BY JESSICA ALFREY
Correspondent
Domestic violence is generally a problem dealt with by local police departments.
But thanks to Women Aware Inc., an average citizen can learn to become a crisis counselor and help victims decide how to best help themselves.
According to Jean Dunn, Middlesex County coordinator for the Domestic Violence Response Team, volunteers can become crisis counselors by going through Women Aware’s 10-week training program. The program is once a week for 40 hours overall; afterward, a volunteer spends 10 hours on the job with a seasoned counselor.
The volunteers then work with a response team, join up with a local police department, and are available when the police call them about a domestic violence report. Some teams are available 24 hours a day, while others work when the courts in the area are not in session.
Dunn has been working as a coordinator for about six years, though she has been involved as a volunteer since 1993.
Dunn said that when she first became involved with the cause, it was “before O.J. [O.J. Simpson], so it [domestic violence] wasn’t a dinner-table word.”
As the coordinator of Women Aware, Dunn works to recruit and train volunteers and also serves as a go-between for the teams and the police departments.
Dunn said that when she first started working with the group, “I couldn’t believe the number of calls that come in, and I still can’t believe it.”
In 2005 alone, Middlesex County had 2,201 domestic violence offenses/arrests.
Women Aware is headed by Executive Director Phyllis Adams, who just took over on March 19. Adams used to work for the New Jersey State Police and worked to implement Women Aware’s program in Morris County.
“Women Aware Inc. is the leading domestic violence agency offering core services for victims and their families,” Adams said.
The group, which branched off from Women Helping Women over two years ago, offers all free services, including a shelter, hotline, counselors, court advocacy, and community education.
Since the services are free, Adams said that most of the funding comes from grants, though their paid positions are funded by the state Office of Victim-Witness Advocacy.
Requirements to train as a counselor include being at least 18 years old, having a driver’s license, and living within about 20 minutes of the police station so that victims do not have to wait.
There is a background check required, so, as Dunn put it, “criminals need not apply.”
There are about four or five training sessions held each year, which Dunn said garner about 15 volunteers each, though not all may follow through.
“Some get in there and take the course and realize they can’t do it,” said Dunn, “and that’s fine. I understand.”
The training, according to Dunn, is a way to teach people the real definition of domestic violence. Dunn admits that prior to receiving the training herself, she did not know how to define it. She pointed out that people wonder why the woman does not get out of the situation. But through the training, volunteers find out the reasons why a woman stays, or why the abuser lets her stay.
Dunn said that the training also talks about cultural differences, the effect on children, the power and control involved, and the religious aspects of abuse, with Dunn pointing out that some women won’t leave because of religion.
The training teaches the volunteers about the options that a victim has, said Dunn.
The Woodbridge team received 30 calls in May alone. While the number of calls can be astounding, Dunn does not lose hope.
She gave one example of a recent victim.
“The victim said, ‘You’re the first person who’s actually listened to me. Everyone else just pushed me away; my family won’t listen,’ ” said Dunn.
Dunn said half of what the counselor should be doing is validating what the victim is telling them and just being there to listen.
Dunn touted her volunteers and their teams as really making a difference.
“We have very dedicated volunteers,” said Dunn. “They will do anything, within the parameters, of course. There isn’t a team in this county that isn’t dedicated to the cause. I know they’re making a difference; I’ve seen it firsthand.”
Adams said that while there was concern about having volunteers as counselors, those fears have long been dispelled.
“Years ago, there was concern that there wouldn’t be enough people willing to do this – train for 40 hours, get up in the middle of the night to talk to someone they don’t even know – but we’ve had volunteers involved for over a decade,” said Adams. “They really get a great feeling from helping someone in their community who is suffering at the hands of their partner. They feel like they are part of the solution.”