Stephen’s Story

Stephen experienced verbal and emotional abuse from his adult daughter who lived with him. The abuse escalated after Stephen asked his daughter to leave, she physically attacked him. The daughter moved out, but Stephen found the recovery hard and was anxious about being at home alone. He felt very stressed which had impacted on his ability to work, budget and problem solve.

We gave Stephen time and space to explore his thoughts and feelings. Using 1:1 support, worksheets, and discussion we helped Stephen gain a better understanding of domestic abuse, its impact and relationship boundaries.

We supported Stephen to contact his landlord to manage rent arrears and put a payment plan in place. This was a problem Stephen couldn’t face before and could have led to eviction.

Stephen was introduced to an advocacy organisation to help with issues in the future. Stephen now has a greater understanding of how wrong the abuse was and feels he could now spot the signs of abuse much earlier.

Stephen told us he is more confident in setting boundaries in relationships with friends and family and recognises the need to put himself first when making decisions.

“It’s hard for men to open up about abuse. Behind Closed Doors helped me to do this and I’m really grateful for that. My self-esteem has increased and I believe in myself more”.

Stephen feels his mental health has improved and he now sees how important it is to talk with friends he trusts about his feelings.

Stephen has returned to work after a period of sick leave and has been able to agree the support he needs with his employer for him to stay well.

Stephen feels happy when on his own and really values his personal space.

“I understand that there is a benefit to getting professional support now. I was reluctant initially but now I look back and think I don’t know what I would have done without Behind Closed Doors”