Tanya Langford first started a recovery and empowerment program in the hopes of "taking women out of the cycle of domestic violence".
Almost two years on, Safe Woman, Safe Family celebrated the successes of its program, with the course already helping 49 women not only break free of violence but also improve their long term well-being.
Women who completed the program reported an average of 36.7 per cent increased satisfaction in their level of social connection and 100 per cent reported feeling less socially isolated.
The same women reported a 25 per cent increase in emotional well-being and general happiness, and a 68 per cent reduction in the regularity of intense emotional responses such as sadness or anxiety.
One of the women the program helped was Melanie, who first experienced violence as a child.
This cycle of violence continued into her adult life as she entered into a series of relationships with men who inflicted physical, emotional, financial abuse and control on her.
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Melanie said she mothered two children to a man who was "emotionally abusive and extremely controlling".
Sometime after this, she entered a "good relationship" and had a third child.
But, as she struggled with her ability to manage her trauma responses this relationship deteriorated and she ended up with a violent man.
"He nearly killed me," she said. "I was very fearful of him, both for myself and for my kids."
It was when Melanie found out she was pregnant with her fourth child she tried to turn her life around.
"I tried to turn my life around for the sake of my unborn baby, but at that point I had no support from my family and the only friends I had were involved in the drug scene so it was very hard," she said.
"I was six months pregnant, sitting in a park with nothing and no one."
Melanie said it was only when she joined the 15-week program she began to heal.
"The program helped me understand how the traumas from my childhood had been impacting on my life and that I needed to work on the way trauma responses were damaging my relationships," she said.
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Ms Langford said it was helping women such as Melanie that made her start the program.
"There are a lot of women out there who have been affected by trauma and they may have gotten rid of the perpetrator but they haven't healed so they are most likely to attract that same person again at some point," she said.
"This is why we created this program."
The next round of the program will be starting on February 12 and some spots are still available. To learn more go to safewomansafefamilywa.com
Violence line 1800 737 732. Lifeline 13 13 14.
