Healing from trauma can be extremely difficult, but recovery is possible.
I have worked with adult survivors of sexual assault, rape, child sexual assault, date rape, and marital rape. The survivors have reflected all genders, races and various cultural backgrounds... but they all had one thing in common...
"A NEED TO BE BELIEVED!"
It is so important for us to believe and listen to survivors. We must hear their pain and provide unconditional love. For me, working as an advocate is like serving as a minister of healing. I am here for survivors from the moment they seek help to the moment they feel help is no longer needed. It is my role to not only offer them choices and services but to also accept the path they choose to take -
I move when they move.
Each survivor is different; there is no road-map to healing... only suggestions; and there is no specific time frame for recovery. In my 35+ years of working with survivors, I have learned that trauma is different for each survivor. There are similarities, yet many differences. I am honored when a survivor reaches out for help, that to me shows their strength, not weakness. The strongest individuals I know are those in recovery from trauma.
The Gift of Love is given at all times to everyone!
Sincerely,
Dr. Patricia Ann Davenport
Our House, Inc.
CEO/Co-Founder
Pictured above: (Left) Me holding Becky, my sweet service animal; (Right) Mrs. Cassandra Rule, my peer and the Director of The Domestic Abuse Response Team (DAR), under the leadership of Delta Health Alliance. We were at the Purple for Peace Luncheon in Jackson hosted by the Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
