Meet Olivia.
You changed her life.
Names are changed to protect identity of client:
Olivia grew up in a rough environment. She was raised in an abusive household and was exposed to unhealthy relationships as a child. Olivia was filled with confusion and trauma, and felt she had a skewed perception of what it truly means to love someone.
“I was a statistic kid. My mother was on welfare and had three kids she could barely raise. I was angry, angry at the world, angry with my mom, angry with my sister and my new family. It was my friend, my survival tool.”
After several abusive father figures, Olivia was taken from her home by child services. She was later adopted into a family with money but the unhealthy connections and relationships continued.
Olivia later found herself in a relationship with a man that was abusive, and ended up pregnant. After her daughter was born, Olivia realized she couldn’t put her daughter through the same thing she went through as a child. She was determined to provide a different life for her daughter—one filled with love and security. Olivia and her daughter left the abusive household, but she was still unsure of how to best parent her child.
“How could I be a good parent? How could I raise a child to be healthy and understand she is loved. Wouldn’t all the damage I carry cause pain for her as well?”
Nervous, and unsure about the future, Olivia decided to take A New Leaf’s DVHEART parenting classes. It was a big step, as Olivia still hadn’t let her guard down, but she knew that it would be the best thing for her and her daughter.
DVHEART offered more than parenting tips; it provided a roadmap for personal transformation. Oliva and her daughter’s relationship began to blossom into something that Olivia never thought was possible.
One year after her first class, Olivia is preparing to navigate her daughter’s teenage years. She is confident and excited about the continued growth and learning DV HEART will provide.
“This program has provided me with new strategies to approach my daughter. It has helped me re-parent myself. I have even learned to love and accept myself despite how I was raised.”
Reflecting on her experience, Olivia feels ready to take on the challenge of raising her daughter. “Thank you, DV HEART and all the staff, for helping this small angry girl become patient, kind, and understanding to not only my daughter but to myself as well. You help me stay sane in the chaos that is my wild life!”