It is an independent, multi-agency Forum, founded in 2001. We work as many other forums do across the country, to raise awareness of domestic violence related issues and the development of domestic violence local resources, policy and agency response. With the support of the Forum, Cathy Press, Chair, created and led this project. Primarily a therapist and trainer, Cathy recognised the need for a training tool that would enable front line professionals and managers to understand more deeply the complex experiences and issues that survivors of domestic violence and abuse face.

It is the Forum’s express hope that in watching these interviews, viewers will learn how domestic violence can potentially devastate the lives of any one of us, and how society’s judgement of victims of domestic violence and abuse often re-enforces and colludes with the beliefs of perpetrators of such abuse.

Cathy Press is a clinical supervisor running a counselling service at Southend Women’s Aid for survivors of domestic violence and abuse, sexual abuse and child abuse. Cathy also has a private counselling practice in Sudbury, Suffolk and co-facilitates multi-agency domestic violence training for Suffolk County Council as well as devising workshops specifically for counsellors and therapists to raise their awareness of domestic abuse issues. Cathy also trains facilitators to run workshops and courses designed to deal with issues of domestic violence and abuse.