“I don’t have a lot of friends or anyone who can relate to what I’m going through. I don’t really tell people that this is happening. I don’t have anybody who can help me get out of this situation.”
Program director Suzanne Kearse hears these words quite often from victims of domestic violence in her work with Catholic Charities’ Intensive Family Services in York.
Serving women and men who are abused by their partners, Kearse and her staff have come to understand that their clients need a way to process their trauma and find support through safety planning, problem-solving skills and supportive counseling.
So Kearse and her staff worked with Catholic Charities to develop the Intensive Survivors Support (ISS) program that fosters social and emotional wellbeing and educates participants on healthy relationships, boundaries, self esteem, navigating family dynamics and working through traumatic experiences.
ISS is a 26-week program for women and men ages 18 and older who are survivors of domestic violence, including physical, sexual, emotional, economic or psychological abuse. Participants meet once a week in a group of eight to ten with two staff members at an undisclosed location in York; three weeks of educational components are followed by a week of group discussion and reflection.
The first group completed their program in June with a graduation ceremony to celebrate their commencement toward a new chapter for their life.
“ISS is about forming a support system and having domestic abuse survivors connect with one another as they rebuild their lives,” said Kearse. “We walk with them in that journey, whether it’s leaving their relationships and starting over as single parents, or whether we are accompanying them through protection-from-abuse hearings, filing paperwork, or helping them move their belongings out of their home.”
According to the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence, one in three women and one in four men in the United States will experience domestic violence in their lifetime. In 2024, there were 106 domestic violence-related deaths in the state; York County had the sixth-highest number of these deaths among all counties in Pennsylvania.
The Intensive Survivors Support program answers a critical need for trauma-informed services for survivors, who face immense difficulty in getting out of abusive relationships. Those who don’t leave their relationship risk the creation or continuation of cycles of generational trauma and the development of harmful coping behaviors.
“This program offers a community for them, and it takes away the stigma, since no one is judging. Everyone in the program is an expert in their own experience, and we’re here to give them tools they can use,” Kearse said. “When they talk to each other, victim to victim, oftentimes they’ll hear someone else’s story of how they successfully got out of their abusive relationship, started over and are safe – when that happens, others in the group soon realize that they can do it too.”
“The program empowers them because they can share their stories, speak their truth and find support with people who understand and have lived it,” she said.
Participants enter the program through referrals from local police departments, medical centers or community agencies. Others learn about ISS through fliers posted in public places throughout the city. The program is offered free of charge due to grant funding.
“Anyone experiencing domestic abuse can join us,” said Kearse. Clients undergo an intake session before being set up with a group and starting the path toward empowerment and long-term healing.
“We are called to be the hands and feet of Christ and walk hand-in-hand with each other. In this program, we work with women and men to help them put words to their feelings, validate their feelings, give them space for their emotions, and help them break generational cycles to protect themselves and their children,” Kearse said. “It’s a lot of work for them to do, especially when they’re living in survival mode from day to day, but we are here to accompany them on every step and give them the community support they need.”
The Intensive Survivors Support program is a ministry of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Harrisburg. The program welcomes donations of gift cards, bus passes, personal care items, journals and daily devotionals.
If you are experiencing domestic abuse or want to learn more about the program, contact Suzanne Kearse at 717-515-9134 or skearse@cchbg.org for confidential information.
By Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness
