Domestic Abuse - The Den
Byron's Story
A little boy who was struggling with aggression and harmful behaviours at home. He would usually direct his anger towards his mum, biting her, calling her names and physically lashing out at her each day.
Mum, Sara, was overwhelmed trying to manage Byron’s behaviour and, at times, felt unable to cope. Through gentle conversations, Sara told us that Byron had been witness to domestic abuse in his early years.
Byron’s father had been physically and verbally aggressive towards Sara when Byron was very young. Despite being just a toddler when his parents’ relationship broke down, Byron had internalised behaviours that he had been exposed to and learned that this was a way of expressing anger or distress.
Early sessions with Byron revealed that he easily became dysregulated and found it difficult to talk about his feelings. Byron’s ability to manage big emotions was limited. Being only 6 years of age and having already been through so much, he was finding daily life really hard to manage.
We focussed Byron on understanding different emotions and what to do when they arrived, even the big and difficult ones! Through positive reinforcement, age appropriate activities and practical solutions, we helped Byron to create his own toolkit for getting through the day, whatever the emotional weather.
Guiding Byron through different scenarios about the impact of emotions and how our behaviours affect others, we began to see progress in the way that he managed his response to challenging feelings. Sara also worked hard with Byron to find the right words to explore and express feelings at home, guided by the work that we were covering within sessions. When Byron’s sessions finished, Sara contacted us to say how much home life had improved, and that, even though they would continue to deal with the legacy of what had happened to them both, she felt more hopeful for the future now that they had learnt ways to manage the more demanding days.
Who are the Den...
The Den provides specialist, trauma-informed support to children and young people aged 3 years and above affected by domestic abuse.
Working within schools and community settings, our dedicated team of Children’s Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (Children’s IDVAs) ensure that children’s voices are heard, their experiences are validated, and they are supported to feel safe, rebuild confidence and understand healthy relationships.
With over 16 years of experience, The Den works closely with partners, including the Police and Crime Commissioner, local education settings and social care, to break the cycle of abuse, giving children space to heal and thrive.
