Counseling can be a critical part of your healing journey. Our highly-trained, caring, and compassionate counselors listen and provide support and resources to survivors of sexual and domestic violence. Through our client-centered, trauma-informed approach, 180 provides a comfortable space for survivors to process their experiences and empower them to find the strength and courage to turn their life around.

180’s Domestic & Sexual Violence Counseling Programs are designed to cover important topics, including:

• Legal Rights & Protections
• Safety Planning Strategies
• Impacts of Domestic Violence on Children
• Characteristics of an Abuser
• Myths about Domestic Violence
• How to Break Free of Domestic Violence
• Signs of Healthy & Unhealthy Relationships

• Self-Care Techniques to Cope & Begin the Healing Process
• Emergency Safe House and Transitional Housing
• Multi-Generational Family Violence
• Navigating the Family Court Process
• Access to Community Resources
• Financial Empowerment
• Tech Safety

• Financial: Controlling all income and expenses, preventing a partner from working, forcing a partner to turn over their paychecks to the abuser, restricting access to financial accounts, limiting access to cash or credit cards, or ruining a partner’s credit.
• Physical: Hitting, slapping, pushing, biting, punching, kicking, restraining, choking, smothering, or strangulation. Strangulation is one of the most lethal forms of domestic violence: unconsciousness may occur within seconds and death within minutes.
• Psychological: Intimidating a person with threatening looks and behavior, stalking, monitoring by using technology, using spyware and location tracking devices, monitoring technology, posting false information about someone on social media, isolating a person from friends and family, or attacking self-esteem by blaming, manipulating, criticizing, and humiliating.
• Sexual: Manipulating or forcing a person to do something sexual or any coerced, non-consensual, or unwanted sexual behavior.
• Verbal: Cursing or swearing, yelling, name-calling, criticizing thoughts or feelings, and put-downs

Our Counseling Programs

All of 180’s counseling programs are safe, free of charge, and confidential.

For Domestic Violence Survivors

Individual:

A helpful first step for many survivors who feel unsure of where to start, 180 offers a series of five individual counseling sessions focused on safety planning, guidance, and parenting in the context of domestic violence. Survivors are provided with both direct support and strategies to help their child’s healing process, too. Individual counseling is available at our secure Hazlet office.

Group:

Support, Advocacy, Guidance & Empowerment (SAGE): A psycho-educational support group that focuses on domestic violence. Counselors approach a different topic each week, including:

Women In Transition (WIT): After completing the SAGE Group Counseling Program, survivors can participate in the six-month WIT Program which empowers them to continue healing from their trauma experiences. The WIT Program gives survivors strength through support and strategies to continue moving forward on their journey. A new topic is explored each session, including:

Financial Empowerment: A multi-week educational support group and workshop program which provides survivors with the tools to become financially independent, including learning how to budget, debt reduction, credit repair, and setting financial goals. Experienced by most domestic violence survivors, financial abuse is often a primary reason why survivors remain in or return to an abusive relationship. The financial education curriculum used is designed specifically for survivors and helps them build a hopeful path away from abuse and towards a safe & secure future.

See “Signs of Domestic & Sexual Violence” Section for a list of Financial Abuse Tactics.

Shore Regional Outreach: Provides culturally sensitive individual and group counseling to Caucasian, Latinx, and Men & Women of Color who have experienced or know someone who has experienced domestic violence. Our caring and informed staff ensure that cultural differences and language are not barriers for survivors seeking our support and services, which are all free of charge and confidential regardless of immigration status.

Our staff also regularly offers educational presentations about domestic violence and 180’s programs & services to community partners, schools, and agencies.

For Sexual Violence Survivors

Individual:

A helpful first step for many survivors who feel unsure of where to start, 180 offers a series of five individual counseling sessions focused on safety planning, guidance, and support for survivors of sexual violence. Individual counseling is also available for teens and can be provided to family members and significant others to understand how to best support their loved one and cope with their personal reactions to sexual violence. Individual counseling is available at our secure Hazlet office.

Group:

Counseling is offered to all survivors regardless of when their experience of sexual violence or abuse occurred. Counselors provide psycho-educational support groups for survivors in which they are gently guided through trauma recovery in a safe and supportive environment. Teen and male groups are available when there are enough survivors interested in forming one.

You are not alone.

We believe in your strength and courage as a survivor.
180 offers hope and support as you overcome domestic violence and sexual assault. Our caring and experienced counselors will listen, discuss your options, and provide resources to guide you.

You can have a fresh start.

You are not to blame for your experience of abuse.
You and your family deserve to live your life free of fear and full of promise.
Together, we’ll create your pathway to safety, healing, and independence.

We can begin together.

We are here for you when you’re ready.
Our comprehensive support services are free and confidential, including 24/7 hotlines,
counseling, legal advocacy, emergency safe house, and art, play, drama & music therapy for children.