Domestic Violence Survivor and Her Experience (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798348125738)

The research problem was that it was unknown how pastoral counseling could be improved to

meet better the emotional, physical, and spiritual needs of domestic violence survivors. Using the

ecological systems theory as the framework, this qualitative autoethnographic research explored

the role of Christian pastors in domestic violence counseling, emphasizing why pastors might be

unprepared to take on that role. An autoethnographic design was chosen because I, as the

researcher, had been a domestic violence survivor who sought support from my Christian pastor

as a first response. I was the sole participant and participated in extensive and rigorous reflective

practice with my experiences as a survivor of domestic abuse in my marriage who sought

pastoral counseling and divorce. Braun and Clarke's six-step thematic analysis was used along

with NVivo data analysis software to minimize bias, revealing five overarching themes: Pastoral

counselors are unprepared to acknowledge signs of abuse, pastoral counselors may have biased

interpretation of God's word, pastoral counselors may have biased perceptions toward Christians,

one's blind trust as a devout Christian woman, and gaining a better understanding of faith and

moving on. These results indicate that domestic violence victims deserve more support from

their community and the church so that more families can be turned into survivors; therefore, this

study may have positive societal implications. As long as victims remain silenced, their pain

cannot be healed by larger social movements that challenge the authority of those who protect

abusers. Increasing awareness of the reality of the many types of domestic violence in the

Christian community is likely to help de-stigmatize it. Bringing such discussions into the open

may help Christians recognize that some behaviors they live with may qualify as abuse. It is

hoped that the findings from one woman's experience may translate into insights that can help

victims of domestic violence in the future and pastors who may be unequipped to help them.