Fondation ProFamilia

The project

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the issue of domestic violence and the risks faced by all family members were widely discussed in the media. To address this issue, we needed to enhance our psychological counseling work with specific, accessible educational materials focused on children’s needs.

The first booklet is tailored to children and uses the story of a chameleon to help them reflect on various aspects of experiencing violence, explore their emotional experiences, and develop coping strategies.

A second booklet is intended for adults. It is a pamphlet designed to support parents, caregivers, or professionals in better understanding children’s needs in the context of domestic violence, as well as offering measures for support and prevention.

Implementation

Presenting the topic from multiple perspectives while ensuring the material is accessible and avoiding judgment of parental capabilities proved to be a complex challenge. During the pre-printing phase, we evaluated the content quality of both booklets by integrating them into the daily counseling work of the service. Thankfully, the children we worked with during this phase to “test” the material loved the little chameleon that tells its story about domestic violence. Through this approach, they were able to identify and express their own experiences.

To ensure completeness, we also asked other experts to review the texts and provide advice.

Currently, both awareness booklets are in the text correction phase, with printing scheduled for July 2022.

Objective

When violent behavior occurs in a family, all its members suffer. Often, the most affected are children, who are defenseless in such situations and unable to understand the reasons behind the violence. With our booklets, we address the needs of children who are victims of domestic violence. These tools help them feel understood, gain clarity, feel safe, relieve guilt about the violence, share their experiences, and (re)activate their protective resources and those of their family.

It is crucial to find alternatives to domestic violence, and help is available. While we receive daily new counseling requests related to domestic violence, we also observe how committed families are to working towards improvement through counseling.