Domestic Violence Counselor Training: Volunteers Needed to Help Victims

Sasha Stone

Mirror Contributing Writer

   "I don't know what to do. I have nowhere to go. I'm afraid of what he'll do. I need help." Amber Enright, a volunteer counselor for the Santa Monica-based Sojourn Services for Battered Women and their Children, listens to a woman, who could be any number of women reaching out in desperation for help. It's Enright's job to counsel the caller and perhaps provide relocation and sanctuary for her and her children. 
   Though recent studies have shown crime overall is on the decline, domestic violence continues to present an escalating threat to women. One in every four American women reports that she has been physically abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in her life, and thirty percent of Americans say they know a woman who has been physically abused. 
   Alarmingly, domestic violence is the single highest cause of injury to women in the United States. 
   The reasons people volunteer to help victims of domestic violence vary. For Enright volunteering at Sojourn was a way of turning her own experience of abuse -- two years at the hands of an abusive ex-boyfriend -- into something "good and rewarding. I hope that I can help other victims know that they are not alone in this struggle."
   Olivia Ochoa, an intern and volunteer from Cal State LA, finds her volunteer work for Sojourn equally rewarding, "This program not only enriches the lives of those it helps, it gives the volunteers the opportunity to be enriched by their clients,” she says.
   By all accounts, volunteers are the unsung heroes of Sojourn, providing the woman/man power to support Sojourn's many programs, especially in its efforts to be available to victims at any time for emergency and crisis intervention 24 hours per day, 7 days a week.
   "Volunteers are really the lifeblood of Sojourn, without whom we would not be able to serve the over 5,000 women and children that we do every year," adds Katrina Matolek, Children's Program Coordinator of Sojourn. "They make an incredible difference in the lives of our clients."
   Volunteers are recruited and trained through bi-annual, state mandated training sessions, which certify them as domestic violence counselors. Many of the volunteers go on to work as paid Sojourn staff. Pat Butler, Sojourn's executive director, started as a children's program volunteer. "Until then, I did not fully understand the philosophy of empowerment and how to best raise children. Not a day goes by that I don't utilize skills I learned here in all my relationships."
   Volunteers provide support in many areas, including teaching children empowerment through art and play therapy, facilitating support groups, helping women find shelter and giving support, information and referrals on the 24 hour hotline and/or participating in emergency response teams.
   Sojourn, a program of Ocean Park Community Center, which includes the oldest crisis shelter in Los Angeles County, was established in 1977 to address the emergency needs of battered women and children by providing a safe place to regroup, rebuild and re-establish their self-esteem and lives. Sojourn provides a 24 hour hotline, support groups in Spanish and English, a comprehensive children's program, full-time court and social service advocacy, a pro bono legal clinic, community education and outreach program and 24 hour emergency response teams working in cooperation with local police and medical facilities.
   People interested in volunteering at Sojourn should contact Jennifer Chen Speckman at (310) 264-6646, ext. 221.