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Survivor Advocates

@chrysalisprjct

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Empowering women survivors of DV with practical resources to rebuild, heal, and pursue purpose after abuse. 🦋
📍TX
🤍 501(c)(3)
👇 Support survivors

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What happened to you is part of your story, but it does not have to be the end of it.

There is purpose beyond survival.
There is healing beyond the hurt.
There is life beyond what you endured.

Chrysalis exists to walk alongside survivors as they rebuild, restore, and discover what’s possible on the other side of abuse.

Your purpose starts here.

#Chrysalis #SurvivorSupport #DomesticViolenceAwareness #HealingAfterAbuse #PurposeAfterPain by @chrysalisprjct

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2 months ago

Kindness isn’t hard. You don’t have to understand to empathize. Many have asked and are looking for ways to support survivors they may work with, know and love. Even if you don’t have the right words, you can listen. Even if they don’t want to talk you can leave a standing offer if they ever want to talk. Saying get over it is like saying calm down to someone riled up. When in the history of ever has calm down, calmed someone down? It hasn’t. So telling a survivor of trauma to get over it is doing the same. They can’t and with that type of logic they won’t. Treat them as you would want and extend the same care that you would want. It’s all about grace. 💜 by @chrysalisprjct

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4 years ago

Domestic violence is MORE than physical abuse. 💜

Here are 3 common types of abuse that don’t involve physical violence:

1. Emotional and Verbal Abuse
Constant criticism, name calling, humiliation, intimidation, manipulation, and making someone feel like they are never good enough. It can leave a person questioning their worth and even their own reality.

2. Financial Abuse
Controlling someone’s money, withholding money for basic needs, preventing them from working, sabotaging their employment, or making them financially dependent on their abuser.

3. Psychological Abuse
Gaslighting, threats, isolation from family and friends, controlling who someone talks to, and using fear to maintain power over them. It can make someone question their own judgment and feel trapped.

And here’s where it gets tricky.

It’s easy to write these things off because we’ve been conditioned to believe that domestic violence only looks like someone getting hit. The media often centers physical violence in its portrayals of abuse, leaving people to believe that anything else is simply a couples dispute or relationship problems.

But CONTROL is not love. Intimidation is not normal relationship conflict. And abuse does not have to leave a bruise to leave a lasting wound.

Sometimes, the woman laughing with you, checking on you, and showing up for everybody else is fighting a battle she hasn’t told a soul about.

So before you dismiss the signs, pay attention. Before you judge her choices, consider what she may be experiencing behind closed doors. And before you say, “That’s just between them,” remember that abuse thrives in silence.

Domestic violence awareness starts with knowing what to look for. Share this post. You never know who needs the information, who needs the confirmation, or who needs to know that what they’re experiencing has a name.

#DomesticViolenceAwareness #EmotionalAbuse #FinancialAbuse #PsychologicalAbuse #Chrysalis by @chrysalisprjct

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8 days ago

Imagine telling a survivor to leave their abuser and then leaving them to figure out the rest on their own.

Because what happens AFTER she leaves?

She may be stepping into a completely unfamiliar world.

Maybe she doesn’t have a job.

Maybe she has children who are now missing their father.

Maybe she has no money.

Maybe she has nowhere to live.

Maybe she has to find childcare.

Maybe she has to replace everything she left behind.

Maybe she is trying to navigate court, custody, transportation, work, school and healing all at the same time.

Maybe she is grieving the family she thought she was going to have.

Maybe she is terrified.

Maybe she is exhausted.

And maybe, despite knowing she needs to leave, going back feels easier than trying to survive everything that comes after leaving.

Research has shown just how complicated this can be. In one study of women who had accessed shelter or protection order services, 25% returned to their abuser at some point during the two year study period. (PubMed Central (PMC))

That statistic should not make us ask, “Why did she go back?”

It should make us ask, “What support did she have when she left?”

Telling someone to leave is not enough.

Survivors need somewhere to go.

They need financial support.

They need safe housing.

They need childcare.

They need transportation.

They need employment resources.

They need legal advocacy.

They need counseling.

They need community.

They need people who will still be there after the door closes behind them.

Because leaving an abuser may be one of the hardest decisions a survivor ever makes.

Survival does not end when she leaves. Sometimes, that is where a whole new fight begins.

We have to be willing to support survivors beyond the moment they find the courage to leave.

#DomesticViolenceAwareness #SupportSurvivors #SurvivorSupport #EndDomesticViolence #Chrysalis by @chrysalisprjct

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10 days ago

We recently took a poll on the Chrysalis Instagram page and asked our community:

Did you know what domestic violence was before you experienced it?

80% said no.

That response really made us think about the importance of prevention and education.

Abuse is like an illness and disease. Preventative measures are key. We spend a lot of time talking about what happens after abuse occurs, but we also have to talk about what we can do before it ever happens.

There are kid friendly, age appropriate ways to teach children, adolescents and teens about abuse. We can teach them about healthy relationships, boundaries, respect, manipulation, control and the warning signs of unhealthy behavior.

Once the seed is planted, they have something to recognize. They have language for what they are seeing and experiencing.

It doesn’t erase their chances of being in an abusive relationship, but it can limit their chances of remaining in one without recognizing what is happening.

The first time someone learns about domestic violence shouldn’t have to be the day they experience it.

Let’s plant the seed early.
Let’s have the conversations.
Let’s teach them what healthy looks like.
Let’s teach them what abuse looks like.

Prevention matters.

#DVAM #DomesticViolenceAwareness #HealthyRelationships #EndDomesticViolence #SurvivorSupport by @chrysalisprjct

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12 days ago

We don’t care if he’s never hit her… he did it to someone.
We don’t care if he’s charming, respected, generous, or kind to everyone else…. He wasn’t to someone.
We don’t care if you simply “can’t see him doing that.”… someone else saw it.

Domestic violence does not always look the way people expect it to look.

The CDC defines intimate partner violence as more than physical violence. It can include sexual violence, stalking, and psychological aggression, including behaviors used to harm, intimidate, or control a partner.

And the numbers are not small. More than 1 in 3 women in the United States, nearly 43.5 million women, have experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime.

So when a survivor tells you what happened, your inability to imagine it happening does not make it untrue.

Believe survivors.
Learn the signs.
Stop measuring abuse by how an abuser looks to you.

#DomesticViolenceAwareness #BelieveSurvivors #EndDomesticViolence #SurvivorSupport #DVAM by @chrysalisprjct

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14 days ago

This will not be another month of awareness filled with words but little action.

This Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we intend to spotlight the people who are affected by domestic violence but are rarely supported, acknowledged, or seen. The survivors who are rebuilding in silence. The children who carry the weight of what they have witnessed. The individuals who have left but are still healing. And those who are still trying to find a way out.

Awareness must extend beyond a purple ribbon. It must look like advocacy, resources, compassion, accountability, and tangible support.

This month, we are making room for the stories that often go unheard and the people who are too often overlooked.

May we do more than acknowledge domestic violence. May we become part of the change survivors need.

#DomesticViolenceAwareness #DomesticViolenceAwarenessMonth #EndDomesticViolence #SurvivorSupport #ChrysalisNonprofit by @chrysalisprjct

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16 days ago

Sometimes healing doesn’t look like starting over.

Sometimes healing looks like packing a bag.
Making the phone call.
Signing the papers.
Blocking the number.
Walking away.

If the bravest thing you’ve ever done was choose yourself and leave an abusive relationship, don’t let anyone convince you that your story is “not enough.”

Leaving took courage.
Choosing peace took courage.
Choosing life took courage.

And that is enough.

🤍 by @chrysalisprjct

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17 days ago

We’re on the heels of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and we’re excited to bring awareness to all aspects of domestic violence while also sharing the heroic stories of survivors who may have once been unsure they would make it to the other side.

This October, join us as we advocate throughout SETX and online to bring awareness to domestic violence, amplify survivor voices, and remind those who are still walking through it that there is life beyond abuse.

Mark your calendar for October 13: WINGS UP — the day we celebrate and wear our wings for the butterflies who survived to the other side.

Let’s prepare to bring awareness, honor survivors, and make an impact this October!

#DomesticViolenceAwareness #DVAM #SurvivorVoices #Chrysalis #WingsUp by @chrysalisprjct

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19 days ago

Abuse doesn’t always leave a bruise.

Sometimes it looks like financial control. Isolation. Threats. Monitoring. Emotional manipulation. Reproductive coercion.

Knowing the signs matters because recognizing abuse is often the first step toward understanding what is happening.

If something feels wrong, you do not have to minimize it just because there isn’t a visible injury.

Save this. Share it. Someone may need this information today.

#DomesticViolenceAwareness #AbuseAwareness #SurvivorSupport #DVSurvivors #Chrysalis by @chrysalisprjct

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25 days ago

Missing them doesn’t mean you made the wrong decision.

You can miss someone and still know you needed to leave.

You can remember the good moments and still acknowledge the harm.

You can love someone and recognize that the relationship was not safe for you.

According to the CDC’s 2023/2024 National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, nearly 1 in 3 women in the United States have experienced psychological aggression by an intimate partner. That includes behaviors involving coercive control and entrapment.

So if you’re sitting somewhere wondering why you still miss them, please be gentle with yourself.

Healing is not always a straight line.

Missing them is a feeling.

Leaving was a decision.

And you are still allowed to choose yourself.

#DomesticViolenceAwareness #SurvivorHealing #LifeAfterAbuse #DomesticViolenceSurvivor #HealingAfterAbuse by @chrysalisprjct

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a month ago

We’re excited to share that Chrysalis will be in Nacogdoches, TX for WBIM 2026: “That Fruit Remains” Women’s Conference, September 11–12! 💜

We’ll be there with some of our immediate support resources for survivors, and we would love the opportunity to connect with you.

If you or someone you know is navigating domestic violence or sexual assault, come see us. We want to offer support, connect you with resources, and remind you that you do not have to walk through this alone.

Sometimes the first step is simply knowing that someone is willing to listen.

Come by, say hello, grab a resource, and let’s connect. We’re looking forward to being in the room with you and serving our community. 💜

Nacogdoches, we’ll see you September 11–12! by @chrysalisprjct

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a month ago