Stop the violence: Every month is Domestic Violence Awareness Month at Family Advocacy Published Sept. 29, 2010 By David Bedard JBER/PAO JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month across the nation, but for service members and employees at 673d Medical Group's Family Advocacy Office, domestic violence is a reality they grapple with every day. Air Force Maj. Marisa Alvarado, Family Advocacy officer, explained what the month means for troops, family members and employees on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. "The intent of Domestic Violence Awareness Month is to make everyone aware that domestic violence continues to be a problem, and it really does cut across every socioeconomic status you can imagine," she said. "It's really important that people recognize what the signs and symptoms are of domestic violence, and that they refer people to the appropriate resources like the Family Advocacy office, so that they get the care that they need. "Early intervention is what we always strive for, which is why we really try to have a lot of different activities during the month of October," Alvarado continued. "So people recognize that even though it's just a few flakes to begin with, it can turn into a snowball very quickly, and that's what we want to avoid." Though domestic violence takes place primarily in the confines of the home, Alvarado said the implications are widespread. "The effects of domestic violence can be manifold," she said. "No. 1, of course, it's going to impact the two people who are directly involved, both the victim and the offender. It can affect the entire unit. If you have someone who is in a critical position, and they can't be at work because they have to be at an anger management group or at a counseling session, that's obviously going to affect the mission. "We want to intervene when there is a low-level type of situation before it escalates and gets really, really out of hand," Alvarado elaborated. "Ultimately, what we want to prevent is domestic violence at large and any deaths that are associated with domestic violence." Family Advocacy Strength-based Treatment is a prime example of a service designed to stop domestic violence before it even begins. "It's a prevention service," Avarado said of FAST. "So let's say you and your wife are disagreeing a whole lot, but you're not hitting each other, there's no controlling behavior, there's just a lot of bickering going on, disagreements about parenting, disagreements about where to PCS next, but it's escalated to where you want to talk to somebody else and get a third party involved, that's where FAST comes in." To help victims of domestic violence, Alvarado said the Family Advocacy Office is host to a cadre of victim advocates, social service professionals charged with providing counseling, safety planning and finding the resources victims need when removing themselves from an abusive situation. Alvarado said it is important to understand victims of domestic violence often don't fit into a stereotype. "A lot of people have the misconception that the victims are always the females, and that's simply not the case," she said. "We actually have quite a few males that are victims, and we need to keep our awareness elevated, so if you see one of your troops, male or female, and they have bruises, they're not sleeping well, they appear disheveled, there could be something going on there, so probe a little bit further. Domestic violence is highly preventable and highly treatable as long as we can get them in the door and point them in the right direction." Alvarado said many wonder why victims of domestic violence don't simply leave the offender, but she said it often doesn't seem that simple to to the victim. "The reality is a lot of people who are in an abusive relationship have been brainwashed by the offender," she said. "Like they can't make it on their own. They don't have adequate resources, whether educational resources or financial resources to make it on their own. The offender will oftentimes threaten the victim over full custody of the child." Alvarado said victim advocates help victims to surmount all obstacles, perceived or real, to their leaving an abusive situation. She said the implementation of restricted reporting, a victim's report of abuse without notification of the service member's chain of command, has increased the number of victims who come to Family Advocacy to find help. "They can actually come forward, receive the resources that they need, make life changes that they need to make and then go forward," Alvarado said. The officer said service members returning from a deployment should be aware of how their experiences may affect their life at home. "A lot of people who are redeploying deal with anger issues, and that's totally normal," she said. "In fact, the majority of people that redeploy do go through a period when they are angry or highly irritable. If one is struggling with these types of issues, it's much easier to get help before it owns them, because anger can get really out of control. "The no. 1 thing you can do is to recognize your irritability is getting out of hand," Alvarado continued. "There (are) a lot of healthy coping mechanisms you can use besides coming to the Family Advocacy Office or to the Mental Health Office. There are anger management courses all over the installation. Go to the gym, work out, talk about what's under your skin, what's making you so irritable and so angry, talk to a chaplain. Those are all resources that you have at a drop of a dime." For those who live in a healthy family, Alvarado said it is still important to be aware of domestic violence. "Look around you and see who doesn't have a healthy family, and how do we get that family healthy." she said. "The first step is asking, 'Hey, what's going on?'" Alvarado said the conversation can oftentimes be very similar to a suicide confrontation, because it involves having a frank conversation with someone who is either the victim or offender of domestic violence. "Everyone who wears the uniform is a mandated reporter," she said. "So, if you suspect that your buddy is in a domestic violence situation, you have the obligation to report that to Family Advocacy. We will take it from there." Because domestic violence is a problem every month of the year, Alvarado said everyone has an obligation to remain vigilant. "We should always be looking, always be cautious of domestic violence," she said. "It shouldn't just be in October. It should be something that we're cognizant of year round." Family advocacy can be reached at 552-5858.