About the Guests:

Jenny Woodhouse is a Pastoral Care Coordinator with the Church Missionary Society of New South Wales and ACT. She was formerly a chaplain of the Sydney Anglican Churches Professional Standards Unit. Jenny brings a wealth of experience in dealing with sensitive and complex issues, offering invaluable support to individuals experiencing challenging situations in their personal lives.

Justine O'Malley is a social worker and counsellor with over 30 years of experience working with children and young people, specializing in supporting their social and emotional development. Her expertise particularly focuses on children aged three to 13 years. Justine has dedicated her career to helping vulnerable children navigate and heal from domestic violence and related traumas.

Key Takeaways:

• Prevalence and Forms of Domestic Violence: Domestic violence isn't just physical; it includes emotional, psychological abuse, and coercive control.

• Impact on Children: Almost 40% of Australian children experience domestic violence, leading to long-term emotional and psychological consequences.

• Support Mechanisms: Victims often need multiple attempts to leave their abusers due to psychological manipulation and financial control.

• Societal Responsibility: Education on healthy relationships and gender equality is crucial for both prevention and intervention.

• Resources and Community Support: Friends, family, and community support systems play a pivotal role in aiding victims and encouraging them to seek help.

Notable Quotes:

1. "Violence, I think, conjures up for us the sense of physical violence, whereas domestic abuse is more largely emotional, psychological abuse." — Jenny Woodhouse

2. "Almost 40% of children in Australia are exposed to family and domestic violence before they're 18." — Justine O'Malley

3. "The gaslighting is really significant... because it's so subtle and because you do start to second-guess yourself." — Jenni Woodhouse

4. "It's not just one point. I think it's actually several points... on average, women leave about five, six times and keep going back." — Jenni Woodhouse

5. "If you see some of these red flags, they're things that you can start to have a discussion with. They're things that you can open the doors to discussion and say, I'm here. I'm here to listen." — Justine O'Malley

Resources:

• Call 1800Respect or their website

• Our Watch – for primary intervention resources

Click here to contact Janet & Amelia or ask them a question or click here to contact the She Wasn't Born Yesterday team!

She Wasn’t Born Yesterday, hosted by Janet Evans, a former M&C Saatchi advertising creative and Dr Amelia Haines, a sexual and relationship therapist, who have written Australia’s first book on empty nest syndrome called Empty Next.

Visit Empty Nest Chicks for more resources, click here for their book, or join the discussion on Facebook.

Listen to more from our Hope Podcasts collection at hopepodcasts.com.au. And send the team a message via Hope 103.2’s app, Facebook or Instagram.