Peer Support in the Shadows: Rebuilding Lives After Abuse
by Jaime Richards Development & Funding Officer, Coventry Haven Women’s Aid
Most of us immediately think of group meetings, one-to-one mentoring, and recovery programs when considering peer support. However, for domestic abuse services, peer support is far more unassuming, often occurring in the most informal settings: in a refuge kitchen over a cup of tea, while waiting for a court hearing, or on the walk to collect a child from school after relocating and starting over again.
At Coventry Haven Women’s Aid, peer support isn’t a separate program; it’s the heartbeat of everything we do. Our team is made up largely of women who have walked the same path as those they now support. Many of us are survivors ourselves. That lived experience brings a level of empathy, trust, and understanding that no training course can teach.
Peer support in this environment may come in the shape of teaching a woman how to use public transport again after years of isolation, setting up her own bank account, or simply sitting together through a court statement, and laughing - really laughing, for the first time in months. It’s in the shared silences, the strength of being believed, and a reminder that healing doesn’t need to be done on your own.
Many of the women we support go on to become peer mentors, volunteers, and advocates, using their voices to shape training, influence systems, and create change for others. It’s a ripple effect of empowerment, one woman’s survival becoming another’s hope.
In a world that constantly undermines women’s resiliency, peer support reminds us that connection heals. Even in the darkest spaces, refuge kitchens, courtrooms, or helpline calls, there’s light. And that light is another woman saying, “You’re not alone. I see you. You can do this.”