One-to-one counselling, therapy groups, education and support services are offered to:
- Children who have either experienced or witnessed violence
- Women who have experienced domestic violence/abuse
- Men who have experienced early childhood abuse
- Men who have been charged with domestic assault
- Seniors who have been or currently are being exploited, abused and/or are experiencing various types of challenges and struggles
- Families that are involved with Children’s Aid Society
Interpretive services are available.
The following are Family Services of Peel's Abuse Prevention programs:
Children who have Experienced/Witnessed Violence
This program aims at working with children who have either experienced or witnessed violence. The philosophy of the program recognizes that parent/child is not a cause of violence and abuse directed at children and that in a parent/child relationship, children do not instigate or cause violence or abuse themselves. With parental/guardian consent, children can receive counselling individually, without a parent being present in the session. The goals of counselling are to help manage the effects of abuse, increase coping capacities and develop strategies for managing on a daily basis.
Immediate Intervention Services
The primary philosophy of this program is to ensure that there is immediate access to services for women and children who are experiencing/have experienced or have witnessed any form of emotional, psychological, financial, sexual, physical abuse, and any form of coercive control. In addition, there is focus on the immediate needs of clients who have experienced a life event that has precipitated a crisis. These include:
- Bereavement due to sudden loss or death
- Traumatic events (e.g., accidents)
- Suicidal ideation
- Overwhelming events
- Symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Clients are entitled to six (6) free counselling sessions and there is no wait list for this particular service.
Please click here to see our Intermediate Intervention Services brochure
Men’s Link Peel
This program is for men who have experienced childhood sexual and/or physical abuse. It consists of:
- Peer-to-Peer support
- Groups
- Individual counselling
- Volunteer opportunities
- Mentoring opportunities
Client testimonial:
As a child, I was abused sexually, emotionally and physically. In common with most abused children, I developed so-called "survival strategies" which enabled me to cope. The very tools which helped me survive as a child, however, became serious obstacles in my adult life. They have led to great difficulty in forming and maintaining relationships, especially in my marriage, as well as with struggles of addiction and depression.
Family Services of Peel is providing me with counselling which is assisting me to understand and deal with life as an Adult Survivor of Child Abuse. The future holds hope. A hope I could not achieve without their help. The Men's Link Program is, quite literally, a life-saver. It is a tremendous asset both to the community and to the men who have been victimized.
New Beginnings Group
The New Beginnings Group is a therapeutic group for women who are currently in, or have been in an abusive relationship with a male spouse or partner. The group offers women an opportunity to assume responsibility for maintaining their own safety and to begin addressing the relinquishing of responsibility for the abuse.
The group is provided at Family Services of Peel’s Mississauga office.
Partner Assault Response / Turning Point
This provincially approved program addresses violence in intimate partner relationships with two primary goals:
1) To enhance victim safety.
2) To increase the offender accountability.
The program is an integrated intervention that works with the male participants and their female partners or former partners. The philosophy of the program is that as men participate in the group, there will be a reduction and/or an end to their violent behaviours in their intimate partner relationships and an increased sense of safety and well-being for the partners/former partners and children who experience and/or witness abuse.
Peel Elder Abuse Support Program
This program is a collaboration of Family Services of Peel and the Distress Centre of Peel. This joint partnership is to inform and provide community outreach through education, supports and services to individuals seeking information in regards to elder abuse.
The program is designed to work with seniors and their concerned family and friends in the Region of Peel, who have been exploited, abused and are experiencing various types of challenges and struggles.
Safer Families Program
This program is a partnership between Family Services of Peel, Peel Children’s Aid Society and Catholic Family Services of Peel-Dufferin. The goal is to provide an effective and supportive response for families who are involved in the child welfare system due to children’s exposure to domestic violence.
South Asian Seniors Program
In this program, Family Services of Peel provides:
- One-to-one counselling and support.
- Home visits.
- Completion of a needs assessment.
- Information and referrals, when necessary.
- Case management with ODSP, CCAC, Peel Housing, Peel Senior Link, Distress Centre Peel, Red Cross, banks, Trans help and other service providers.
- Written support letters.
- Advocating on behalf of the client.
- A wellness group for seniors at Peel Senior Link (66 King Street West).
Violence Against Women
The philosophy of this program is to offer a wide array of interventions and support to women who have experienced violence. Focus is on helping women to manage life and deal with everyday issues. Counselling staff work with their clients to develop personalized strategies and solutions that help to promote hope and wellness in the client, their family and the community at large. The program:
- Recognizes the differing individual and family values and goals while respecting and valuing variations in cultural, ethnic and racial backgrounds, sexual orientation and gender identification, age and physical or intellectual abilities.
- Works with women who are experiencing or have experienced domestic or sexual violence. This includes emotional, mental, behavioural and psychological issues that are a direct result of abuse.
- Emphasizes client growth and development, promoting situational change and participation and empowerment from an anti-oppression framework.
- Concentrates on the client’s strengths with the client’s right to self-determination being the primary governing practice.
- Utilizes approaches/models of service deemed most suitable to the intellectual, cognitive, emotional, social, cultural, spiritual and philosophical background of the client.
Therapy includes support, information and exploration of personal, systematic and environmental dynamics, reflections, problem solving, crisis intervention, referral and advocacy.
Violence Against Women Seniors
Similar to the Violence Against Women program, services are provided to senior women (over 55 years old) that have experienced violence.
For more information on these programs or to book an appointment,
please call 905-453-5775.