receive services from Asha on a frequent basis
were less likely to be represented in this study. It is possible that these individuals would
not have been included on the list provided by advocates and may not have been on the
recent support group rosters used to recruit some of the survivors for this study. On a

related note, those survivors who were not available to be interviewed during the weeks

149

that I traveled to Milwaukee were also not included in this study. Due to the fact that I
had to come in from out of state to conduct these interviews, my sample was limited to
those women whom I could interview during the few weeks that I traveled to Asha.
There were women whom I contacted that I was unable to interview because my
scheduled time in Milwaukee conflicted with their commitments during that time.

A final limitation of this study is that these findings are not generalizeable to all
culturally specific intervention, domestic violence or otherwise. The goal of this study
was to specifically identify the culturally specific components of Asha Family Services.
However, the themes identified by this study do provide feedback for future program
development in working with the African American community, highlights implications
for service providers and provides implications for future research.

Implications and Recommendations for Practice

The results of this study indicate the success of culturally specific intervention
with African American survivors and highlight the need for more culturally specific
programs of this nature in communities that are predominantly African American.
Survivors expressed that the services provided by Asha were more beneficial to them in
many ways and for many facilitated the process of their leaving abusive relationships and
remaining free from them. This is exactly what we would like our domestic violence
interventions to do for survivors. And, witnessed by the survivors in this study, African
American survivors clearly benefit more from culturally specific interventions. The
services were better able to assist these survivors in particular, because they were
culturally specific. Bearing this in mind, the ideal situation would be that until the

problem of violence against women is eradicated, predominantly African American

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communities should have their own culturally specific domestic violence intervention
programs. The reality is that this would take many years to become establish, if ever, and
not every community has the resources or African American survivor womanpower to
start them. Therefore, what can other domestic violence programs do to better serve
African American survivors? They may start by becoming culturally competent, then
continuously evaluate, improve and sustain this cultural competence. Although, by
definition, not every currently functioning agency can be culturally specific, all can be
culturally competent, incorporating culturally specific elements, if the commitment is put
forth.

Vinh-Thomas, Bunch & Card (2003) have synthesized a definition of cultural
competence which reads: a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes and policies, including a
consideration for logistic, socioeconomic, and functional concerns that influence
behavior, that come together in a system, agency, or among professionals, thus: enabling
the system, agency, or those professionals to work effectively with the target population,
and; resulting in services that are accepted by the target population. Mainstream
domestic violence agencies can incorporate elements of culturally specific programming
in order to make their agencies culturally competent. For example, they may use
channels of dissemination which will successfully reach African Americans and other
racial ethnic group in the community. This would begin to make survivors aware that the
services even exist and extend an invitation to seek services there. Agencies can learn
from other culturally specific and culturally competent interventions, from reviewing the
literature, and from engagement in the target community what the best channels of

dissemination are for reaching the target population. For example, popular culture has

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been identified as a successful channel for advertising to the African American and
Latino/a communities. This includes using such media as video, music, television, and
magazines (Alcalay et al, 1999; DeLamater et al, 2000; Oliver, 2000). If an agency is
seeking to advertise its services to these communities, these would be successful outlets.

Domestic violence agencies can also hire representative staff in their
organizations. Agencies should have staff who reflect the target population to which the
agency is seeking to do outreach. Survivors specifically spoke on the comfort created by
receiving services from someone who looked like them. It may involve some creativity
and extensive search to recruit these individuals but if an agency is committed to this
goal, it will pursue the added steps to make this happen. In addition to hiring such staff
agencies should support these staff by not overloading them with the sole burden of
initiating and sustaining culturally competent programming, supporting their work with
the target populations and creating a comfortable and nurturing environment facilitating
their professional development.

Third, agencies could create environments that are more inviting to target
communities. For example, posters and artwork on the walls, items located on tables and
literature located in racks should not reflect only of European-American culture. This
environment is not inviting to people of Color. Survivors spoke highly of the comfort
created for them by going into Asha and seeing themselves reflected in the environment.

Fourth, agencies may also incorporate cultural values, norms, expectations and
attitudes of target group into their intervention. Agencies should read relevant literature
and engage in dialogue with members of the target population in order to gain knowledge

of their values, norms, expectations and attitudes. The agency should then assess the way

152

it is providing services and see how it can make these services friendlier to the target
communities so that they are more responsive to the services provided. For example, if
the community to which the agency seeks to provide services has a strong religious faith,
services providers may seek to work with influential religious leaders in the community.
If the community the agency seeks to target places high value on spirituality, the agency
may look to incorporate spirituality in the provision of services to this community.
Likewise, if the target community values family, the agency should seek to provide
services in a way that incorporates the family.

Additionally, agencies should have regularly scheduled cultural competence
training. Many state domestic violence coalitions offer this as a service, when requested,
by their member programs.

Mainstream domestic violence agencies also need to work on making their
services more useful for survivors. Agency staff need to be more aware of and sensitive
to the process of leaving an abusive relationship and the multiple needs, emotionally and
practically, that women have when embarking on this difficult journey. They also need
to be understanding and accepting of those women who choose to remain in their abusive
relationships whether temporarily or indefinitely. Agencies that did not embrace this
practice were perceived as less helpful to survivors.

Agencies should also work on the process of empowering survivors. This
includes providing a context in which to build their self-esteem and self-worth, which has
sometimes been destroyed by abusive partners. This was something particularly
powerful that Asha was able to do for its survivors. Additionally, assess the practical

assistance that women need to successfully leave an abusive relationship and work on

153

equipping the agency to assist women in obtaining such resources. This can be done by
the agency expanding its own services and programs or partnering with agencies in the
community which can provide relevant assistance.

Having staff who had also experienced domestic violence, and were free to
discuss this, was also a powerful component to the healing of survivors in this sample.
Agencies may look to recruit and hire staff who have experienced domestic violence,
particularly to lead support groups. This may help women to feel more relaxed and be
more open with their experiences when they feel they are speaking with someone who
truly understands their experience. These women can then serve as role models to
survivors in these groups as did the support group facilitators at Asha.

Also key to the healing process for survivors in this sample was the exchange of
hugs among group member and facilitators and expressions of love, care and concern by
the facilitator. When dealing with a population that has been so hurt by other individuals
in their lives, agency staff can look to lower some of the professional boundaries they set
on intimacy and express genuine care and concern for participants instead of maintaining
the appearance of a strictly professional relationship. Survivors often need that hug and
reassurance that somebody cares about them.

Implications for Research

This research with Asha provided useful information on what makes a culturally
specific program, what benefits African American survivors the most, and how
mainstream domestic violence services fell short of meeting the needs of these women.
Similar research also needs to be conducted with other culturally specific domestic

violence interventions which target other communities of Color to see if these

154

interventions are working as successfully with the target population and to assess what is
most helpful to those survivors to inform existing services and to develop culturally
specific agencies. Also, future research needs to be conducted to see that if the themes
identified as helpful to the survivors in this study are useful to other African American
survivors. Future research could also compare the results of this study to a sample of
African American survivors receiving mainstream domestic violence services who have
not received services from a culturally specific domestic violence agency.

In addition, we need to assess the ways in which these programs potentially help
batterers who receive services at culturally specific agencies. It would be important to
examine these programs and talk with involved men and group facilitators to assess if and
how these programs are working for men of Color who are abusive.

Overall, this research has: contributed to the literature on culturally specific
domestic violence interventions; defined and exemplified a culturally specific domestic
violence intervention which specifically targets the African American community;
provided insight in the utility of such a culturally specific domestic violence intervention
for African American survivors; provided insight into the needs of African American
domestic violence survivors, and; provided implications for domestic violence service

providers and future areas for research.

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Appendix A

156

Administrative Agreement
between Tameka L. Gillum and Asha Family Services, Inc.

Tameka L. Gillum agrees to:

I. assume full responsibility for the design, implementation, analyses, and publication of
this research.

2. acknowledge Asha Family Services for their participation whenever any findings are
presented whether verbally or in writing.

3. follow University procedures for ensuring the confidentiality of information from
participants in the study.

4. follow University procedures to maximize the safety of those participating in this
research.

5. compensate interviewees, except for staff members, with $20 for their time invested in
this research.

6. provide Asha Family Services with a written report of the results of this research when
the work is completed.

Asha Family Services agrees to:

1. provide Tameka L. Gillum access to clients and ex-clients for the duration of the study so
that participation can be explained to them and they may make a decision of whether or
not to participate.

2. provide permission for Tameka L. Gillum to interview relevant staff, at their
convenience, for the duration of the study.

3. assist Tameka L. Gillum in recruiting clients and ex—clients into the study, at the
convenience of the staff, throughout the duration of the study.

4. provide Tameka L. Gillum with space in which to recruit and interview women
throughout the duration of the study.

/ . (I ///:_/ { 1817“];va

Antonia A. Vanfr, Founder and CEO Donna Pitter, M.D., Board Secretary
Asha Family Services Asha Family Services

[\ij ’ X/ ! / W‘

Tameka L. Gillum, Researcher/PhD. Candidate
Michigan State University

   

 

   

 

157

Appendix B

158

Staff/Leader Interview Protocol
First, I would like to thank you for agreeing to participate in this study. I know that your
time is valuable and I appreciate your taking the time to talk with me today. As I stated
earlier, I am interested in finding out about Asha as an agency and the women who seek
services there. The information that you provide today will increase people’s awareness
of domestic violence interventions and help to improve domestic violence services and
programs for Afiican American women and their families. So, let’s get started. First, I’d
like to start by asking you a few questions about the history of Asha?

1. In your own words, why do you think Asha Family Services was founded? (For the
founder, why did you found Asha Family Services?)

2. How long have you worked for Asha?

3. In what capacities have you worked at Asha?

4. How do women come to receive services from Asha Family Services?
a. What do you think draws women to seek services at Asha?
b. How do you think women hear about Asha?

Ok, now I would like to ask you a few questions specifically about the type of
involvement that women have with Asha.

5. What programs at Asha do female survivors utilize most frequently?

a. For each program listed, in what ways do you feel they benefit specifically
from this service?

6. I know that Asha identifies itself as a culturally specific intervention, which seeks to
design their services specifically to meet the needs of African American women and
families? In your experience, what would you identify as the culturally specific
components of Asha?
For each component listed:
a. How is this implemented?

b. Do you feel this component is important? Why or why not?

c. How do you feel that Afiican American female survivors particularly
benefit from this component?

For each culturally specific component not listed (holistic approach, spiritually

159

based, family centered approach, representative staff, culturally appropriate
images in setting; etc.):

d. Do you feel that the X component is necessarily culturally specific?
Why or why not?

e. Do you feel this component is important? Why or why not?

f. How do you feel that African American female survivors particularly
benefit from this component?

g. Are there any barriers to implementing these culturally specific components?
1. If so, what are they?
2. What do you do to address these barriers?
Now let’s talk overall about Asha as an agency.

7. What do you think are Asha’s strengths as an organization?

8. What do you think makes Asha unique compared to other domestic violence
interventions?

9. What do you feel are Asha’s shortcomings or weaknesses?

Now, let’s talk about your experience with other domestic violence agencies or
programs.

10. Have you worked at other domestic violence agencies?
a. If yes, how do you feel that Asha is different from that agency?
11. What other domestic violence agencies/services are available in the area?

a. For each agency/service listed - How is Asha different from that
agency/service?

12. How do you think women feel about their experience with Asha?

a. What aspects of women’s experiences at Asha do you think they find to be the
most helpfirl?

b. In what ways do you feel women and their families have benefited from their
experience at Asha?

c. What specific things do you think women like most about the services offered
at Asha?

160

d. What type of things could have been done to improve women’s experience with
Asha?

13. If you were to design your own culturally appropriate domestic violence intervention
targeting the African American community, what things would you include? (For the
founder, are there other components or programs you wish or hope to add to the services

you already offer at Asha? What are they?)

161

 

Appendix C

162

 

Survivor Interview Protocol

First, I would like to thank you for agreeing to participate in this study. I know that your
time is valuable and I appreciate your taking the time to talk with me today. As I stated
earlier, I am interested in finding out what your experience with Asha has been like. The
information that you provide today will increase people’s awareness of domestic violence
services and help to create domestic violence services and programs for African
American women and their families. Also as I stated prior, your agreement to participate
and the responses you provide will not affect the services that you receive from Asha.
So, let’s get started. First, I’d like to start by asking you a few questions about your
history of involvement with Asha?
1. How did you come to receive services from Asha Family Services?

a. What drew you to seek services at Asha?

b. How did you hear about Asha?

c. Why did you decide to come?

d. How long have you been coming to Asha?

e. How often do you come?

Ok, now I would like to ask you a few questions specifically about what type of
involvement you have had with Asha.

2. What programs are you and your family currently participated in at Asha?
a. What programs have you participated in in the past?
3. What types of services have you received from Asha?
4. Tell me about your experience with Asha, what has it been like?
Probe: How do you feel about your experience with Asha?
a. What aspects of your experiences at Asha have been the most helpful to you?

b. In what ways do you feel you and your family have benefited from your
experience at
Asha?

c. What specific things do you like about the services offered at Asha?

163

d. What aspects of your experiences at Asha have been the least helpful to you?
e. What have you found disappointing or not helpful?

f. What type of things could have been done to improve your experience with
Asha?

5. Asha identifies itself as a culturally specific domestic violence intervention. In other
words, they seek to design their services specifically to meet the needs of African
American women and families? In your experience, what parts of Asha’s services do you
believe are culturally specific?

For each component that woman names:

a. How has this component affected your experience at Asha?
Do you think that this is an important component? Why or why not?

b. Would your experience with Asha been very different if this component
weren’t included? Tell me about that.

c. Are there any other components you would identify as culturally
specific?

For each component unnamed:

d. Asha considers their X to be one of their culturally specific components,
have you experienced this component here at Asha?
1. If so, have you found it to be helpful to your experience here?

e. Do you feel that this is a culturally specific component? Why or why
not?

f. Do you think that this component is important? Why or why not?

g. Would your experience with Asha be very different if this component
weren’t included?

Probes: Holistic approach (inclusion of mental health services, substance
abuse services, advocacy, Sister Circles, prison release program, etc.);
Spiritually based approach; Family centered approach (services for
female survivors, children, and male abusers); Representative staff;
Culturally appropriate images in setting; Curriculum; etc.

Now, let’s talk about your involvement in other domestic violence agencies or
programs.

164

6. Have you received services from other domestic violence programs?
If yes:
a. What was your experience like with that agency/program(s)?
Probes: Do you feel that this agency/program met your needs? Did you
feel welcome at this agency/program? Did you feel comfortable seeking
services from this agency/program?
b. How has your experience at Asha been different from that experience?

c. How has your experience at Asha been similar to that experience?

d. Do you feel that Asha’s culturally specific components make their program
distinct or very different from that agency/program?

Ifno:

a. If Asha didn’t exist, would you have sought services from other domestic
violence programs in the area? Why or why not?

b. What do you know about other domestic violence programs in the area?

Probe: What do you think about other domestic violence programs in the
area?

c. What concerns, if any, do you have about other domestic violence agencies in
the area?

7. If you were to develop a culturally appropriate domestic violence targeting the African

American community, what things would you include? Why?

*** If woman discusses her or her abuser’s involvement in the legal system, probe. ***

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Appendix D

166

Research Question Number Three: What are women's perceptions of mainstream
services and how is their experience with Asha different from those perceptions?

Case Summary for Respondent #2

Respondent number two had previously received services from one other
domestic violence program. She attended a domestic violence support group that was run
through a local women’s center. At one point in time the respondent was attending both
the support group run by this other program and the Asha Sister Circle but indicated that
she had not been to the other group in a long time. As she described her experience with
this other domestic violence support group she indicated that she felt it was nice and that
they talked about some of the same things the Asha group does. She indicated that they
also fed the women at the other support group. The women would eat and then go to
group. She said they would sit around and talk about their problems at this group as well
as do other activities such as play bingo. Respondent number two indicated that she felt
welcome and comfortable at this support group.

When comparing her experience with this support group to her experience with
Asha, the respondent indicated that the program at Asha better met her needs. She
indicates that she got a, “. . .better understanding coming to Asha than I did there.” She
further indicates that, “. . .I got more out of Asha than I did at [other program]. That
makes a difference. . .it makes a difference.” She also talked about the fact that Asha
provides transportation to and from their group and that that was something that stood out
about Asha for her as well. She indicated that the other support group would take you
back home after the group but they won’t also pick you up like Asha does. She also
talked about Asha having potlucks at times and would show movies on occasion.

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Case Summary for Respondent #3

Respondent number three had previously received services from two other
domestic violence programs before receiving services from Asha Family Services. Both
of these services experiences occurred outside of the state of Wisconsin. Her first
encounter was when she sought services form a domestic violence agency in New York.
This shelter offered multiple services not limited to but including shelter (EAU),
transitional housing (Tier 2) and relocation services (Victim Services). This survivor
sought services from this shelter on several occasions. Three times Victim Services had
obtained bus tickets for her to flee the state and her assailant and go to North Carolina
where her mother lived. Three times this survivor decided to stay and try to make it work
with her assailant. She states that after she sought this service three times they kicked her
out of the program. She says that she believes they felt that they (the shelter) couldn’t
help her since she kept going back to her assailant. She also felt as though the shelter
didn’t extend services or really seem interested in helping. This survivor got the
impression that this service was saying we have help if you are willing to come get it but
they would not actively go out of their way to help you. This survivor attributed this
shelter’s lack of outreach to the great turnover of survivors who seek services at this
agency and the large potential population that this shelter must service. Overall this
survivor felt that the service was there if she needed it and sought it and if she had been
really ready to leave her assailant they would have been helpful.

Respondent number three then later relocated herself to North Carolina and
sought services from a domestic violence shelter there as well. Services offered by this
shelter included but were not limited to shelter, counseling, advocacy, and resources such
as bus tickets, food, clothing, etc. This survivor initially felt as if this shelter met her
needs. She felt welcome, comfortable and supported there. This all changed when her
assailant followed her to North Carolina from New York, found out the location of the
shelter and went there to find her. At this point they (the shelter) kicked her out saying
that she was endangering the other women. This survivor later returned to this shelter
when the violence again escalated with her assailant and they told her that they could not
help her. They refused her service for the same reason they had kicked her out initially.
This survivor expressed great feelings of betrayal by this agency because of these actions.
She felt as though the actions of her assailant were beyond her control, that they were not
her fault but that the agency was in essence punishing her for his actions. Overall, she
felt as though this agency met her needs in the beginning but later slammed the door in
her face.

When comparing her experience at these shelters to her experience at Asha, this
survivor felt her interaction with Asha has been more positive. She was initially hesitant
to seek services there because of her negative experiences with the other two shelter
programs. So, when she was first told about Asha, she did not go. However, several
people began referring her to Asha, including her Social Services worker and she shortly
thereafter decided that she would give it a try. She expressed that she had a very positive
first experience with Asha and that kept her coming back. This survivor expressed that
Asha actually extends their services, “You know I’m, when I say it’s not, I mean, like I

168

said I benefit more from the services that they offer here because I get people that really
want to help you here, you know, they really want to, you know, extend you these
services if you need them,” and gave the feeling that they actually want to help you,
“Yea, you know, it was there, it was just, you know, like here, you know, it’s like they
want you, you know, they want to help you here”. She expressed that Asha was the best
facility that she had been to and that their services had benefited her the most. She felt as
though she could relate to the facilitators there. They also made her feel comfortable.
She felt as though these characteristics drew people back to Asha. Overall, she expressed
a very positive experience with Asha. She expressed that if she even needed anything
other service she would seek Asha first, “I feel like I probably be more, if anything, I
would rather ask somebody here about, you know, if I wanted to know about any other
service, if they had it here. . .You know, urn. Or if they had someplace that they could
refer me. . .You know, rather than going to another program”.

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Case Summary for Respondent #5

Respondent number five had previously received services from one other
domestic violence program. She attended a domestic violence support group that was run
through a local women’s center. The respondent heard about this group from her older
sister who had been attending the group for some time. She states that this group was
housed in a Catholic church in Milwaukee and was founded and run by a white nun. The
respondent expressed that she attended this group for well over ten years, starting when
she was seventeen years old, but had not attended the group in about a year. She did,
however, express plans to return to the group in the future. This program also ran a
children’s support group concurrent with the women’s support group, which the
respondent’s two daughters attended while the respondent was in her group. She
expressed that this was a very good and well structured domestic violence support group,
but that she really didn’t receive any usefirl or helpful recommendations to assist her in
leaving her abusive relationship. She expressed that she remained in an abusive
relationship throughout the time that she attended this support group because she didn’t
know how to get out and the group didn’t give her the tools she needed to get out. She
did, however, feel that the group was supportive and welcoming. She expressed that
although she liked the group, she wasn’t really getting all that she needed and attributed
this partly to the fact that the majority of the other participants in the support group were
Hispanic and Catholic and that it was run by a white nun. She stated that at one point the
program did attempt to increase outreach to the African American community and bring
things to the group to help the African American women who were attending by bringing
in a Black assistant director but that the program remained predominantly white and
Hispanic. Therefore the group, for this respondent, was just a place to go and vent, get a
little feedback and get away from her abusive partner for a couple hours, but it did not
meet her needs.

When comparing her experience with this support group to her experience with
Asha, the respondent stated that Asha actually gave her the tools and resources she
needed to leave the abusive relationship that she was in at the time she started receiving
services from Asha. She stated that she wishes she had known about Asha earlier. She
expressed her belief that if she had know about Asha, maybe ten years ago, she would be
in a better situation than she was today. She stated that she receives the nourishment she
needs from Asha. She also expressed an ability to relate to the staff because they are also
African American and because they have also experienced domestic violence in the past.
She states that the staff are down to earth and real and that this helps her because she
feels she can be real, that she “. . .ain’t got to fake it”. She also expressed that she looks
up to the staff at Asha, that they have experienced domestic violence in the past but are
now free of abusive relationships and now have careers where they help other women.
She states that this is inspiring, that it boosts her up and helps her to know that she can do
it too. She states that overall she received more guidance, assistance and direction from
Asha than she did from the other program, “Um, I’m receiving more, I’ve received more
from Asha in the short length of time that I was with them from all the years I had put in
with [other prograrn]”. Practical assistance from Asha included referral to shelter and
providing bodyguards to assist the woman in obtaining her and her children’s belongings
from their home upon her decision to leave the relationship. She also stated that Asha

170

had more to offer African American women than the other program, particularly in
reference to Black women being able to relate on the same terms at Asha.

171

Case Summary for Respondent #8

Respondent number eight had previously received services from one other
domestic violence program. She attended a domestic violence support group that was run
through a local community program. This program also offered daycare for the children
of group participants while the group was in progress which the respondent took
advantage of. For the most part the respondent feels that the group made her feel
comfortable. She also indicated that the other attendees were predominantly Afiican
American. She said they had lots of informational brochures on a wide variety of topics.
She states that although the group helped her to some degree, it wasn’t enough. The
group only partially met her needs. In addition, she felt as though she was being judged
by the program because she was still in a relationship with her abusive partner. She was
feeling pressure from the group to leave her relationship when she was not quite ready to
do so and didn’t feel she was getting the help she needed from this group to help her with
the process. She also felt as though the staff did not really have enough time to assist
women on an individual basis. The respondent expressed that often times when she went
to staff expressing a need to talk, they would tell her that they only had a minute, they
were in a hurry, they were in the middle of something or they would have to talk to her
another time. The respondent expressed frustration with this stating that sometimes she
needed to talk then. She also felt that there wasn’t enough time for group. She indicated
that this was a very large group having sometimes as many as thirty or forty participants
for a one-hour session and that it wasn’t enough time to get to everyone and the group
often felt rushed. The respondent also felt that she was in some way upsetting the people
in the program by staying in her abusive relationship and got the message that they were
telling her they couldn’t help her if she continued to remain in her abusive relationship.
She also felt that the program did not understand the process of leaving an abusive
relationship and how difficult that process is. Eventually the respondent left that group
for several reasons: the program discontinued daycare when they started doing some
remodeling and she didn’t wish to leave her children with her abusive partner; she felt as
though the program wasn’t really helping her, that she still ended up in the same situation
(the abusive relationship) so there was no point in her continuing to go; it wasn’t helpful
for her to be going to group and then her abusive partner would be outside waiting for
her; she felt as though they were brushing her off; and, she was feeling pressured and
judged by the group.

When comparing her experience with this support group to her experience with
Asha, the respondent referred to the Asha program as “. . .the best one I’ve ever been
to...” She indicates that she feels more welcome at Asha, that she likes the group better
and feels more comfortable with Asha. Respondent #8 also expressed that she feels as
though it is easier to bond with the people at Asha and that it is more of a “bonding type
group”. That she looks forward to being around African American women and being
able to bond. She looks forward to Monday night, which is the night she attends the
Asha group. She also feels that the staff at Asha are more available when you need them.
That if you really want to talk you can pull them aside and they will make time for you.
She said that at Asha they don’t judge you and they don’t pressure you to leave your
abusive relationship, they accept you where you are and support you in working at your

172

 

own pace. They extend an invitation to you to let them know when you need help and
what you need help with. The respondent indicates that she likes this better than her
previous experience. She states that Asha understands that leaving an abusive
relationship is a time consuming process and that it doesn’t happen overnight. She also
states that Asha is closer to her home, which is more convenient for her. This respondent
feels so positively about the group at Asha that she believes she will stay with the group
for a while and that she will continue with the group even after she leaves her abusive
relationship for good so that maybe she “. . .can help some other people down the line.”

 

173

 

Case Summary for Respondent #10

Respondent number ten at the time of the interview was receiving services from a
domestic violence shelter in addition to attending the Sister Circle group at Asha. She
heard about the shelter as a result of seeking a restraining order against her abusive
husband who she had just put out of the house. There was a woman down at the
restraining order office that asked the respondent if she wished to be in a shelter until
things boiled down. The respondent indicated that she would and subsequently went to
the shelter. It was a worker at the shelter that referred the respondent to the Asha Sister
Circle. This respondent had mixed feelings about the shelter. She stated that being at the
shelter helped her to learn a lot about people. She learned how to deal with people and
how people “really are.” She said that this interaction helped her to learn how to stand up
for herself. She said it was nice, that she liked it there and that it was a blessing. She
said that the staff were nice and identified a couple staff persons there that she liked and
considered to be helpful, one in particular that she could do one-on-ones with and she
would listen. She also identified problems she had with the other residents and residents
that had caused problems for her since she had been there. The respondent indicated that
there were a lot of “negative people” at the shelter. She also expressed great
dissatisfaction for the support group at the shelter. She indicated that attending the
groups was a requirement at the shelter but at one point she was asked not to attend group
for a while because during one session she decided to tell the group how she really felt.
She indicated that it was hard to talk about your problems to that group. She indicated
that the people there didn’t want to hear certain things and got an attitude if you
expressed them. The respondent felt as though she couldn’t talk about her feelings in this
group. She also expressed that the people in that group never seemed to be getting better,
that they seemed stuck in the past and weren’t moving forward and that she was trying to
move forward. She indicated that she only went to that group because she had to go. She
also expressed that the people who ran the support group at this shelter, a White woman
and a Black woman were not shelter staff but people that came in from outside the
agency just to run the group. Therefore she felt that the shelter workers did not know
what was going on in the group. She said that she felt welcome and comfortable at the
shelter but also felt that it was best that she stay to herself there.

This respondent expressed that because of the above problems with the shelter
support she looked forward to coming to Asha on Mondays. She said that she gets to talk
about her feelings at Asha. She also expressed that coming to the Asha support group
helped her to deal with the problems she was having at the shelter. She stated that
coming to Asha helped her learn how to cope with people and to stop being afraid of
people. The respondent also expressed that between the two groups, she liked the Asha
group better. She felt as though the other support group wasn’t getting it, that it was
“. . .not hitting me like this [Asha] group do” and that is why she liked coming to Asha.
She felt that if she weren’t coming to the Asha group, “I’d be lost.” She expressed that
the Asha group was better for her and that it’s “. . .helping me a whole lot.” The
respondent also expressed her fondness for the Asha group because she said, “. . .Black
women understand other Black womens. Ain’t no way a White woman understands what

174

a Black woman going through.” She expressed that Asha was good because “. . .it’s good
for Black women to be together. . .to talk about their problems better.”

175

Case Summary for Respondent #13

Respondent number thirteen had previously had experience with two domestic
violence shelters. She stayed in each of these shelters for a period of time. The
respondent indicated that she had a good experience with the first shelter that she went to.
She learned of the shelter from the police who took her there after and abusive incident in
her home. She said that she felt welcome there and the agency met her needs for what
they were at time stating, “. . .I was safe. . .till he got through his rage. It sufficed for what
I was using it for. . .At that point I was just trying to get him a couple of days to blow over
his temper. . .and for me to go home. . .(p.22).” Her problem with the shelter, however,
was that they were too focused on just telling her to leave the relationship. She stated,

“. . .their key thing was leave him alone...They didn’t deal with the fact that you was in
love with that man that was your abuser (p.21).” She indicated that although she felt
welcome there, she didn’t feel comfortable due to the pressure to leave her husband when
she was not ready to do so.

In comparing her experience with this shelter to her experience at Asha, the
respondent indicates that Asha actually dealt with the fact that she was in love with her
abuser and offered her options which took this into consideration. The fact that Asha
actually offered these alternative services made a difference to her.

The respondent’s experience at the second domestic violence shelter was not a
positive one. She expressed that it was “. . .very, very cold (p.25).” She explains that at
that point in her life she was ready to do something different, to make some changes in
her life. However, she was so uncomfortable in this shelter that she only stayed one
night, then went back home. First, she was the only Black woman in this shelter at that
particular time and felt that she couldn’t relate to the other women in the shelter. She was
questioned about the paternity of her children who were of mixed race and she felt as
though the women were discussing levels of violence that were a lot less severe than
what she had experienced. Another issue for her was that she felt this program was not
designed for her. She states of her experience, “. . .I couldn’t get my needs met there
because it wasn’t for me what I needed. If cultural environment probably would have
been more supportive of me. . .I would have probably been able to look at the eyes of
another woman who I could. . .feel could identify with my pain. Them women, I couldn’t
even look at (p.26).” She indicates that another part of this feeling could be attributed to
the “sterile [White] environment” of the facility.

In comparing her experience with this shelter to her experience at Asha the
respondent stated that at Asha she felt welcome. She felt this from the time she was
picked up by the Asha van through her experience in the Sister Circle group. She also
felt as though she could relate better to the Asha staff member who lead the Sister Circle
group on the nights she attends. She indicated that the facilitator was a “down-to-earth
sister” who wasn’t playing this “I’m the staff person” role but that Asha supplied an
atmosphere which made participants feel that they need the survivors there in group just
as much as the survivors need the group. She also stated that she felt as though the Asha

176

program was designed for her, that it was “designed for women of Color” whereas she
feels the other program “. . .may hove not been designed for me.”

177

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